Hangzhou and its legendary West Lake are returning to their Romantic Song Dynasty roots in a new social media campaign that will culminate with a Valentine Day’s message posted on a full page in the New York Times.

The "My Chinese Love Story" campaign launched by Hangzhou on Facebook encourages participants to create an e-card with a "Dreamlike West Lake" theme.

Contest entrants can either send it to a particular person or have it placed in a special letter-box for a random drawing by a stranger. Real postcards will be mailed out from Hangzhou, using stamps with a Hangzhou theme and bearing a Hangzhou postmark. The winner will have their e-card declaration of love appear in the New York Times on February 14.

For the Chinese people West Lake has special romantic associations. During the classic Song Dynasty era pavilions on the lake were used by lovers to write poetry especially on full moon nights. The lake is also the setting for the legendary Chinese love story of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai.

Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang Province, and its beautiful West Lake has become increasingly popular with upscale Western travelers. Hangzhou is one of the six oldest capitals in China. More than 800 years ago, Marco Polo called it “the most splendid city in the world,” and his statement is backed up by modern travelers.

The city has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and more than 5,000 years of culture and history.

Last January, Hangzhou became the first mainland Chinese city to launch its own international marketing campaign. Li Hong, director of Hangzhou Tourism Commission, unveiled a marketing strategy that features “20 big action plans and 77 smaller projects.”