BEIJING • New York City has named Chinese pianist Lang Lang as its first Cultural Tourism Ambassador.

Outside Steinway Hall in Manhattan on Tuesday - or Lang Lang Day as declared by Mayor Bill de Blasio - the 34-year-old was presented with a personalised double-decker bus featuring his photograph.

The city wants Chinese tourists to venture beyond standard sights such as the Empire State Building and seek others outside Manhattan.

Lang's latest album, New York Rhapsody, has been billed as a love letter to the city where he has a home. It was released last week.