An aerial view of East Lake Scenic Area in Pinghu, Zhejiang province [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Pinghu, a shining pearl by the side of Hangzhou Bay, is located in the northeast of Zhejiang province with Shanghai, Suzhou and Hangzhou adjacent to it. With a profound historic culture, the city has long been known as "home of silk" and "a land of plentiful fish and rice" since ancient times.

Pinghu is also the birthplace of numerous talents and famous scholars and artists throughout the ages, including Li Shutong, a Chinese Buddhist monk, artist and art teacher.

Rich in historic sites and cultural attractions, Pinghu has many things to offer in terms of museums and galleries. Pinghu Museum, established in 1958, has a rich collection of historic relics, with 16 sorts and nearly ten thousand pieces, such as stone artifacts, pottery, porcelains, copper ware, calligraphy and painting, more than 2000 pieces of which are considered as national precious historic relics.

In 2008, Pinghu was named as a Homeland of China's Folk Cultures and Arts by the Ministry of Culture.