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Hangzhou

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杭州市
Hángzhōu Shì
Administration Type sub-provincial city
CPC Party Secretary Wang Guoping
(王国平)
Mayor Sun Zhonghuan
(孙忠焕)
GDP
- Total
- Per Capita 		 
¥251.5 billion
¥ 38,858
Area 16,847 km²
Population 6.4 million
Postal Code 310000
(Urban center)
License Plate Prefix 浙A
City Flower Sweet Osmanthus
City Tree Camphor laurel
(Cinnamomum camphora)

Hangzhouⓘ (Chinese: 杭州; pinyin: Hángzhōu; Wade–Giles: Hangchow; Postal map spelling: Hangchow) is a sub-provincial city in the People's Republic of China and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located 180 km southwest of Shanghai, the population in the city proper is now around 1.75 million. By the end of 2003, Hangzhou had a registered population of 6.4 million including an urban registered population of 3.9 million. As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well-known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake (Xī Hú, 西湖) as the most noteworthy location.

History

The celebrated Neolithic culture of Hemudu has been discovered to have inhabited in Yuyao, an area (now a city) a hundred kilometers east of the City of Hangzhou, as far back as seven thousand years ago, when rice was first cultivated in southeastern China.

The city of Hangzhou was founded about 2,200 years ago during the Qin Dynasty, it is listed as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China, but the city wall was not constructed until the Sui Dynasty (591).

It was the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom from 907 to 978 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. Named Xifu at the time, it was one of the three great centers of culture in southern China during the tenth century, along with Nanjing and Chengdu. Leaders of Wuyue were noted patrons of the arts, and especially of Buddhism and associated temple architecture and artwork. It also became a cosmopolitan center, drawing scholars from throughout China and conducting diplomacy not only with neighboring Chinese states, but also with Japan, Korea, and the Khitans.[citation needed]

Leifeng Pagoda on the West Lake.

In 1089, Su Shi constructed a 2.8 km long dike across the West Lake, which Qing Emperor Qianlong considered particularly attractive in the early morning of the spring time. The lake was once a lagoon tens of thousands of years ago. Silt then blocked the way to the sea and the lake was formed. A drill in the lake-bed in 1975 found the sediment of the sea, which confirmed its origin. Artificial preservation prevented the lake to evolve into a marshland. The Su Dike built by Su Shi, and the Bai Dike built by Bai Juyi, a famous Tang Dynasty Poet who was once the governor of Hangzhou, are both built out of the mud cleaned from the bottom of the Lake. The Lake is surrounded by hills on north and west side. The Baochu Pagoda sits on the Baoshi Hill to the north of the Lake.

Hangzhou was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty 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 the gravity centre of Chinese civilization as what used to be considered the "central China" in the north was taken by the Jin, an ethnic minority dynasty. 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. Hangzhou is also the birthplace and final resting place of the famed scientist Shen Kuo (1031-1095 AD), his tomb located in the Yuhang district.

Lakeside Buildings on the West Lake.

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 Encyclopædia Britannica, Hangzhou had a population of over 2 million at that time, while Historian Jacques Gernet has estimated that the population of Hangzhou numbered well over one million by 1276. (Official Chinese census figures from the year 1270 listed some 186,330 families in residence and probably failed to count non-residents and soldiers.) It is believed that Hangzhou was the largest city in the world from 1180 to 1315 and from 1348 to 1358. [1]

The Venetian Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century and referred to the city as "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world." Although he exaggerated that the city was over one hundred miles in diameter and had 12,000 stone bridges, he still presented elegant prose about the country. "The number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands, was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof."

Buddhist carvings in Feilai Feng Caves.

Because of the large population and densely-crowded (often multi-story) wooden buildings, Hangzhou was particularly vulnerable to fires. Major conflagrations destroyed large sections of the city in 1132, 1137, 1208, 1229, 1237, and 1275 while smaller fires occurred nearly every year. The 1237 fire alone was recorded to have destroyed 30,000 dwellings. To combat this threat, the government established an elaborate system for fighting fires, erected watchtowers, devised a system of lantern and flag signals to identify the source of the flames and direct the response, and charged more than 3,000 soldiers with the task of putting out fires.

The city remained an important port until the middle Ming Dynasty when its harbor slowly silted up.

As late as the latter part of the 16th and early 17th centuries, the city was an important center of Chinese Jewry, and may have been the original home of the more well-known Kaifeng Jewish community.

Hangzhou was ruled by Republic of China government under the Kuomintang from 1928 to 1949. On May 3, 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Hangzhou and the city came under Communist control. The Peoples republic of China has brought greatness to this small hamlet.

Geography and climate

Hangzhou is located in northern Zhejiang province, eastern China, at the southern end of the Grand Canal of China, on the plain of the mid-lower reaches of the Yangtze River (Cháng Jiāng). The prefecture-level region of Hangzhou extends west to the border with the hilly-country Anhui Province, and east to the flat-land Hangzhou Bay. The city centre is built around the eastern and northern sides of the West Lake, just north of the Qiantang River.

