Hangzhou

Hangzhou occupies a low plain at the mouth of the Qiantang River, where the water broadens into the bay that bears its name. Its boundaries reach west into the hills of Anhui province and east toward the coastal plain. The city centre clusters around the northern and eastern banks of West Lake, facing the river’s silty flow. Administratively, Hangzhou comprises ten districts, two counties and one county-level city, together sheltering some 13 million residents within 16,596 square kilometres.

The city’s origins date to 221 BC, when it served as the seat of a county in the Qin dynasty. Nearly a millennium later, it became the capital of the Wuyue kingdom and, from 1138 to 1276, of the Southern Song dynasty. During that era, officials and merchants filled its streets, raising its population to roughly one million—among the largest in the world at the time. Marco Polo, passing through in the late 13th century, recorded Hangzhou as one of the finest urban centres he had encountered.

Three sites within Hangzhou carry UNESCO recognition. West Lake’s cultural landscape spans hills, causeways and pagodas across 3,323 hectares. The Grand Canal, completed here in 610 AD, links the Yangtze Delta to Beijing. The Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City preserve remains of an early Bronze Age settlement west of the urban core. Each site reflects successive layers of human endeavour, from the Song dynasty’s pavilion gardens to essential waterways that shaped commerce throughout China.

Climate here follows a humid subtropical pattern. Summers extend from late May into September, with daily highs often exceeding 29 °C and high humidity. Winters remain cool, occasionally producing light snow under overcast skies. Annual rainfall averages 1,438 mm, a large share arriving during June’s plum rains. In late summer, typhoon outflows may sweep inland, bringing wind and heavy showers, though direct strikes are rare. Temperature extremes since 1951 range between −9.6 °C and 41.9 °C, with unofficial readings reaching −10.5 °C in 1916 and 42.1 °C in 1930.

The Qiantang River generates a tidal bore each lunar August. Known locally as “the biggest tide in the world,” a wave crest sometimes twelve metres high surges upriver, drawing spectators to the eastern banks. Its annual appearance recalls the city’s enduring relationship with water—through boating festivals on West Lake, silk production along its tributaries and the canal’s centuries of barge traffic.

Hangzhou’s demographic profile shows a permanent population of 12.52 million as of 2023, 84.2 percent of whom reside in urban districts. Beyond the city proper, its metropolitan area extends to Shaoxing, Jiaxing and Huzhou, encompassing over 13 million people by some measures and over 21 million by others. Life expectancy among registered residents reached 83.18 years in 2021, one of the highest figures recorded for any Chinese municipality.

Religious traditions here run deep. By the mid-19th century Hangzhou hosted multiple mosques, earning its reputation as Zhejiang’s Islamic stronghold. Two notable structures, the Phoenix Mosque and the newer Great Mosque, preserve Arabic inscriptions from the Qing era. In the Ming and Qing periods Christian communities left their mark in a cathedral that still stands near the west shore of the lake. Earlier still, Jewish residents maintained synagogues, though no physical trace survives today.

Buddhist and Confucian sites cluster around West Lake’s fringes. Lingyin Temple, founded in AD 326, remains active after seventeen centuries of rebuildings. North of the lake stands Yue Fei Temple, erected in 1221 to honour the Song general persecuted by court intrigue. Nearby, the Leifeng Pagoda, Jingci Temple and Baochu Pagoda punctuate the hills. On the north bank of the river, Yuelun Hill hosts the Liuhe Pagoda; in the hills of the west, Hupao Temple gathers pilgrims beneath ancient camphor trees.

Economic growth accelerated after the city opened to foreign trade in 1992. Light industry, textiles and agriculture formed its base, but technology and e-commerce have become defining sectors. Home to the headquarters of Alibaba, Ant Group, Geely, NetEase and DeepSeek, Hangzhou ranks ninth in GDP among mainland Chinese cities and fourteenth on the Global Innovation Index. Its research output places it thirteenth in the Nature Index. This concentration of firms, along with a smart-city initiative and widespread adoption of cashless payments, positions Hangzhou as a logistical hub for coastal China.

GDP rose from RMB 156.8 billion in 2001 to RMB 1.3509 trillion in 2018, lifting per-capita output from US $3,020 to US $21,184. In 2019 its metropolitan economy produced an estimated RMB 3.2 trillion (US $486 billion), a figure larger than Argentina’s and Nigeria’s national GDPs. The Economist Intelligence Unit ranked Hangzhou first among China’s emerging cities in 2021 and 2022. The city hosts ten Fortune Global 500 headquarters—fourth in China—and counts hundreds of billionaires including entrepreneurs in tech, manufacturing and finance.

Urban development has not erased heritage. Skyscrapers now appear alongside centuries-old lanes. The West Lake Scenic Area holds administrative status akin to a district, yet remains dedicated to landscape preservation. In Xixi National Wetland Park, 10 square kilometres of ponds and reed beds protect fragile ecosystems. Qiandao Lake to the southwest, with its scattered islets, offers a contrasting setting of quiet bays and forested shores. The botanical garden and zoo add modern amenities within reach of the lake’s western gates.

Transport infrastructure fuses tradition and speed. The Hangzhou Public Bicycle system traces routes once used by silk merchants. Electric buses and trolleybuses navigate core arterials. Metro lines have expanded from the first segment opened in 2012 to a network exceeding 323 kilometres by mid-2021, with plans to double that length by 2022’s Asian Games. Rail corridors converge at Hangzhou East station—the largest hub in China by track count—and the newer West station, opened in September 2022, serves high-speed trains at up to 350 km/h. Direct services connect to Shanghai every 20 minutes, and to Beijing and more than fifty other cities nationwide. Xiaoshan International Airport links Hangzhou with Asia, Europe and North America.

Cultural institutions underline local identity. The China National Silk Museum and Tea Museum record Hangzhou’s historical trade commodities. The Zhejiang Provincial Museum houses over 100,000 relics. The China Academy of Art nurtures painters whose influence extends across the nation. Yue opera remains a living tradition in city theatres, alongside large-scale performances like Impression West Lake. Crafts such as silk weaving, umbrella making and fan painting receive civic support as markers of regional heritage.

Cuisine here reflects river and lake. Dishes favour a tender texture and mellow aroma. West Lake vinegar fish balances sweetness and acidity. Dongpo pork offers soft, layered fat and lean meat. Beggar’s chicken encloses spiced bird in lotus leaves and clay. Longjing shrimp features tea leaves from nearby terraces. Lotus root pudding and fish soups memorialize local lore as they nourish daily life. At tea farms along the lake’s western shore, the season’s first Longjing leaves become a cultural symbol and economic staple.

Lingual traditions persist alongside Mandarin. The Hangzhou dialect, a branch of Wu, counts some 1.2 to 1.5 million speakers. Though unintelligible to outsiders, it survives in markets and family homes. The city’s modern inhabitants, drawn by employment opportunities across Zhejiang and beyond, learn Putonghua as they settle into apartments rising above ancient stone bridges.

In the early 21st century, tourism campaigns reached abroad. In 2014 Hangzhou appointed its first foreign ambassador, awarding a contract to a British applicant after an online competition. Such initiatives underscore the city’s global aspirations. Yet each spring, when willows trace green reflections across West Lake, and each autumn when tea fields turn golden, Hangzhou retains an atmosphere that blends commercial vitality with the quiet rhythms of centuries-old waterways.