Hangzhou

Sketches of Hangzhou"Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhou." "Above is Heaven, Below are Suzhou and Hangzhou." (上有天堂，下有苏杭) Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Porvince, is located about 110 miles southwest of Shanghai. The Hangzhou region boasts a population of 6.5 million with an urban population of about 4 million, half of which reside in the six core urban districts. It is a mid-sized city according to Chinese standards.   As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is best known for its beautiful natural scenery and rich cultural heritage with the West Lake as the most noteworthy site. Hongzhou is known as 1 of the 2 celestial cities God sent to the earth. 

History

The celebrated Neolithic of Hemudu was discovered in Yuyao about 60 miles east of  Hangzhou, as far back as 7,000 years ago, when rice was first cultivated in southeastern China. The relics of Liangzhu Culture was discovered in Yuhang District of Hangzhou. The discovery of the two proved that the Chinese culture -- as known today -- has more than one origin as it was traditionally believed--Hemudu and Linagzhu in the south and the mid and lower reaches of Yollow River in the north. The city of Hangzhou was founded about 2,200 years ago during the Qin Dynasty -- listed as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China. 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. Leaders of Wuyue were noted patrons of the arts, and especially of Buddhism and associated temple architecture and artwork. Hongzhou 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 Khitan Liao Dynasty. In 1089, Su Shi, (a great poet and then mayor) constructed a 1.75 mile long dike across the West Lake, which Qing Dynasty (1466-1911) Emperor Qianlong considered particularly attractive in the early Spring mornings. Back thousands of years ago, the West Lake was once a lagoon. When silt blocked the way to the sea and the lake was formed. A 1975 drill in the lake-bed found the sediment of the sea confirmingsits origin. Artificial preservation prevented the lake from evolving into a marshland. The Su Dike built by Su Shi, and the Bai Dike built by Bai Juyi, a famous Tang Dynasty poet and mayor of Hangzhou, are both built out of mud cleaned from the bottom of the lake. The lake is surrounded by hills on the northern and western sides. 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. 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: what used to be considered "central China" in the north was taken by the Jin, an ethnic minority dynasty ruled by Jurchens.Numerous philosophers, politicians, and men of literature, including some of the most celebrated poets in Chinese history such as Su Shi, Lu You, and Xin Qiji, Bai Juyi lived and died in Hangzhou – which is also the birthplace and final resting place of the famed scientist Shen Kuo (1031-1095 AD).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.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:China_Hangzhou_Westlake-6.jpgLakeside Buildings on the West Lake.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 of Hangzhou was besieged and captured by the advancing Mongol armies of Kublai Khan in 1276, three years before the final collapse of the empire.^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangzhou#cite_note-gernet_15-2#cite_note-gernet_15-2} The capital of the new Yuan Dynasty was established in the city of Khanbaliq (Beijing).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." He called the city Kinsay which simply means "capital" in Chinese (actually Polo used a Persianized version of the word). 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." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Buddha_carvings_in_Feilai_Feng_Caves.jpgBuddhist carvings in Feilai Feng Caves in Lingyin Temple.

Ming Dynasty and after

The city remained an important port until the middle of the Ming Dynasty era 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. After Deng Xiaoping's reformist policies began in 1978, Hangzhou took advantage of being situated in the Yangtze River Delta to bolster its development. It is now one of China's most prosperous major cities.

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. The prefecture-level region of Hangzhou extends west to the border with the hilly-country Anhui Province, and east to the flat-land near Hangzhou Bay. The city center 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°C (61.2°F). 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°C (92.8°F); in January the average temperature is about 3.6°C (38.5°F). Hangzhou receives an average annual rainfall of 1450 mm. In mid-summer, Hangzhou, along with other cities in Zhejiang province, suffers typhoon storms, but typhoons seldom strike it directly. Generally they land along the southern coast of Zhejiang, and affect Hangzhou with strong winds and stormy rains.^[4]

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. 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. 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.The world's largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang River through Hangzhou reaching up to 40 ft in height.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Luo_han_tang.JPGLuohan Tang (Arhat Hall) at Hupaoquan in Hangzhou, China

Economy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tea_plantation_in_hangzhou.JPGTea plantation in Hangzhou.Hangzhou's industries have traditionally been textile, silk and machinery, but electronics, IT and other high Tech industries are developing since the new open economy in 1987.Major businesses headquartered in Hongzhou include:Toshiba -- has its only overseas production plant for laptop computers in Hongzhou.Alibaba is the largest Chinese e-commerce/e-auction company, specializing in global trading. It was founded in 1999 and operates five e-commerce sub-companies which operate different aspects of trading. Yahoo! purchsed 40% stake in the company for US$1bn plus Yahoo!'s Chinese assets (worth about US $700M). Wahaha-- the nation's largest beverage company Longjing tea is produced on the outskirts of the city at Longjing ( or Dragon Well.) It is among the only remaining places where tea is still baked by hand.The GDP per capita was $8,063, ranked no. 7 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.

Culture

The native residents of Hangzhou, like those of Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, speak a Wu dialect. However, Hangzhou dialect is quite unique. Song Dynasty moved its imperial seat to Hangzhou and brought a large number of immigrants with it. The government officials and the military personnel were from all over China. The civil servants and refugees were mainly from Henan in the north. These people brought their dialects and customs to Hangzhou . Hence, Hangzhou's dialect differs from regions in southern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu . In addition, Mandarin is also spoken.Tea is an important part of Hangzhou's economy and culture. Hangzhou is best known for originating Longjing, the most famous and arguably the best variety of green tea. Furthermore, Hangzhou is known for its artistic creations, such as silk, umbrellas, and Chinese hand-held folding fans.

Transportation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Hangzhou_Bar.JPGBars 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 Xiaozhan District. A convenient route to Hangzhou for foreign visitors is to fly into Shanghai's Pudong airport, and then take a bus to Hangzhou using the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway -- nearly 2.5 hrs (about 85 RMB one way). The city of Suzhou is about 1.5 hrs, Wuxi is about 2 hrs, Ningbo is about 1.5 hrs and Wenzhou is about 3.5 hours distance.. Airport buses leave for Wulin Men (downtown Hangzhou) and Xiaoshan every 15-30 minutes. There are also airport buses to prefectures further away near Hangzhou such as Yiwu.Hangzhou Railway Station and the significantly less modern Hangzhou Eastern Railway Station serve the city centre, from which one can catch a train to Shanghai and almost anywhere in China. There are many trains going to or passing Hangzhou from Shanghai. It normally takes about 2 hours from Shanghai (200 km) to Hangzhou by train .Trains leaving Hangzhou reach more than 20 cities directly, including Beijing (1650 km), Shanghai (200 km), and Xi'an (1550 km).Train tickets can be purchased at the Wulinmen Ticket Office (No. 199, Wulin Road) or Huansha Road Ticket Office (No. 147, Huansha Road).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. With its line of the newest Hyundai Elantras and Volkswagen Passats, and tight regulations (compulsory A/C, handicap service, lake-blue appearance etc.), the city's taxi service is rated amongst the top in the country. 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

National

• Zhejiang University (浙江大学) (founded in 1897 with US funding.)
• China Academy of Art (中国美术学院) (founded in 1928)

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 Normal University (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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Gardens-window.JPGA typical Chinese garden's window decoration in Hangzhou"Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhou." "Above is Heaven, Below are Suzhou and Hangzhou." (上有天堂，下有苏杭)