Hangzhou City

Living la Dolce Vita in Hangzhou A popular Chinese saying that has survived the centuries expresses the ideal life thus "to be born in Suzhou, to eat in Guangzhou, to live in Hangzhou and to die in Liuzhou."

The reason why life in Hangzhou would seem so perfect may be found in the resplendent West Lake, the evergreen rolling hills, the various sacred temples, the fragrant fields of Dragon Well Tea, the delicious food and, more importantly, the well-preserved traditional culture.

For foreign travelers, the capital of Zhejiang Province is definitely the place that matches the China of their imagination before they come to the country, while for Chinese tourists the city is a destination where they can enjoy a leisurely respite from their fast-paced lives, and relax amid natural luxury.

Hangzhou, two hour's drive from its busy neighbor Shanghai, is located in the south of the Yangtze River Delta on the country's east coast.

The urban area of Hangzhou encompasses 3,068 square kilometers and has a population of more than 3.7 million, while the greater Hangzhou region covers over 16,500 square kilometers, including eight administrative districts and five counties.

The end of the Tianmu Mountain Range makes up the hilly areas of the city.

The major waterways in the area are the Qiantang River, running from east to west, the north-south Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, and the Tiaoxi River, all of which are inter-connected.

History of the city

The history of civilization in Hangzhou goes back 8,000 years, beginning with the Kuahuqiao Culture of the Neolithic Age in Xiaoshan.

Chinese historians regard the Liangzhu Culture as the first peak of the city's development.

It existed roughly 4,000 - 5,300 years ago, and archaeological discoveries of material proof, like carbonized rice seeds and jade carvings, point at 5,000 years of civilization in the area.

King Qian, the founder of the Wuyue Kingdom in the time of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (AD 907-960), made Hangzhou his capital. The devout Buddhist monarch turned the land into a Buddhist realm and the religion flourished along the Qiantang River.

Therefore, thoughts of warless worlds and peace-seeking and people-centric communities established the foundation of Hangzhou's ideology and culture.

Politically, the kingdom was the only one of its time not to be affected by the civil war sweeping across the country. This enabled its people to develop rapidly and cultivate their considerable skills in silk weaving, tea production, papermaking, brewing, and porcelain making.

Consequently, the kingdom marked the second peak of Hangzhou's civilization.

The most remarkable era of the city's history was during the Southern Song Dynasty (AD 1127 - 1279), when the capital was moved from Kaifeng in Henan Province to Hangzhou, after the defeat of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 960-1127) at the hands of the Jin Dynasty (AD 1115-1234). This made Hangzhou the political, cultural, and economic center of China.

The urban population rocketed to more than 1 million after numerous migrants flocked there from the Central Plains.

What's more, the city's fame drew many foreigners from more than 40 countries around the world to live in the city under various exchange programs.

Taoism and Buddhism reached their peaks during this period, when a great number of temples sprang up citywide. Many of them can still be seen today.