'Actually, I’m not a native of Hangzhou or any other city in Zhejiang Province.'

On September 5, at the opening ceremony of the 5th Hangzhou International Day 2022, Shi Yigong, President of Westlake University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, gave a keynote speech, introducing Hangzhou to the world in English for the first time.

He said, Hangzhou is a scenic city famous for its history, art, humanities and a modern city that is growing rapidly towards internationalization. He called himself a new 'Hangzhouer'. In this city,  dreams become reality. His passion of Hangzhou is shared by millions of new Hangzhouers who have come along from all over the China and the world.  In the past decade, at least three million individuals have choosen Hangzhou as their adopted homeland, making this ancient city a truly open and international hub.

Shi Yigong then shared the story of coming to Hangzhou to found Westlake University in 2015. From the initial 7 people to the hundreds of people today, Westlake University has attracted a large number of doctors, postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars. They are aiming to deal with global challenges, including climate change, environmental degradation, energy crisis and medical issues, especially infectious diseases. These experts and scholars come from 21 different countries and regions. They all have a common philosophy, that is, to be based in China, look to the world, and make contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

At the end of his speech, Shi Yigong invited people from all over the world. He said,millions of such stories are on forming this charming city. Welcome to Hangzhou, enjoying your stay in Hangzhou!

After the speech, Hangzhou issued an invitation to create a global innovation source for the West City Science and Technology Innovation Corridor. In the name of the city, it issued a warm invitation to the world to share development opportunities and build innovation highlands.

September 5 is the anniversary of the closing of the G20 Hangzhou Summit and the release of the communique. In April 2018, Hangzhou established September 5 as a permanent festival in Hangzhou, Hangzhou International Day. The theme of this year's Hangzhou International Day is 'Drive Innovation Through Closer International Cooperation'.

Editor: Tan Qikuan