The eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou has been one of the country's most popular tourist hot spots over the years. The birthplace of Chinese internet giants like Alibaba has seen a growing number of domestic and global entrepreneurs settling in the Yangtze River Delta metropolis, hunting for golden opportunities.

Wu Conghua and his family are visiting Hangzhou for the fifth time. He said no trip there is complete without seeing West Lake. Wu told CGTN that what impresses him most here is that it is a tourist destination in the first place, and a business hub with many internet companies and small businesses.

According to eHangzhou, the city welcomed over 184 million travelers in 2018, a 13-percent rise over the year before. Its internet industry reputation is due in large part to Alibaba, where Jack Ma established the company in his hometown in 1999.

In the two decades since, Alibaba has grown from a small startup to a global internet powerhouse, with businesses ranging from e-commerce to logistics and cloud computing.

Ma said Alibaba is in Hangzhou because the city likes entrepreneurship, possesses great talent, a good environment and a culture that fights for the future. 

Internet companies like Alibaba, Netease, Tencent and Baidu have brought enormous changes to Chinese consumers.

The natural beauty, business environment and lifestyle are some key factors for entrepreneurs here.

Julien Reincke from Holland is one of them. He and his colleagues have been promoting their data-based internet business in the city for the past year.

"For small companies, there are a lot of opportunities, because there is an environment, an ecosystem where you can easily start a business, start small, and then grow from there. So that is what I really like about Hangzhou," Reincke told CGTN. 

The internet has been highly integrated with every aspect of people's lives. From public services to private businesses, most internet companies here are working for making people's lives more comfortable and enjoyable.