:Hangzhou

{{see also|Timeline of Hangzhou}}

File:Jade cong, Liangzhu Culture, 5200-2200 BC, Shanghai Museum.JPG of the Liangzhu culture.]]

The celebrated neolithic culture of Hemudu is known to have inhabited Yuyao, {{convert|100|km|0|abbr=on}} south-east of Hangzhou, as far back as seven thousand years ago.Yan Wenming. "The Beginning of Farming", p. 36, in The Formation of Chinese Civilization: An Archaeological Perspective, pp. 27–42. Yale University Press (New Haven), 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-300-09382-7}}. It was during this time that rice was first cultivated in southeast China.{{cite journal | last1 = Fuller | first1 = Dorian | display-authors = etal | year = 2009 | title = The Domestication Process and Domestication Rate in Rice: Spikelet bases from the Lower Yangtze | url = http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/108026/1/Fuller_2009%20Sci%20final%20ms%20%2526%20supp.pdf | journal = Science | volume = 323 | issue = 5921 | pages = 1607–1610 | doi = 10.1126/science.1166605 | pmid = 19299619 | bibcode = 2009Sci...323.1607F | s2cid = 21357179 | access-date = April 20, 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170922171819/http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/108026/1/Fuller_2009%20Sci%20final%20ms%20%2526%20supp.pdf | archive-date = September 22, 2017 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }} Excavations have established that the jade-carving Liangzhu culture (named for its type site just northwest of Hangzhou) inhabited the area immediately around the present city around five thousand years ago.Shanghai Qingpu Museum. "[museum.shqp.gov.cn/gb/content/2009-02/23/content_237435.htm Migration of the Tribe and Integration into the Han Chinese]". Accessed 24 July 2014. The first of Hangzhou's present neighborhoods to appear in written records was Yuhang, which probably preserves an old Baiyue name.{{cite book |script-title=zh:中国历史地名大辞典 |location=Shanghai |publisher=Shanghai Lexicographical Publishing House |page=1516}}

In 222 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang established Qiantang County, located in the area of Wulin Mountains and Wulin Lakes, Hangzhou's aliases Qiantang ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|錢唐}}}}) and Wulin ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|武林}}}}) began to appear during the Qin and Han dynasties.{{Cite web|url=https://hznews.hangzhou.com.cn/wghz/content/2019-01/25/content_7138860.htm|title=The earliest historical record of Hangzhou: Qiantang County magistrate Liu Daozhen's "Qiantang Records"|website=Hangzhou History}}

Hangzhou was made the seat of the prefecture of Hang in {{nowrap|AD 589}}, entitling it to a city wall which was constructed two years later. By a longstanding convention also seen in other cities like Guangzhou and Fuzhou, the city took on the name of the area it administered and became known as Hangzhou. Hangzhou was at the southern end of China's Grand Canal which extends to Beijing. The canal evolved over centuries but reached its full length by 609.Ebrey, Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 114: "[...] the Grand Canal, dug between 605 and 609 by means of enormous levies of conscripted labour."

In the Tang dynasty, Bai Juyi, a renowned poet, was appointed governor of Hangzhou.Waley (1941), 131 He noticed that the farmland nearby depended on the water of West Lake, but due to negligence the old dyke had collapsed, and the lake so dried out that the local farmers were suffering from severe drought. He ordered the construction of a stronger and taller dyke, with a dam to control the flow of water, mitigating the drought problem. The livelihood of local people of Hangzhou improved over the following years. Bai Juyi used his leisure time to enjoy the West Lake, visiting it almost daily. He then had willows and other trees planted along the dyke, making it a landmark.

It is listed as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China. It was first the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom from 907 to 978{{Rp|page=86}} during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. Named Xifu ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|西府}}}}) at the time,{{cite book |last = Zhou |first = Feng ({{lang|zh|周峰}}) |year = 1997 |script-title = zh:吴越首府杭州: 及北宋东南第一州 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=E3CxAAAAIAAJ&q=%E8%A5%BF%E5%BA%9C%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E |location = University of California |publisher={{lang|zh-Hans|浙江人民出版社}} [Zhejiang People's Press] |page=32 |isbn= 9787213015052 |access-date = 22 July 2014 |language=zh-Hans |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160429132749/https://books.google.com/books?id=E3CxAAAAIAAJ&q=%E8%A5%BF%E5%BA%9C%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E&dq=%E8%A5%BF%E5%BA%9C%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wRXOU-hWjoHyBZmTgogM&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA |archive-date=April 29, 2016 |url-status=live }} it was one of the three great bastions of culture in southern China during the tenth century{{According to whom|date=January 2023}}, along with Nanjing and Chengdu.{{Harvnb|Worthy|1983|p=19}}. Leaders of Wuyue were noted patrons of the arts, particularly of Buddhist temple architecture and artwork. The dyke built to protect the city by King{{nbsp}}Qian Liu gave the Qiantang its modern name.{{citation |contribution-url = http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/glossary.php?searchterm=029_chao.inc&issue=029 |last=Barmé |first=Germeie R. |contribution=Glossary: Tides Chao 潮 |title=China Heritage Quarterly |url = http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org |date=2012 |volume=29 |publisher=Australian National University College of Asia & the Pacific |access-date=January 13, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190113232026/http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/ |archive-date=January 13, 2019 |url-status=live }}. Hangzhou also became a cosmopolitan center, drawing scholars from throughout China and conducting diplomacy with neighboring Chinese states, and also with Japan, Goryeo, and the Khitan Liao dynasty.

