About Surroundings

Surroundings

Yuhang District

Hangzhou City

History

One of the birthplaces of Chinese civilization and ranking among the seven ancient capitals in China, Hangzhou stands out as the "Famous Town of Southeast China". The excavation of the Kuahu Bridge site located in the city's Xiaoshan district indicates that as early as 8,000 years ago the place already saw thriving human activities. The 5,000 year-old Liangzhu culture is hailed by historians as "the dawn of civilization". First set up as a county in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), Liangzhu has a past of over 2,200 years. In the 9th year of Emperor Yang Jian, founder of the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the old Qiantang County (today's Hangzhou) was abolished and replaced by Hangzhou (Hang prefecture), marking the first appearance of its current name. Hangzhou was a marvel to 13th century Italian traveler Marco Polo who called it "the most graceful and splendid city of the world".

Liangzhu Museum

Yucong (Liangzhu Museum)

Culture

Hangzhou boasts a long history and great cultural wealth. Its culture features the landmarks of the city, like West Lake, the Grand Canal and the Qiantang River and embraces integration and development in an open and innovative era.

Qiantang River

West Lake - World Nature Heritage

West Lake, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, was described as a cultural landscape that has influenced garden design in the rest of China as well as in Japan and Korea over the centuries and reflects the idealized fusion between humans and nature of traditional China.

This is a cultural treasure that has influenced poets and painters throughout the ages for its natural beauty and historical relics. It has also been among the most important sources of inspiration for Chinese garden designers via the numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake.

The Grand Canal - A Human Wonder

There are two wonders in China one is the Great Wall and the other is the Grand Canal. For its size and grandeur the Grand Canal has always been regarded as the pride of the Chinese people and as a symbol of Chinese cultural achievement. The Canal Culture, which integrates the specialties, waterscape, local opera and temple fairs, shows the openness, inclusiveness and popularity of Hangzhou Culture.

Economy

In 2023, the year that Hangzhou successfully hosts the 19^th Asian Games, the city sees its economic aggregate achieving a giant leap-forward from 1 trillion to 2 trillion. Its local GDP tops 2.0059 trillion yuan, attaining a growth rate of 5.6% and becoming the 8th Chinese city whose economic aggregate stands above 2 trillion yuan. Hangzhou's permanent resident per capita GDP reaches 161,100 yuan or 23, 000 US dollars, raising it to the level of high-income nations by the latest World Bank standards.

Hangzhou Olympics Sports Center

Qianjiang New City

In 2023, the economic aggregate of Hangzhou ranks 3rd among the nation's provincial capitals (after Guangzhou and Chengdu) 4th among the sub-provincial cities (after Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Chengdu) and 8th among the large and medium-sized cities. In recent years, Hangzhou has been awarded an impressive array of honored titles, including being among the Top Ten Cities with the Most International Influence, the Top Ten Innovative Cities in China, the Top Ten Smart Cities in China, the 15 Global Tourism Best Practice Sample Cities, the Forbes Best Commercial Cities in Mainland China, the Top 100 Cities of Global Conference Destinations, the Comprehensive Information Consumption Demonstration Cities, the New Era Digital Governance Bench-mark Cities, and the National Service-oriented Manufacturing Demonstration Cities. It has been granted the laurel of China's Happiest City for 17 years in a row.

Administrative Division

Under the jurisdiction of the City of Hangzhou are 10 urban districts, namely Shangcheng, Gongshu, Xihu, Binjiang, Xiaoshan, Yuhang, Linping, Qiantang, Fuyang and Lin'an, two counties of Tonglu and Chun'an, and 1 county-level city of Jiande. There are a total of 191 towns (subdistricts), among which are 23 townships 75 towns, 93 subdistricts, 1,348 neighborhood committees and 1905 administrative villages. The city covers a total area of 16,850 square kilometers (according to the second land survey), of which the urban area takes up 8,289 square kilometers.