Saad Farooqi (right)
Newcomer
By Saad Farooqi
I am from Swat, Pakistan. As a PhD student in an Institute of Hydrobiology, CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) Wuhan, I came to Hangzhou on May 15 for the 2023 Spring School on Frontier and Interdisciplinary Sciences for the Oversea students at the International College of UCAS.
Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study of UCAS, together with Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area and International College, held a cultural exchange activity for us from the Belt and Road Initiative countries at the West Lake Museum, including a fervent English salon with volunteers of the Asian Games Youth V Station. I was honored to join in the activity contributing to creating a good atmosphere of "all people learning English together to welcome the Asian Games".
Hangzhou, the main host city of the Asian Games, is known for its picturesque scenery, historic landmarks, modern architecture, and vibrant culture. When I see the lush green mountains and greenery they just reminded me of my hometown Swat.
There is a natural beauty in Hangzhou beside the infrastructure. One of its most famous attractions is the West Lake, a beautiful lake surrounded by gardens, temples, and bridges. It's an amazing place for people to visit. If you came to Hangzhou and didn't visit the West Lake, you see nothing.
The city is also home to many museums, like Liangzhu Museum, the one I have visited, which is one of the most ancient and richest civilization in Hangzhou.
Additionally, Hangzhou is known for its cuisine, which includes many types of seafood dishes, as well as traditional foods like Beggar's Chicken and Longjing Tea Shrimp.
Huanglong Sports Centre is another important stop on our tour, which was built originally in 1997 and has undergone extensive renovations in preparation for the 19th Asian Games that will be held this September. I learned that the stadium has a seating capacity of 60,000. It is used for football, gymnastics, and water polo events during the Hangzhou Asian Games. In addition to the main stadium and gymnasium, the sports center also includes several other facilities like swimming pools, tennis courts, a fitness center and a sports science center.