Writing a new legend for Hangzhou tourism and setting a new benchmark for urban tourism

　　On November 29, 2013, the award ceremony for the "Hangzhou Legend" Microfilm Competition, jointly organized by the Hangzhou Municipal Tourism Commission and the China Film Directors' Guild, was grandly held at the Canal Scissors, Knives & Swords Museum. Attendees included Ms. Li Hong, Director of the Municipal Tourism Commission, Mr. Wang Xinzhang, Deputy Director, representatives of the winning microfilm contestants, representatives from the "Top Ten Scenic Spots in Hangzhou," tourism industry representatives, media reporters, and university students in Hangzhou.

　　As an emerging medium, tourism microfilms are being increasingly adopted by cities. As one of China’s top tourism destinations, Hangzhou has always been at the forefront of tourism promotion. To align with the trends of the new era and cater to the psychological characteristics of younger generations, the Municipal Tourism Commission integrated tourism with microfilms and new media by collaborating with the China Film Directors’ Guild to launch the "Hangzhou Legend" Tourism Microfilm Competition. The goal was to encourage global netizens—especially young directors and cultural professionals—to creatively produce microfilms centered around Hangzhou’s diverse culture. The initiative aimed to further enhance the visibility of Hangzhou’s scenic spots and expand the influence of its tourism brand.

　　The "Hangzhou Legend" Tourism Microfilm Competition officially launched on January 7, 2013, using Sina Weibo and iQiyi as its main promotional platforms. It unfolded in three phases: "Micro Story Creative Collection," "Microfilm Collection," and "Award-Winning Microfilm Screening." The competition specially invited Hua Shao, a popular host from Zhejiang Satellite TV, to serve as the promotional ambassador. An MV titled "Hangzhou Legend" featuring Hua Shao as the male lead was also released to continuously promote and generate buzz for the event.

　　On March 15, the micro story creative phase concluded, receiving a total of 1,578 submissions from various sectors of society. Nearly 100,000 netizens participated in voting, ultimately producing 10 winners for the Top Ten Story Creative Awards and 20 winners for the Excellent Story Creative Awards. By the end of March, a Baidu search for the keyword "Hangzhou Legend" showed the official website link automatically appearing at the top of the first page of search results. On Sina Weibo, a search for "Hangzhou Legend"-related content yielded 387,749 results, generating 333 popular Weibo posts under the "Hangzhou Legend" tag.

　　By August 31, the microfilm collection phase ended after four months, having received a total of 343 entries from various sources. The submitted works were rich in variety, covering multiple genres including romance, drama, time-travel, and comedy. During the submission period, 158 promotions of the works were made via the official Weibo account of the Hangzhou Tourism Commission, resulting in 3,454 reposts, 1,429 comments, 826,494 participations under the #HangzhouLegend# hashtag, and coverage reaching over 1.56 million people. A Baidu search for "Hangzhou Legend" returned 20,900,000 related pieces of information, 203 news articles, and the "Hangzhou Legend" special homepage attracted 50 million views.

　　After joint evaluation by the Hangzhou Municipal Tourism Commission and the China Film Directors’ Guild, the film "Heritage," shot in Xiaoshan, won the Annual Microfilm Grand Prize, while "I SEE Xixi" received the Legendary Microfilm Award. All winning films will be released on the microfilm channels of iQiyi’s PC and mobile platforms and screened in universities and cinemas nationwide.

　　Heritage

　　I SEE Xixi

　　Gongchen Bridge Love Story  Ancient Town Tales　Ocean Bride  Tianmushan Legend  Butterfly Dream　Hangzhou, I Love You  If the Heart Is Still Warm　Stories of Hangzhou　Free Loop　A Once-in-a-Thousand-Years Meeting　Legacy　Blind Date　Long Street Awaits the Returnee   Love in Liangzhu  Floating Life Musings Summer by the Pond  Guarding Tonglu  Journey of the Soul

　　West Lake Spring Sacrifice　Memory Capsule　Decision at Countdown　Reason to Move Forward The Bond of Meijiawu　Three-Line Love Letter　Us　Waiting for Love  The Meaning of Travel　A Little Sweet　Angel  Love in Doomsday　French Fries　Three Pennies　Hypnosis  Starting Hangzhou　Bitter Coffee  The Most Beautiful Time　Following the Girl’s Steps　On the Road  Cherry Orange Flavor　Island　Call of the Wind　Together   Dancing Youth