In 1089, another renowned poet governor Su Shi (Su Dongpo) used 200,000 workers to construct a {{convert|2.8|km|1|abbr=on}} long causeway across West Lake made of mud dredged from the lake bottom. 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 chosen as the new capital of the Southern Song dynasty in 1132,{{cite journal|first=Weldon South|last=Coblin|title=Migration History and Dialect Development in the Lower Yangtze Watershed|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies|year=2002|volume=65|issue=3|page=533|doi=10.1017/s0041977x02000320|doi-broken-date=December 16, 2024 }} when most of northern China had been conquered by the Jurchens in the Jin–Song wars.{{cite book|first=Charles|last=Holcombe|title=A History of East Asia: From the Origins of Civilization to the Twenty-First Century|year=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-51595-5|page=129}} The surviving imperial family had retreated south from its original capital in Kaifeng after it was captured by the Jurchens in the Jingkang Incident of 1127.{{cite book|first=Frederick W.|last=Mote|title=Imperial China: 900–1800|year=2003|publisher=Harvard University Press|pages=292–3|isbn=978-0-674-01212-7}}{{cite book |first=Herbert|last=Franke|editor1=Denis C. Twitchett|editor2=Herbert Franke|editor3=John King Fairbank|title=The Cambridge History of China: Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 710–1368|year=1994|publisher=Cambridge University Press|page=229|isbn=978-0-521-24331-5}} Emperor Gaozong moved to Nanjing, then to modern Shangqiu, then to Yangzhou in 1128, and finally to Hangzhou in 1129.

Once the prospect of retaking northern China had diminished, buildings in Hangzhou were extended and renovated to become a permanent imperial capital. The imperial palace in Hangzhou, modest in size, was expanded in 1133 with new roofed alleyways, and in 1148 with an extension of the palace walls.{{cite book|first=Jacques|last=Gernet|title=Daily Life in China, on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250–1276|year=1962|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-0720-6|page=[https://archive.org/details/dailylifeinchina00gern/page/25 25]|url=https://archive.org/details/dailylifeinchina00gern/page/25}} The city walls were built with tamped earth and stone and was 30 feet high and 10 feet thick at its base. There were 13 gates and several towers on the walls. The walls covered the city by four miles north to south and only one mile east to west. According to the Italian explorer Odoric of Pordenone, Hangzhou was the greatest city in the world. It was heavily populated and filled with large family estates. It had 12,000 bridges. Bread, pork, rice, and wine were abundant despite the large population.{{sfn|Yule|2002|p=128}} Arab merchants lived in Hangzhou during the Song dynasty, due to the fact that the oceangoing trade passages took precedence over land trade during this time.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=drGGEsi1fFEC&q=mosque+ningbo&pg=PA210|title=Beyond the Great Wall: urban form and transformation on the Chinese frontiers|year=1996|author=Piper Rae Gaubatz|publisher=Stanford University Press|edition=illustrated|isbn=0-8047-2399-0|page=210|access-date=17 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527074939/http://books.google.com/books?id=drGGEsi1fFEC&pg=PA210&dq=mosque+ningbo&hl=en&ei=dAbcTebnL8bx0gH3w-zqDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=mosque%20ningbo&f=false|archive-date=May 27, 2013|url-status=live}} The Phoenix Mosque was constructed by a Persian settler in Hangzhou at this time.{{Cite book |last=Lane |first=George |url=https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/distributed/P/bo25077174.html |title=The Phoenix Mosque and the Persians of Medieval Hangzhou |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2018 |language=en}}

From 1132 until the Mongol invasion of 1276, Hangzhou remained the capital of the Southern Song dynasty and was known as Lin'an ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|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 a gravitational center of Chinese civilization as 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 came here to live and die. Hangzhou is also the birthplace and final resting place of the scientist Shen Kuo (1031–1095 AD), his tomb being located in the Yuhang district.Yuhang Cultural Network (October 2003). [http://www.yhwt.com/newsshow.aspx?artid=3169 Shen Kuo's Tomb] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502074744/http://www.yhwt.com/newsshow.aspx?artid=3169 |date=May 2, 2014 }} The Yuhang District of Hangzhou Cultural Broadcasting Press and Publications Bureau. Retrieved on 2007-05-06.

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.{{cite web|url=http://geography.about.com/library/weekly/aa011201a.htm|title=Largest Cities Through History|website=Geography.about.com|date=2011-03-02|access-date=2011-03-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010218202126/http://geography.about.com/science/geography/library/weekly/aa011201a.htm|archive-date=February 18, 2001|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}Janet L. Abu-Lughod, Before European Hegemony: The World System A.D. 1250–1350, "All the Silks of China" (Oxford University Press US) 1991, p. 337

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 1208, 1229, 1237, and 1275. The 1237 fire alone destroyed 30,000 dwellings. However, the worst was the 1208 fire which burned for 4 days in a 3-mile diameter and burnt 58,097 houses as well as killing 59 people. To combat this threat, the city constructed storage buildings that were rented out to merchants where watchmen patrolled by night and was enclosed by water on all sides.{{Cite book |last=Gernet |first=Jacques |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k5xpXOYxxEEC |title=Daily life in China, on the eve of the Mongol invasion, 1250-1276 |publisher=Stanford University Press |year=1959 |isbn=9780804707206 |location=Stanford, California |pages=26, 37}} Besides this, 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 fire.

