On May 14, 2020, a press conference was held in Hangzhou to announce the 20 representative cultural symbols of Zhejiang. Chronologically, the twenty symbols are as follows: the site of Hemudu Culture, the ancient city of Liangzhu Culture, Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou silk, celadon, the legend of Xi Shi, the Shaoxing rice wine, Mount Tiantai, the Zhejiang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the West Lake of Hangzhou, Mount Putuo, the tidal bore of the Qiantang River, the site of the imperial city of the Southern Song, the Confucius Temple of the South, the Eastern Zhejiang School, Wuju Opera, Dragon Well Tea, Xiling Seal Art Society, Red Boat of the South Lake, Yueju Opera. It is the first time that Zhejiang is culturally identified. There will be more cultural symbols of the province to be identified.

The selection is confined to both tangible and intangible categories. The first list does not include cultural figures. The two categories include historical and cultural resources and cultural phenomena of the past and the present in nine subcategories: ancient archaeological sites, historical events, thought and academic schools, writings, art genres, cultural institutions, folk celebrities, traditional products, and physical cultural signposts.

The work of the public selection of the cultural symbols started on May 5, 2019.

The recommendation was done by cultural institutions across Zhejiang in respective cities and by the general public online. By the end of July 2019, there had been 399 candidates recommended.

Then experts were engaged to review the long list. The 399 candidates were scrutinized on the basis of historical facts and data. After three rounds of reviews, 30 were shortlisted. Last November, the 30 candidates were issued on news media for the public voting. Hundreds of thousands voted.

With the votes in, the organizers held a special session to finalize a list of 20 winners.

The first 20 are indeed representative cultural symbols of Zhejiang. Of the 20, there are five cultural heritages. The West Lake, the Zhejiang section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the archaeological site of Liangzhu City are UNESCO world heritage sites. Silk, celadon, Dragon Well Tea and Shaoxing rice wine are time-honored regional products. In the subcategory of art genres are Wuju Opera and Yueju Opera, two unique regional operas that enjoy wide popularity. The Red Boat of the South Lake symbolizes the founding of the Communist Party of China in 1921. The founding fathers of the CPC met in the boat on the lake and ushered in a political party that has brought huge and fundamental changes to China. 

Eastern Zhejiang School is on the list essentially because the prominent academic group left huge impact on the history of Zhejiang. The school emphasized that knowledge should lead to pragmatic applications and bring benefits to the general public. What the school championed so many centuries ago is on the mind of the people in Zhejiang. The Yongjia School, part of the Eastern Zhejiang School, upheld “dare to pioneer,” a cultural characteristic of the province, which has made Zhejiang stand out as a daring pioneer in China’s reform and opening up to the outside world.  is a unique cultural treasure Zhejiang boasts. Calligrapher Wang Xizhi (303-361) wrote this timeless essay after a springtime gathering in Orchid Pavilion in Zhejiang. The handwritten masterpiece is part of the canon of Chinese calligraphy. The West Lake and Mount Putuo are physical cultural landmarks of Hangzhou and Zhoushan respectively.