　　The award-winning films of the "Hangzhou Legend" Microfilm Competition were shot in ten of Hangzhou’s most representative scenic spots (destinations): West Lake, Xixi, the Canal, Xiaoshan, Yuhang, Tonglu, Chun’an, Jiande, Fuyang, and Lin’an. Whether in terms of location selection or thematic conception, these films were deeply integrated with their settings. For example, "Tianmushan Legend" from Lin’an, based on the historical context of the Flying Tigers during World War II, unearthed the anti-Japanese war culture of the Tianmushan region and told a story of profound friendship between the Chinese and American peoples forged through blood and fire, fully showcasing the cultural and historical depth of the scenic area. "Gongchen Bridge Love Story" by the Canal approached the theme through the love story of ordinary people, reflecting the modern face of the millennia-old canal, the simple and honest nature of canal residents, and their dedication to love. Similarly, "Ocean Bride" from Xiaoshan, using a small story to illustrate a larger theme, narrated the tale of an ordinary person courageously pursuing their own love and life, thereby highlighting the humanistic spirit of the scenic area. These award-winning films brought viewers into real-life settings through unique perspectives, endowing the scenic areas with new cultural labels. Just as the movie "If You Are the One" helped put Xixi Wetland on the map, the winning films of this competition will create new images and exciting stories for Hangzhou’s tourist spots.

　　2. Integrating New Media to Open Up New Horizons for Urban Tourism

　　The "Hangzhou Legend" Microfilm Competition used Sina Weibo and iQiyi as its primary promotional platforms, combining urban tourism with microfilms and new media to elevate the city’s domestic marketing efforts. The entire year-long campaign was carefully designed with the psychology of users in the new media era in mind. Leveraging influential bloggers and major accounts, the campaign sparked online discussions around the "Hangzhou Legend" topic, increasing its exposure. Combined with discounted travel packages offered by scenic spots, it captured the attention of netizens. During the judging phase, the public voted online to select the top 200 entries, strengthening the connection between netizens and the "Hangzhou Legend" Microfilm Competition. In the microfilm screening phase, iQiyi collaborated to build dedicated "Hangzhou Legend" microfilm sections on both PC and mobile platforms, showcasing 45 award-winning microfilms and significantly amplifying their reach. The Annual Microfilm Grand Prize winner, "Heritage," garnered over 550,000 views on iQiyi within just two days of its release. In today’s landscape of increasingly homogenized urban tourism marketing, traditional media can no longer meet the evolving needs of users. The introduction of new media has opened up new horizons for urban tourism and injected fresh vitality.

　　The "Hangzhou Legend" Microfilm Competition integrated a wide range of resources including media, celebrities, renowned directors, and scenic spots to maximize its social impact and appeal. Li Shaohong, President of the China Film Directors’ Guild, He Ping, Secretary-General, and Liu Yiwei, Deputy Secretary-General, served as expert judges for the microfilm submissions and actively participated in offline launch events, ensuring the authority and credibility of the competition and guaranteeing the high quality of the final selected works. Hua Shao, a popular host from Zhejiang Satellite TV, served as the image ambassador for the "Hangzhou Legend" Microfilm Competition, creating and performing the competition’s theme song MV "Hangzhou Legend," which inspired netizens to participate in challenges and imitations. The "Top Ten Scenic Spots in Hangzhou" provided solid support throughout the competition, cooperating fully in shooting arrangements, logistical support, and post-event promotion, especially during the award-winning microfilm publicity phase. The scenic spots pooled their resources to support the initiative—online through television, newspapers, and internet media coverage of the award information, and offline through continuous screenings of the winning films within the scenic areas. Counties and cities such as Lin’an and Fuyang also played the films on large public screens in city squares, further expanding the competition’s influence.

　　IV. Post-Competition Initiatives

　　In future tourism promotions for Hangzhou, the Municipal Tourism Commission will fully leverage the valuable outcomes of the "Hangzhou Legend" microfilms. Through print, television, online media, and international and domestic market promotions, these outstanding works will be used to further promote Hangzhou tourism. In the near future, a special program on "Hangzhou Legend" will be aired on CCTV-6’s "Love to Shoot Movies" column, and the award-winning films will also be screened in cinemas and universities across the country, extending the influence of the competition and maximizing the lasting impact of the microfilm achievements.

　　Official website of "Hangzhou Legend":

　　http://city.sina.com.cn/city/f/hzcqwdy2012/

　　Official Weibo account of “The Legend of Hangzhou”: @hangzhoutourism

　　http://e.weibo.com/hangzhoutourism

　　The Legend of Hangzhou iQiyi page:

　　http://www.iqiyi.com/weidianying/hzcqwdyds.html