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.Gernet, 15. Historian Patricia Buckley Ebrey noted that the Mongol Yuan dynasty killed the Jurchen Wanyan royal family by the hundreds in the Siege of Kaifeng (1232), while sparing the city of Hangzhou including the Chinese Zhao royal family of the Southern Song. The Mongols rehired Southern Song government officials and had Han Chinese artisans in Shangdu marry the palace women.{{cite book |last1=Ebrey |first1=Patricia Buckley |editor1-last=Ebrey |editor1-first=Patricia Buckley |editor2-last=Smith |editor2-first=Paul Jakov |title=State Power in China, 900-1325 |date=2016 |publisher=University of Washington Press |isbn=978-0295998480 |pages=325, 326 |edition=illustrated |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9SpADAAAQBAJ&q=The+Mongols+executed+the+Xi+Xia+ruler+when+he+surrendered+in+1227.89+With+the+fall+of+Jin%2C+the+Mongols+marched+out+more+than+500+members+of+the+Wanyan+imperial+clan%2C+then+killed+them+all.90+After+the+fall+of+Jin%2C+the+Mongols+attacked+Song+territory+in+Sichuan%2C+but+did+not+wage+all-out+war+to+subjugate+Song+until+the+1250s+because+they+were+busy+elsewhere.+In+1259%2C+after+capturing+a+city+in+Sichuan%2C+more+than+80%2C000+captives+were+taken%2C+and+an+attack+in+Hunan+resulted+in+20%2C000+captives+taken+north.91+In+contrast+to+how+the+Mongols+treated+the+royal+families+of+the+Xia+and+Jin+upon+subjugation%2C+a+half+century+later+they+treated+the+surrendered+Song+empresses+and+the+boy+emperor+relatively+decently.+In+1276+the+Song+surrender+had+been+nearly+unconditional%3A+the+empress+dowager+asked+that&pg=PA325 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220315101938/https://books.google.com/books?id=9SpADAAAQBAJ&q=The+Mongols+executed+the+Xi+Xia+ruler+when+he+surrendered+in+1227.89+With+the+fall+of+Jin,+the+Mongols+marched+out+more+than+500+members+of+the+Wanyan+imperial+clan,+then+killed+them+all.90+After+the+fall+of+Jin,+the+Mongols+attacked+Song+territory+in+Sichuan,+but+did+not+wage+all-out+war+to+subjugate+Song+until+the+1250s+because+they+were+busy+elsewhere.+In+1259,+after+capturing+a+city+in+Sichuan,+more+than+80,000+captives+were+taken,+and+an+attack+in+Hunan+resulted+in+20,000+captives+taken+north.91+In+contrast+to+how+the+Mongols+treated+the+royal+families+of+the+Xia+and+Jin+upon+subjugation,+a+half+century+later+they+treated+the+surrendered+Song+empresses+and+the+boy+emperor+relatively+decently.+In+1276+the+Song+surrender+had+been+nearly+unconditional:+the+empress+dowager+asked+that&pg=PA325 |archive-date=March 15, 2022 |chapter=9 State-Forced Relocations in China, 900-1300 THE MONGOLS AND THE STATE OF YUAN |access-date=March 15, 2022 |url-status=live}} The capital of the new Yuan dynasty was established in the city of Dadu (Beijing), but Hangzhou remained an important commercial and administrative center for their southern territory.

File:Hangzhou pic 10.jpg|Leifeng Pagoda

File:Leifeng Pagoda in the Southern Song Dynasty by Li Song.jpg|Xi Hu Landscape by Li Song (1190–1264), showing the Leifeng Pagoda in the Southern Song Dynasty

File:西湖平湖秋月.JPG|"Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn", one of the Ten Scenes of the Xi Hu

Image:Hupao.jpg|Dreaming of the Tiger Spring, the burial place of monk Jigong

Yuan China was very open to foreign visitors, and several returned west describing Hangzhou—under the names Khinzai,Wassaf, The Allocation of Cities. {{in lang|fa}} Campsay,Odoric of Pordenone, Travels. {{in lang|la}} etc.{{NoteTag|For a discussion of the many sources and variant spellings of the names, see Moule.{{citation |last=Moule |first=Arthur Christopher |author-link = Arthur Christopher Moule |title=Quinsai |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UYIoAAAAQBAJ |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge, England |year=1957 |pages=2–4 |isbn=9781107621909 }}. The ultimate Chinese source of these names has been variously given as Jīngshī ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|京師}}}}, "the Capital"); Xingzai, an abbreviated form of Xíngzàisuǒ ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|行在|所}}}}, "the Place of Temporary Residence"), which had formerly been a byname for the Song capital from the hope that the court would eventually return north to Kaifeng; and Hangtsei, the Hangzhounese pronunciation of the town's name.{{sfnp|Moule|1957|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UYIoAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA4 4]}}}}{{mdash}}as one of the foremost cities in the world. The Venetian merchant Marco Polo supposedly visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century. In his book, he records that the city was "greater than any in the world"{{cite book |first=Frederick W. |last=Mote |title=Imperial China: 900–1800 |year=2003|publisher=Harvard University Press|page=461|isbn=978-0-674-01212-7}} and that "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". Polo's account greatly exaggerates the city's size, although it has been argued that the "hundred miles" of walls would be plausible if Chinese miles were intended instead of Italian ones{{citation |chapter-url = https://archive.org/stream/marcopolo00polouoft#page/290/mode/2up |first = J.M. |last = Dent |title = The travels of Marco Polo the Venetian |chapter=Chapter LXVIII: On the Noble and Magnificent City of Kin-Sai |year=1908 |pages=290–310 |access-date=October 16, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160402140626/http://archive.org/stream/marcopolo00polouoft#page/290/mode/2up |archive-date=April 2, 2016 |url-status=live }} and that the "12,000 stone bridges" might have been a copyist error born from the city's 12 gates.{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=o1KXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 |title= Marco Polo's Journey to China |first = Diana |last = Childress |date= January 2013 |publisher= Twenty-First Century Books |isbn = 9781467703796 |access-date = October 16, 2016 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181216144808/https://books.google.com/books?id=o1KXAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA20 |archive-date= December 16, 2018 |url-status= live }} In the 14th century, the Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta arrived; his later account concurred that al-Khansā was "the biggest city I have ever seen on the face of the earth."{{Cite book| last = Dunn| first = Ross E.| author-link=Ross E. Dunn| title = The Adventures of Ibn Battuta| publisher = University of California Press| year = 2005| isbn=978-0-520-24385-9| page = 260}}{{cite magazine |last=Elliott|first=Michael |url = http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2084273_2084272_2084481,00.html |title=The Enduring Message of Hangzhou |magazine=Time|date=2011-07-21|access-date=2011-11-05|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120117180753/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2084273_2084272_2084481,00.html |archive-date=January 17, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}{{cite book |last=Battutah |first=Ibn |title=The Travels of Ibn Battutah |year=2002|publisher=Picador |location=London|isbn=9780330418799 |pages=268, 323 }} He visited Hangzhou in 1345 and noted its charm and described how the city sat on a beautiful lake and was surrounded by gentle green hills.{{cite web |last=Elliott |first=Michael |date=July 21, 2011 |title=Summer Journey 2011 |url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2084273_2084272_2084481,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117180753/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2084273_2084272_2084481,00.html |archive-date=January 17, 2012 |access-date=October 28, 2011 |via=www.time.com |df=mdy-all}} He 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. He 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.The Travels of Ibn Battuta Volume 4 pp. 904, 967 (The Hakluyt Society 1994, British Library)

File:Hangzhou (15730606661).jpg|alt=]]

File:Hangzhou CBD (Cropped).jpg

The city remained an important port until the middle of the Ming dynasty era, when its harbor slowly silted up. Under the Qing, it was the site of an imperial army garrison.{{citation |last=Cassel |first=Pär |contribution=Excavating Extraterritoriality: The "Judicial Sub-Prefect" as a Prototype for the Mixed Court in Shanghai |title=Late Imperial China |volume=24 |date=2003 |issue=2 |pages=156–182 }}.