Hangzhou's climate is Humid Subtropical with four distinctive seasons. The average annual temperature in Hangzhou is 16.2 degrees Celsius. The summers are hot and humid, while winters are relatively cool and dry. In July, the hottest month, the average temperature is approximately 33.8 degrees Celsius; in January the average temperature is about 3.6 degree Celsius. Hangzhou receives an average annual rainfall of 1450 mm. In mid-summer, Hangzhou, along with other cities in Zhejiang province, suffer typhoon storms, but typhoons seldom strike on it directly. More likely they will land along southern coast of Zhejiang, and effect Hangzhou with strong winds and stormy rains.[1]

Tourism

Hangzhou is renowned for its historic relics and natural beauty. It has been ranked as one of the ten most scenic cities in China.[2] Although Hangzhou has been through many recent urban developments, it still retains its historical and cultural heritage. Today, tourism remains an important factor for Hangzhou's economy.[3]

  • One of Hangzhou's most popular sights is West Lake. The lake covers an area of 6 square kilometres and includes some of Hangzhou's most famous historic and scenic places. The area includes historical pagodas, cultural sites, as well as the natural beauty of the lake and hills.[4]
Luohan Tang (Arhat Hall) at Hupaoquan in Hangzhou, China

Economy

Tea plantation in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou's industries have traditionally been textile, silk and machinery, but electronics and other light industries are developing, especially since the start of the new open economy in 1992.

Longjing tea is produced on the outskirts of town at Longjing (龙井) or Dragon Well. It is among the only remaining places where tea is still baked by hand and is said to produce one of the finest green teas in all of China, earning a spot in the China Famous Tea list.

The GDP per capita was ¥38247 (ca. US$4620), ranked no. 8 among 659 Chinese cities.

The 2005 overall rank of Hangzhou among all the Chinese cities is No.5. In 2004, 2005, 2006 Forbes magazine ranked Hangzhou the number 1 city in China for business.[5]

Hangzhou is one of China's most popular tourist destinations. Tourism is an important part of the local economy. The West Lake has been a leisure destination for many centuries.

Also the worlds largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang River through Hangzhou reaching up to 40ft in height.

Culture

The native residents of Hangzhou, like those of Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, speak a Wu dialect. However, the Wu dialect varies throughout the area where it is spoken, hence, Hangzhou's dialect differs from regions in southern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu. In addition, Putonghua (Mandarin) is also spoken.

Tea is an important part of Hangzhou's economy and culture. Hangzhou is best known for originating Longjing, a famous variety of green tea. Furthermore, there are many types of Longjing tea, the most famous being Xi Hu Long Jing. Known as the best type of Long Jing tea, Xi Hu Long Jing is grown near Xi Hu in Hangzhou, hence its name.[6]

Further, Hangzhou is known for its artistic creations, such as silk, umbrellas, and Chinese hand-held folding fans.

Transportation

Bars and Shops alongside the street of Hangzhou.

Hangzhou is serviced by the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which has direct flights to Japan, Thailand, Korea, and Singapore, regional routes to Hong Kong and Macau, as well as numerous domestic routes. Located just outside of the city in the Xiaoshan district, it is one of the major secondary international airports in China. Hangzhou Railway Station (colloquially the "City Station" 城站) and the significantly less modern Hangzhou East Railway Station (colloquially "East Station" 东站) serve the city centre, from which one can catch a train to Shanghai and almost anywhere in China. A Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train Line has been proposed. North, east, south and west long-distance bus stations offer regular large and small coach services to towns within Zhejiang province and surrounding provinces.

Public transport within Hangzhou city is primarily in the form of an extensive public (trolley)bus network. As the city area is so flat, bicycles were traditionally very popular and are still popular with the less well-off residents, though many now use electric bicycles and scooters. Taxis are also very common. The construction of a subway system had long been planned, and recently received approval from the central government. The completion of the first two lines is expected in 2010.

Colleges and universities

See also List of universities in mainland China#Zhejiang

National

Public

  • Zhejiang University of Technology (浙江工业大学) (1953~)
  • Zhejiang Industry & Commerce University (浙江工商大学)
  • Hangzhou Dianzi University (杭州电子科技大学)
  • Zhejiang Sci-Tech University (浙江理工大学)
  • Zhejiang University of Science and Technology (浙江科技学院)
  • Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (浙江中医药大学)
  • China Jiliang University (中国计量学院)
  • Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics (浙江财经学院)
  • Hangzhou Teachers College (杭州师范大学)
  • Zhejiang University of Media and Communications (浙江传媒学院)

Private

  • Zhejiang Shuren University (浙江树人大学)
  • Zhejiang University City College(浙江大学城市学院)

Note: Institutions without full-time bachelor programs are not listed.

Chinese sayings

A typical Chinese garden's window decoration in Hangzhou
"Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhou."
上有天堂 下有苏杭 "In heaven, there is paradise; On earth, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou."

Sister cities

See also

References

Cited references

  1. ^ Hangzhou. China Today. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
  2. ^ Hangzhou Today: Tourism. China Pages. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
  3. ^ Hangzhou Today: General Survey. China Pages. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
  4. ^ Hangzhou Today: Tourism. China Pages. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
  5. ^ "Following Marco Polo". Retrieved 2006-10-26.
  6. ^ Xi Hu Long Jing Tea Tea Spring. Retrieved 23 August 2006.

General references

  • Gernet, Jacques. Daily Life In China On the Eve of the Mongol Invasion: 1250-1276. H.M. Wright, translator. Stanford: University Press, 1962. ISBN 0804707200 } (This work focuses almost exclusively on life in Hangzhou in the period described.)
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hangzhou.
Preceded by Capital of China (as Lin'an)
1127-1279 		Succeeded by
Beijing (as Dadu)

Template:Major cities of Greater China

30°15′N 120°10′E / 30.250°N 120.167°E / 30.250; 120.167

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