West Lake in Hangzhou City (FILE)

A delegation of Chinese officials recently pitched tourism in China's most beautiful city to U.S. audiences during a goodwill tour. The road show stopped in New York on April 18, where 170 travel professionals and officials dined and celebrated the cultural treasures of Hangzhou, the capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province.

"Tourism is essential to promoting friendship and understanding between peoples," said Dong Xiaojun, Chinese Deputy Consul General to New York, noting that "China-U.S. relations is one of the most significant and dynamic bilateral relationships in the world."

Peter Koo, New York City councilman, said the Chinese are now the world's biggest spenders on tourism and it's "only fair" that New Yorkers return the favor.

"New York and Hangzhou are special places, iconic cities and cultural destinations," he said.

The Italian explorer Marco Polo visited the ancient Chinese capital of Hangzhou during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). He discovered a city bustling with merchants trading fine teas and a soft fabric made from the threads of silk worms. He called Hangzhou the "City of Heaven" and "the most beautiful and magnificent in the world."

While a "modern Marco Polo" is in need to serve as international spokesman through a contest announced by tourism officials. Contestants will submit, via Facebook and other social media, reasons why they should win the $52,000 salary and yearlong contract.

The author is a contributing writer to Beijing Review, living in New York City

Background

Hangzhou City is considered one of China's greatest natural treasures with such attractions as West Lake (joining the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2011), Xixi Wetlands Park, a section of the Jing-Hang Grand Canal (joining the UNESCO list in 2014), Lingyin Temple, and a thousand-islet lake created by a Yangtze River power dam.

With free municipal WiFi, more than 8,000 festivals and celebrations, 22 five-star hotels, more than 70,000 public bicycles, and a rich history of tea and silk trade, Hangzhou is a world-class tourist destination. After The New York Times listed Hangzhou among the world's top 41 destinations in 2011, international tourism in the city jumped 8.1 percent.