In 1856 and 1860, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom occupied Hangzhou. The city was heavily damaged during its conquest, occupation, and eventual reconquest by the Qing army.

Hangzhou was ruled by the Republic of China government under the Kuomintang from 1927 to 1937. From 1937 to 1945, the city was occupied by Japan. The Kuomintang returned in 1945, and governed until 1949. On May 3, 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Hangzhou and the city came under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control. After Deng Xiaoping's reformist policies began in the end of 1978, Hangzhou took advantage of being situated in the Yangtze Delta to bolster its development. It is now one of China's most prosperous major cities.

During the Cultural Revolution, Hangzhou was stage to a series of labor unrest and factional fighting known as the Hangzhou incident.

Hangzhou was the third city in China to host the Asian Games after Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010.{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-09/16/c_134629438.htm|title=Hangzhou of China selected to host 2022 Asian Games|date=2015-09-16|publisher=Xinhua|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125223857/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2015-09/16/c_134629438.htm|archive-date=November 25, 2015|access-date=2015-09-16|df=mdy-all}} It also hosted the eleventh G20 summit in 2016.{{cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/world/2015-11/17/content_37080816.htm|title=China to host 2016 G20 summit in Hangzhou|year=2015|publisher=PRC Central Government Official Website|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118181746/http://www.china.org.cn/world/2015-11/17/content_37080816.htm|archive-date=November 18, 2015|access-date=2015-12-20|df=mdy-all}}

In February 2020, the city was under curfew measures due to the outbreak of coronavirus beginning in Wuhan that spread across China.{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/video/china/3049363/china-locks-down-hangzhou-mega-city-far-epicentre-coronavirus-outbreak|title=China locks down Hangzhou, mega-city far from epicentre of coronavirus outbreak|date=6 February 2020|publisher=South China Morning Post|access-date=7 February 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/wuhan-coronavirus-more-china-cities-shut-hangzhou-zhejiang-hubei-12395706|title=More Chinese cities shut down as novel coronavirus death toll rises|date=5 February 2020|work=CNA|access-date=7 February 2020|archive-date=August 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801191712/https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/wuhan-coronavirus-more-china-cities-shut-hangzhou-zhejiang-hubei-12395706|url-status=dead}}

File:Eastchina and Eastchina Sea tmo 2017313 geo.tif. The Yangtze's natural sediment discharge can be seen.]]

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. Its administrative area (sub-provincial city) extends west to the mountainous parts of Anhui province, and east to the coastal plain near Hangzhou Bay.{{Rp|page=86}} The city center is built around the eastern and northern sides of the West Lake, just north of the Qiantang River.{{Rp|page=86}}

The Qiantang River is the largest river in Zhejiang Province, China. Every year during August 15 to August 18 of the lunar month in China, the Qiantang Tide occurs. It is called "the Biggest Tide in the World". The world's largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang River through Hangzhou reaching up to {{convert|12|m|ft|abbr=on}} in height.

{{Further|List of hills in Hangzhou}}

{{climate chart

| Hangzhou

|1.2|8.07|75.14

|2.69|9.81|90.81

|6.42|14.29|130.32

|12.04|20.77|125.1

|17.1|25.57|152.92

|21.3|28.82|222.68

|25.15|33.49|153.47

|24.77|32.75|153.96

|20.61|27.9|149.7

|14.71|22.84|78.66

|8.93|17.12|65.4

|3.32|11.07|52.62

|float=left

|source=[https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/search/data-search/global-summary-of-the-month/ The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)]

}}

Hangzhou's climate is humid subtropical (Köppen Cfa) with four distinct seasons, characterised by long, very hot, humid summers and chilly, cloudy and drier winters, albeit with occasional snow. The mean annual temperature is {{convert|17.0|°C|1}}, with monthly daily averages ranging from {{convert|5|°C|1}} in January to {{convert|29.3|°C}} in July. The city receives an average annual rainfall of {{convert|1438|mm|1|abbr=on}} and is affected by the plum rains of the Asian monsoon in June. In late summer (August to September), Hangzhou suffers typhoon storms, but typhoons seldom strike it directly. Generally they make landfall along the southern coast of Zhejiang, and affect the area with strong winds and stormy rains.[http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/chinatours/hangzhou.htm Hangzhou] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060826021651/http://www.chinatoday.com.cn/English/chinatours/hangzhou.htm |date=August 26, 2006 }}. China Today. Retrieved August 22, 2006. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from {{convert|−9.6|°C|0}} on 6 February 1969 up to {{convert|41.9|°C|0}} on 3 August 2024;{{cite web |url=http://cdc.cma.gov.cn/dataSetLogger.do?changeFlag=dataLogger |title=无标题文档 |access-date=2015-01-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318113757/http://cdc.cma.gov.cn/dataSetLogger.do?changeFlag=dataLogger |archive-date=March 18, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}{{Cite web |title=41.9 °C，破纪录了！杭州气温创历史新高-杭州影像-杭州网 |url=https://pic.hangzhou.com.cn/hzyx/content/content_8768805.html |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=pic.hangzhou.com.cn}} unofficial readings have reached {{convert|−10.5|°C|0}}, set on 29 December 1912 and 24 January 1916, up to {{convert|42.1|°C|0}}, set on 10 August 1930.{{cite web|url=http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm|title=Extreme Temperatures Around the World|access-date=2013-02-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140804202145/http://www.mherrera.org/temp.htm|archive-date=August 4, 2014|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 30% in March to 51% in August, the city receives 1,709.4 hours of sunshine annually.

