About 700 years after Macro Polo's first visit to Hangzhou, Swiss native Liam Bates has been elected the "Modern Marco Polo", the city ambassador employed by Hangzhou city.

Liam arrived in Suzhou on June 4.

It’s an important stop on his trip along the Grand Canal of China, which covers several major joints of the Chinese south-north water transport artery - Hangzhou, Huzhou, Suzhou and Yangzhou.

Lingering Garden was Bates’ first stop in Suzhou, and he was impressed by the beauty of the famous Chinese garden.

Curious about everything in the garden, Bates kept asking questions. “Why are these stones here held up high just for watching?” He said much of the marble materials are used as flooring in his hometown.

Bates has been in China for almost 10 years and speaks fluent Chinese. However, he said needs more time to learn about Chinese culture.

Bates and his entourage also visited other renowned attractions in Suzhou, such as Hanshan Temple, the Maple Bridge scenic area, Iron Bell Pass and Panmen scenic area.

The Marco Polo Revisits the Grand Canal trip by Liam Bates aims to boost the Grand Canal’s application for world intangible cultural heritage status. This month, the 38th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will be held in Qatar, and the decision will be made on whether the Grand Canal would enter the list.

In 2013, the Hangzhou Tourism Commission started a global recruitment campaign to look for the "Modern Marco Polo" in order to market Hangzhou. More than 26,000 applicants joined the campaign, and Bates was the final winner. During his term, Bates will introduce Hangzhou to the world by sharing his travel experiences on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.