About Hangzhou

Hangzhou (Chinese: 杭州), formerly transliterated as Hangchow, is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China . Governed as a sub-provincial city, and as of 2010, its entire administrative division had a registered population of 8.7 million people. A core city of the Yangtze River Delta, its position on the Hangzhou Bay 180 kilometres (110 mi) southwest of Shanghai gives it economic power, and moreover, it has also been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, due in part to its beautiful natural scenery; the city’s West Lake is its most well-known attraction.

In recent years, Hangzhou have received more than 40 national and international honor titles, such as the UN Habitat Award, the International Garden City, National Environmental Protection Model City, National Sanitary City, National Model Green City, the State Forest City, China Habitat Environment Prize, China Environment Prize "urban environment "Awards, the most influential soft-power city in mainland, the best commercial city in mainland China, the happiest city in China, the best city of the overall investment environment in China , the safest cities in the country, the e-commerce capital in China, the entrepreneurial city in China, the top ten harmonious development cities in China, the ten best livable city in China, the top ten best scientific development cities in China, the top ten innovative cities in China, the top ten brands city in China and the top ten leisure cities in China. Hangzhou won the title of "the best commercial cities in mainland China" in 6 consecutive years by the U.S. "Forbes" magazine and ranked No.1 as "the happiest city in China" by "Oriental Outlook", the Xinhua News Agency.

The city of Hangzhou was founded during the Qin Dynasty as Qiantang County. In AD 589, the city was renamed "Hangzhou", literally meaning "River-ferrying Prefecture", and a city wall was constructed two years later. It is listed as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China.

Hangzhou is at the southern end of China’s Grand Canal which extends to Beijing. The canal evolved over centuries but reached its full length by 609.

Hangzhou was chosen as the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty in 1123. It remained the capital from the early 12th century until the Mongol invasion of 1276, and was known as Lin’an (臨安). It served as the seat of the imperial government, a center of trade and entertainment, and the nexus of the main branches of the civil service. During that time, the city was a sort of gravitational center of Chinese civilization.Numerous philosophers, politicians, and men of literature, including some of the most celebrated poets in Chinese history such as Su Shi (苏轼), Lu You (陆游), and Xin Qiji (辛弃疾) came here to live and die.  

During the Southern Song Dynasty, commercial expansion, an influx of refugees from the conquered north, and the growth of the official and military establishments, led to a corresponding population increase and the city developed well outside its 9th century ramparts. According to the Encyclop?dia Britannica, Hangzhou had a population of over 2 million at that time.It is believed that Hangzhou was the largest city in the world from 1180 to 1358. The Venetian Marco Polo supposedly visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century. His book refers to the city as "beyond dispute the most splendid and luxurious in the world." The renowned 14th century Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta said it was "the biggest city I have ever seen on the face of the earth."

Hangzhou’s economy has rapidly developed since its opening up in 1992. It is an industrial city with many diverse sectors such as in light industry, agriculture, textile, It is also considered an important manufacturing base and logistics hub for coastal China.