{{Weather box

| width =

| location = Hangzhou, elevation {{convert|42|m|ft|abbr=on}}, (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1951–present)

| metric first = Y

| single line = Y

| Jan record high C = 25.4

| Feb record high C = 28.5

| Mar record high C = 34.0

| Apr record high C = 35.1

| May record high C = 37.6

| Jun record high C = 39.7

| Jul record high C = 41.3

| Aug record high C = 41.9

| Sep record high C = 38.8

| Oct record high C = 38.4

| Nov record high C = 31.5

| Dec record high C = 26.5

| Jan high C = 8.6

| Feb high C = 11.1

| Mar high C = 15.9

| Apr high C = 22.1

| May high C = 26.9

| Jun high C = 29.2

| Jul high C = 34.0

| Aug high C = 33.4

| Sep high C = 28.7

| Oct high C = 23.6

| Nov high C = 17.7

| Dec high C = 11.3

| Jan mean C = 5.0

| Feb mean C = 7.0

| Mar mean C = 11.1

| Apr mean C = 17.0

| May mean C = 22.0

| Jun mean C = 25.0

| Jul mean C = 29.3

| Aug mean C = 28.7

| Sep mean C = 24.5

| Oct mean C = 19.3

| Nov mean C = 13.3

| Dec mean C = 7.4

| Jan low C = 2.2

| Feb low C = 4.0

| Mar low C = 7.6

| Apr low C = 13.0

| May low C = 18.0

| Jun low C = 21.8

| Jul low C = 25.6

| Aug low C = 25.4

| Sep low C = 21.4

| Oct low C = 15.8

| Nov low C = 10.0

| Dec low C = 4.3

| Jan record low C = −8.6

| Feb record low C = −9.6

| Mar record low C = −3.5

| Apr record low C = 0.2

| May record low C = 7.3

| Jun record low C = 12.8

| Jul record low C = 17.3

| Aug record low C = 18.2

| Sep record low C = 12.0

| Oct record low C = 1.0

| Nov record low C = −3.6

| Dec record low C = −8.4

| Jan avg record high C = 17.4

| Feb avg record high C = 21.3

| Mar avg record high C = 25.7

| Apr avg record high C = 30.6

| May avg record high C = 33.8

| Jun avg record high C = 35.3

| Jul avg record high C = 37.9

| Aug avg record high C = 37.3

| Sep avg record high C = 34.4

| Oct avg record high C = 30.3

| Nov avg record high C = 25.1

| Dec avg record high C = 19.5

| year avg record high C = 38.2

| Jan avg record low C = −3.9

| Feb avg record low C = -2.3

| Mar avg record low C = 0.8

| Apr avg record low C = 5.8

| May avg record low C = 12.1

| Jun avg record low C = 16.9

| Jul avg record low C = 21.5

| Aug avg record low C = 21.4

| Sep avg record low C = 16.0

| Oct avg record low C = 9.0

| Nov avg record low C = 2.5

| Dec avg record low C = -2.8

| year avg record low C = −4.6

| precipitation colour = green

| Jan precipitation mm = 93.3

| Feb precipitation mm = 89.9

| Mar precipitation mm = 135.7

| Apr precipitation mm = 116.8

| May precipitation mm = 126.8

| Jun precipitation mm = 258.2

| Jul precipitation mm = 167.5

| Aug precipitation mm = 176.8

| Sep precipitation mm = 113.3

| Oct precipitation mm = 74.1

| Nov precipitation mm = 75.2

| Dec precipitation mm = 64.2

| Jan humidity = 74

| Feb humidity = 73

| Mar humidity = 72

| Apr humidity = 70

| May humidity = 71

| Jun humidity = 79

| Jul humidity = 73

| Aug humidity = 75

| Sep humidity = 76

| Oct humidity = 73

| Nov humidity = 75

| Dec humidity = 72

| unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 12.4

| Feb precipitation days = 11.7

| Mar precipitation days = 14.9

| Apr precipitation days = 13.8

| May precipitation days = 13.3

| Jun precipitation days = 15.4

| Jul precipitation days = 12.2

| Aug precipitation days = 13.7

| Sep precipitation days = 11.2

| Oct precipitation days = 8.1

| Nov precipitation days = 10.6

| Dec precipitation days = 9.7

| Jan sun = 95.6

| Jan percentsun = 30

| Feb sun = 97.7

| Feb percentsun = 31

| Mar sun = 120.4

| Mar percentsun = 32

| Apr sun = 144.7

| Apr percentsun = 37

| May sun = 158.9

| May percentsun = 38

| Jun sun = 120.0

| Jun percentsun = 28

| Jul sun = 204.6

| Jul percentsun = 48

| Aug sun = 187.9

| Aug percentsun = 46

| Sep sun = 139.9

| Sep percentsun = 38

| Oct sun = 141.6

| Oct percentsun = 40

| Nov sun = 118.9

| Nov percentsun = 38

| Dec sun = 112.6

| Dec percentsun = 36

| Jan snow days = 4.2

| Feb snow days = 2.8

| Mar snow days = 0.8

| Apr snow days = 0.1

| May snow days = 0

| Jun snow days = 0

| Jul snow days = 0

| Aug snow days = 0

| Sep snow days = 0

| Oct snow days = 0

| Nov snow days = 0.2

| Dec snow days = 1.4

| year snow days =

| source 1 = China Meteorological Administration{{cite web|url=http://data.cma.cn/data/weatherBk.html |script-title=zh:中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data |publisher=China Meteorological Administration |language = zh-cn |access-date=April 15, 2020}}{{cite web

|url=https://experience.arcgis.com/template/e724038fda394e9d9b7921f10fd1aa55/page/%E7%BA%AF%E8%A1%A8%E6%A0%BC%E7%BB%9F%E8%AE%A1-(%E5%AF%B9%E6%AF%948110%E5%8F%98%E5%8C%96)/?org=UQmaps

