48 Facts About Hangzhou

1.

Hangzhou grew to prominence as the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and has been one of China's most renowned and prosperous cities for much of the last millennium.

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2.

Hangzhou has been repeatedly rated as the best commercial city in mainland China by Forbes, and it boasts the eight largest GDP among cities in mainland China with a GDP of around 1.

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3.

Home to the headquarters of large global tech companies such as the Alibaba Group, Ant Group and NetEase, Hangzhou is known for attracting professionals and entrepreneurs who work in information technology.

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4.

Hangzhou is a major city for scientific research in the Asia-Pacific, ranking 23rd globally by scientific outputs.

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5.

Hangzhou is one of the world's top 100 financial centers, according to the Global Financial Centres Index.

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6.

Hangzhou was made the seat of the prefecture of Hang in, entitling it to a city wall which was constructed two years later.

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7.

Hangzhou was at the southern end of China's Grand Canal which extends to Beijing.

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8.

Hangzhou noticed that the farmland nearby depended on the water of West Lake, but due to the negligence of previous governors, the old dyke had collapsed, and the lake so dried out that the local farmers were suffering from severe drought.

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9.

Hangzhou ordered the construction of a stronger and taller dyke, with a dam to control the flow of water, thus providing water for irrigation and mitigating the drought problem.

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10.

Hangzhou then had willows and other trees planted along the dyke, making it a beautiful landmark.

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11.

Hangzhou became a cosmopolitan center, drawing scholars from throughout China and conducting diplomacy with neighboring Chinese states, and with Japan, Goryeo, and the Khitan Liao dynasty.

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12.

Hangzhou was chosen as the new capital of the Southern Song dynasty in 1132, when most of northern China had been conquered by the Jurchens in the Jin–Song wars.

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13.

The Song government intended it to be a temporary capital, but over the decades Hangzhou grew into a major commercial and cultural center of the Song dynasty, rising from being a middling city of no special importance to being one of the world's largest and most prosperous.

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14.

Once the prospect of retaking northern China had diminished, government buildings in Hangzhou were extended and renovated to better befit its status as a permanent imperial capital.

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15.

From 1138 until the Mongol invasion of 1276, Hangzhou remained the capital of the Southern Song dynasty and was known as Lin'an.

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16.

Hangzhou is the birthplace and final resting place of the scientist Shen Kuo, his tomb being located in the Yuhang district.

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17.

Hangzhou was besieged and captured by the advancing Mongol armies of Kublai Khan in 1276, three years before the final collapse of the Southern Song.

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18.

The capital of the new Yuan dynasty was established in the city of Dadu, but Hangzhou remained an important commercial and administrative center for their southern territory.

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19.

Hangzhou was particularly impressed by the large number of well-crafted and well-painted Chinese wooden ships with colored sails and silk awnings in the canals.

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20.

Hangzhou attended a banquet held by Qurtai, the Yuan Mongol administrator of the city, who according to Ibn Battuta, was fond of the skills of local Chinese conjurers.

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21.

Hangzhou was ruled by the Republic of China government under the Kuomintang from 1927 to 1937.

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22.

Hangzhou is located in northwestern Zhejiang province, at the southern end of the Grand Canal of China, which runs to Beijing, in the south-central portion of the Yangtze River Delta.

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23.

Hangzhou's climate is humid subtropical with four distinctive seasons, characterised by long, very hot, humid summers and chilly, cloudy and drier winters.

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24.

In late summer, Hangzhou suffers typhoon storms, but typhoons seldom strike it directly.

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25.

Hangzhou is a city in China and had a population of 5,162,039 at the 2010 census, an increase of 4.

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26.

Hangzhou prefecture had a registered population of 9,018,000 in 2015.

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27.

Hangzhou is classified as a sub-provincial city and forms the core of the Hangzhou metropolitan area, the fourth-largest in China.

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28.

Hangzhou's economy has rapidly developed since its opening up in 1992.

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29.

Hangzhou is considered a World City with a "Beta+" classification according to GaWC.

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30.

Hangzhou ranked 89 in the Global Financial Centres Index in 2018.

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31.

Hangzhou is the headquarters of several technology companies including Alibaba Group, Ant Group, NetEase and HikVision.

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32.

Hangzhou is known for its historic relics and natural environment.

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33.

In 1848, during the Qing dynasty, Hangzhou was described as the "stronghold" of Islam in China, the city containing several mosques with Arabic inscriptions.

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34.

Hangzhou has historically been an important hub for artists and scholars.

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35.

In modern times, Hangzhou was home to the China Academy of Art and prominent painters such as Lin Fengmian and Fang Ganmin.

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36.

Hangzhou is best known for originating Longjing, a notable variety of green tea, the most notable type being Longjing Tea.

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37.

Local government of Hangzhou heavily invests in promoting tourism and the arts, with emphasis placed upon silk production, umbrellas, and Chinese hand-held folding fans.

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38.

Restaurants in Hangzhou include Xin Feng restaurant, Zhi Wei Guan, Grandma's Home, Green Tea Restaurant, etc.

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39.

Port of Hangzhou is a small river port with a cargo throughput that exceeds 100 million tons annually.

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40.

Hangzhou is served by the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which provides direct service to many international destinations such as Thailand, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Netherlands, Qatar, Portugal and the United States.

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41.

Hangzhou sits on the intersecting point of some of the busiest rail corridors in China.

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42.

Second high-speed rail channel through Hangzhou is operational along with another major station, Hangzhou West, opened on September 22,2022.

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43.

Hangzhou has an efficient bus network, consisting of a modern fleet of diesel, hybrid and electric buses, as well as trolleybuses.

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44.

Hangzhou was once known for its extensive bus rapid transit network expanding from downtown to many suburban areas through dedicated bus lanes on some of the busiest streets in the city.

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45.

Hangzhou has an extensive public bike rental system, the Hangzhou Public Bicycle system.

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46.

In early 2011,30 electric taxis were deployed in Hangzhou; 15 were Zotye Langyues and the other 15 were Haima Freemas.

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47.

Hangzhou has a large student population with many higher education institutions based in the city.

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48.

Hangzhou is a major city for scientific research in China, ranking 9th in Asia-Oceania region and 23rd globally by the Nature Index as of 2021.

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