|script-title = zh:CMA台站气候标准值(1991-2020)

|publisher = China Meteorological Administration

| language = zh | access-date = 2023-04-11

|title = Experience Template

}}

{{cite web|url=http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |script-title=zh:中国地面国际交换站气候标准值月值数据集（1971－2000年）|publisher=China Meteorological Administration |access-date=2010-05-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055035/http://old-cdc.cma.gov.cn/shuju/search1.jsp?dsid=SURF_CLI_CHN_MUL_MMON_19712000_CES&tpcat=SURF&type=table&pageid=3 |archive-date=2013-09-21 }}

| source =

}}

{{Historical populations

|1990 |1845055

|2000 |3662054

|2010 |5849537

|2020 |9236032

|footnote=sources: (census dates, urban area qu 区){{Cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/en/china/cities/|title=China: Provinces and Major Cities - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information|website=citypopulation.de}}

}}

{{Historical populations

|2000 |6878722

|2010 |8700373

|2020 |11936010

|2022 |12376000

|2023 |12522000

|footnote=sources: (census dates, administrative division){{Cite web|url=http://citypopulation.de/en/china/admin/|title=China: Administrative Division (Provinces and Prefectures) - Population Statistics, Charts and Map|website=citypopulation.de}}

and (yearend est.) zj.people.com.cn/n2/2023/0303/c186327-40322512.html

2023年杭州市人口主要数据公报: ([https://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/art/2024/3/4/art_1229063404_4243341.html website] only visible inside China)

2023年末全市常住人口中，男性为652.1万人，占总人口的52.1%；女性为600.1万人，占总人口 的47.9%。性别比（以女性为100，男性对女性的比例）为108.7。}}

As of 2023, Hangzhou had a permanent population of 12.522 million (including Xiaoshan and Yuhang), of which 10.543 million (84.2%) lived in urban areas.{{Cite web |date=15 March 2024 |title=2023年杭州市国民经济和社会发展统计公报 |trans-title=2023 Hangzhou National Economic and Social Development Statistical Bulletin |url=https://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/art/2024/3/15/art_1229063404_4246617.html |access-date=17 May 2024 |website=Hangzhou Municipal People's Government}}{{Cite news |date=17 May 2021 |title=杭州市2020年第七次人口普查主要数据公报 |trans-title=Bulletin of the main data of Hangzhou's seventh census in 2020 |url=http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/art/2021/5/17/art_805865_59034996.html |access-date=17 May 2024 |work=Hangzhou Municipal People's Government}} The encompassing metropolitan area was estimated by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to have, {{As of|2010|lc=y}}, a population of 13.4 million,{{cite book|doi=10.1787/9789264230040-en|title=OECD Urban Policy Reviews: China 2015, OECD READ edition|url=http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/urban-rural-and-regional-development/oecd-urban-policy-reviews-china-2015_9789264230040-en#page39|publisher=OECD|page=37|via=OECD iLibrary|language=en|date=18 April 2015|issn=2306-9341|isbn=9789264230033|access-date=December 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170327210032/http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/urban-rural-and-regional-development/oecd-urban-policy-reviews-china-2015_9789264230040-en#page39|archive-date=March 27, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}} Linked from the OECD [http://www.oecd.org/china/oecd-urban-policy-reviews-china-2015-9789264230040-en.htm here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209044027/http://www.oecd.org/china/oecd-urban-policy-reviews-china-2015-9789264230040-en.htm |date=December 9, 2017 }} although other sources put the figure at over 21 million. The Hangzhou metropolitan area includes the major cities of Shaoxing, Jiaxing and Huzhou.{{cite book|url=http://www.ssdph.com.cn/Shop/BookMainContent.aspx?ProductManager_Id=20121108160836|title=Economic and Social Development Report of Hangzhou Metropolitan Circles (2007–2012)|access-date=2013-02-20|date=2012-10-01|publisher=Social Sciences Academic Press(China)| language = zh-hans|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512231242/http://www.ssdph.com.cn/Shop/BookMainContent.aspx?ProductManager_Id=20121108160836|archive-date=2013-05-12|df=mdy-all}}{{cite web|title=Hangzhou City Profile 2017|url=http://www.joneslanglasalle.com.cn/china/en-gb/Research/hangzhou-city-profile-en.pdf|publisher=Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc.|date=2017|access-date=December 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209044214/http://www.joneslanglasalle.com.cn/china/en-gb/Research/hangzhou-city-profile-en.pdf|archive-date=December 9, 2017|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

Hangzhou has a life expectancy of 83.18 years for the city's registered population {{As of|2021|lc=y}}, one of the highest in China.{{Cite web |date=23 May 2022 |title=83.63岁！杭州公布最新期望寿命 |trans-title=83.63 years old! Hangzhou releases latest life expectancy |url=https://wsjkw.hangzhou.gov.cn/art/2022/5/23/art_1229113673_58930776.html#:~:text=83.63%E5%B2%81%EF%BC%81,%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E%E5%85%AC%E5%B8%83%E6%9C%80%E6%96%B0%E6%9C%9F%E6%9C%9B%E5%AF%BF%E5%91%BD&text=2021%E5%B9%B4%EF%BC%8C%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E%E5%B8%82%E6%88%B7%E7%B1%8D,%E5%B2%81%EF%BC%8C%E5%A5%B3%E6%80%A7%E4%B8%BA85.77%E5%B2%81%E3%80%82 |access-date=17 May 2024 |website=Hangzhou Municipal Health Commission}}

{{More citations needed section|date=April 2018}}

In 1848, during the Qing dynasty, Hangzhou was described as the "stronghold" of Islam in China, the city containing several mosques with Arabic inscriptions.{{cite book |author=Samuel Wells Williams |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pk0UAAAAYAAJ&q=stronghold+islamism |title=The Middle kingdom: a survey of the ... Chinese empire and its inhabitants ... |publisher=Wiley & Putnam |year=1848 |edition=3 |page=98 |access-date=2011-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429124803/https://books.google.com/books?id=Pk0UAAAAYAAJ&q=islamism#v=onepage&q=stronghold%20islamism&f=false |archive-date=April 29, 2016 |url-status=live}} A Hui from Ningbo also told an Englishman that Hangzhou was the "stronghold" of Islam in Zhejiang province, containing multiple mosques, compared to his small congregation of around 30 families in Ningbo for his mosque.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6wEMAAAAYAAJ&q=mohammedan+hangchau |title=The Chinese repository, Volume 13 |publisher=Printed for the proprietors |year=1844 |page=32 |access-date=2011-05-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428205026/https://books.google.com/books?id=6wEMAAAAYAAJ&q=mohammedan#v=onepage&q=mohammedan%20hangchau&f=false |archive-date=April 28, 2016 |url-status=live}} Within the city of Hangzhou are two notable mosques: New Hangzhou Great Mosque and the Phoenix Mosque. 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 Kaifeng Jewish community.{{cite web |title=The Lost Jews of Kaifeng |url=http://www.jewish-holiday.com/kaifeng.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713103957/http://www.jewish-holiday.com/kaifeng.html |archive-date=July 13, 2011 |access-date=2011-03-16 |publisher=Jewish-holiday.com |df=mdy-all}} There was formerly a Jewish synagogue in Ningbo, as well as one in Hangzhou, but no traces of them are now discoverable, and the only Jews known to exist in China were in Kaifeng.{{cite book |author=Walter Macon Lowrie, Presbyterian church in the U.S.A. Board of foreign missions |url=https://archive.org/details/memoirsofrevwalter00lowr |title=Memoirs of the Rev. Walter M. Lowrie: missionary to China |publisher=Presbyterian board of publication |year=1854 |page=[https://archive.org/details/memoirsofrevwalter00lowr/page/256 256] |quote=mosque ningpo. |access-date=17 July 2011}} Two of the Three Pillars of Chinese Catholicism were from Hangzhou. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hangzhou is one of the oldest Catholic churches in China, dating back 400 years to the Ming dynasty. There was persecution of Christians in the early 21st century in the city.{{cite news |last=Fan |first=Maureen |date=October 1, 2006 |title=In China, Churches Challenge the Rules |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000494.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018033926/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000494.html |archive-date=October 18, 2017 |access-date=November 1, 2017 |newspaper=Washington Post |df=mdy-all}}File:Hangzhou City 2 WB (2568).jpg

There are many temples near the West Lake. Lingyin Temple was founded in the first year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 326). It has a history of about 1,700 years and is the earliest famous temple in Hangzhou. Yuefei Temple, a temple constructed during the Song Dynasty in 1221 to commemorate Yue Fei, is located near the West Lake. Lingyin Temple (Soul's Retreat), located about {{convert|2|km|abbr=on}} west of West Lake, is believed to be the oldest Buddhist temple in the city, which has gone through numerous destruction and reconstruction cycles. Yue Fei Temple, on the northwest shore of West Lake, was originally constructed in 1221 in memory of General Yue Fei, who died due to political persecution. There is also the Jingci Temple, the Baochu Pagoda, and the Leifeng Pagoda. The Qiantang River is the largest river in Zhejiang Province, China. Every year during August 15 to August 18 of the lunar month in China, the Qiantang Tide occurs. It is called "the Biggest Tide in the World".

Other religious sites in Hangzhou include the Liuhe Pagoda, located on Yuelun Hill on the north bank of Qiantang River and the Hupao Temple ({{lang|zh|虎跑寺}}).{{cite web |script-title=zh:杭州灵隐寺清明礼祖 祭扫弘一法师舍利塔墓-大陆教界内容-佛教在线 |url=http://www.fjnet.com/jjdt/jjdtnr/201804/t20180406_254181.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180427044513/http://www.fjnet.com/jjdt/jjdtnr/201804/t20180406_254181.htm |archive-date=April 27, 2018 |access-date=April 26, 2018 |website=www.fjnet.com |df=mdy-all}}

In 2019, Hangzhou established a pilot program artificial intelligence-based Internet Court to adjudicate disputes related to ecommerce and internet-related intellectual property claims.{{Cite book |last=Šimalčík |first=Matej |title=Contemporary China: a New Superpower? |publisher=Routledge |year=2023 |isbn=978-1-03-239508-1 |editor-last=Kironska |editor-first=Kristina |chapter=Rule by Law |editor-last2=Turscanyi |editor-first2=Richard Q.}}{{Rp|page=124}} Parties appear before the court via videoconference and AI evaluates the evidence presented and applies relevant legal standards.{{Rp|page=124}}

Hangzhou is classified as a sub-provincial city{{cite web |date=1995-02-19 |script-title=zh:中央机构编制委员会印发《关于省级市若干问题的意见》的通知. 中编发[1995]5号 |url=http://www.docin.com/p-51864614.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140529084536/http://www.docin.com/p-51864614.html |archive-date=May 29, 2014 |access-date=May 28, 2014 |publisher={{lang|zh-hans|豆丁网}} |df=mdy-all}} and forms the core of the Hangzhou metropolitan area, the fourth-largest in China.{{cite web |date=2012-07-02 |script-title=zh:2012中国都市圈评价指数今年7月发布 |url=http://hmc.hz.gov.cn/tszs/csj/201207/t20120726_330352.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228111648/http://hmc.hz.gov.cn/tszs/csj/201207/t20120726_330352.htm |archive-date=28 February 2013 |access-date=2013-02-20 |publisher=Shanghai Jiaotong University |language=zh-hans}} It is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang Province in East China.{{Cite book |last=Hu |first=Richard |title=Reinventing the Chinese City |date=2023 |publisher=Columbia University Press |isbn=978-0-231-21101-7 |location=New York}}{{Rp|page=86}} Hangzhou comprises 10 districts, 1 county-level city, and 2 counties. The ten urban districts occupy {{convert|8,292.31|km2||abbr=on}} and have a population of 8,241,000, in which there are six central urban districts and four suburban districts. The central urban districts occupy {{convert|706.27|km2||abbr=on}} and have a population of 3,780,000 and the suburban districts occupy {{convert|7,586.04|km2||abbr=on}} and have a population of 4,461,000. The West Lake Scenic Area holds the country-level administrative power, though not formally a county or district.{{cite web |title=西湖西溪管委会 |url=http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/col/col810024/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127182257/http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/col/col810024/index.html |archive-date=2022-01-27 |accessdate=2022-01-27 |website=杭州市人民政府门户网站}}

In the early 90s, the urban districts of Hangzhou only comprised Shangcheng, Xiacheng, Gongshu, Jianggan. On December 11, 1996, Binjiang District was established. On March 12, 2001, Xiaoshan and Yuhang, formerly two county-level cities under the administration of Hangzhou prefecture-level city, were re-organized as two districts. On December 13, 2014, and in July 2017, Fuyang and Lin'an, formerly two county-level cities under the administration of Hangzhou prefecture-level city, were re-organized as two districts. On April 9, 2021, Linping District and Qiantang District was established.{{cite web |author1=浙江省政府办公厅 |title=浙江省人民政府关于调整杭州市部分行政区划的通知 |url=http://www.zj.gov.cn/art/2021/4/9/art_1229019364_2267333.html |accessdate=2021-04-09 |publisher=浙江省人民政府}}{{cite web |title=浙江省人民政府关于调整杭州市部分行政区划的通知 |url=http://zjjcmspublic.oss-cn-hangzhou-zwynet-d01-a.internet.cloud.zj.gov.cn/jcms_files/jcms1/web3096/site/attach/0/5e9e28ebd4f04c53b9c711c0a1323cdf.pdf}}

File:Qianjiang guoji shidai plaza 09.jpg]]

File:Alibaba Center in Binjiang Hangzhou2021.jpg Headquarters]]

Hangzhou's economy has rapidly developed since its opening up in 1992. It is an industrial city with many diverse sectors such as light industry, agriculture, and textiles. It is considered an important manufacturing base and logistics hub for coastal China.{{cite web |title=Industries of Hangzhou |url=http://www.hzindus.gov.cn/en/list2.asp?id=48 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707034852/http://www.hzindus.gov.cn/en/list2.asp?id=48 |archive-date=July 7, 2011 |access-date=2011-03-16 |website=Hangzhou Municipal Economic Commission |df=mdy-all}} Additionally, the city is an e-commerce and technology hub.{{Cite news |date=2019-03-21 |title=China's tech hub Hangzhou sees surge in job-hopping: newspaper |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-hangzhou-jobs-idUSKCN1R20T1 |access-date=2022-08-09}} The 2001 GDP of Hangzhou was RMB 156.8 billion, which ranked second among all of the provincial capitals after Guangzhou. The city has more than tripled its GDP since then, increasing from RMB 156.8 billion in 2001 to RMB 1.3509 trillion in 2018 and GDP per capita increasing from US$3,020 to $21,184.{{cite web|url=http://zt-hzrb.hangzhou.com.cn/system/2012/04/10/011854806.shtml|script-title=zh:杭州市人均GDP已达到中上等国家和富裕国家临界水平-杭报在线-新闻|website=hangzhou.com.cn|access-date=June 4, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120411014945/http://zt-hzrb.hangzhou.com.cn/system/2012/04/10/011854806.shtml|archive-date=April 11, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}} As of 2019, the Hangzhou metropolitan area was estimated to produce a gross metropolitan product (nominal) of 3.2 trillion yuan ($486.53 billion),{{Cite web |title=Hangzhou metropolitan circle's GDP totals 3.2 trillion yuan in 2019 |url=http://zhejiang.chinadaily.com.cn/jiaxing/2020-11/20/c_565319.htm |access-date=2022-10-01 |website=zhejiang.chinadaily.com.cn}} making it larger than the economies of Argentina, with a GDP of $452 billion (the 26th biggest in the World) and Nigeria with a GDP of $448 billion (the largest in Africa).{{Cite web |title=GDP (current US$) - Argentina, Nigeria {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD?end=2019&locations=AR-NG&most_recent_value_desc=true&start=2018 |access-date=2022-10-01 |website=data.worldbank.org}}

A study conducted by PwC and China Development Research Foundation saw Hangzhou ranked first among "Chinese Cities of Opportunity".{{cite news|url=https://www.pwccn.com/en/research-and-insights/chinese-cities-of-opportunities-2018-report.html|title=Chinese Cities of Opportunities 2018 Report|newspaper=PWC |publisher=PricewaterhouseCoopers|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230030217/https://www.pwccn.com/en/research-and-insights/chinese-cities-of-opportunities-2018-report.html|archive-date=December 30, 2018|access-date=29 December 2018 |author1=Pricewaterhousecoopers }} Hangzhou is also considered a World City with a "Beta+" classification according to GaWC.{{cite web |title=The World According to GaWC 2020 |url=https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |access-date=31 August 2020 |website=GaWC – Research Network |publisher=Globalization and World Cities |archive-date=August 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200824031341/https://www.lboro.ac.uk/gawc/world2020t.html |url-status=dead }} Hangzhou ranked 89 in the Global Financial Centres Index in 2018.{{cite web |date=September 2020 |title=The Global Financial Centres Index 28 |url=https://www.longfinance.net/media/documents/GFCI_28_Full_Report_2020.09.25_v1.1.pdf |access-date=26 September 2020 |publisher=Long Finance}} It was also ranked first in the China Emerging City Rankings of the Economist Intelligence Unit, which assesses Chinese cities growth potential, in both 2021 and 2022.{{Cite news |title=China's GDP is flagging. Where might growth come from? |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2022/10/24/chinas-gdp-is-flagging-where-might-growth-come-from |access-date=2022-10-25 |issn=0013-0613}} Hangzhou ranks 11th in the world and 6th in China (after Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou) in terms of the number of billionaires according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2020.{{Cite web |date=2020-02-26 |title=Shimao Shenkong International Center·Hurun Global Rich List 2020 |url=https://hurun.net/EN/Article/Details?num=775CEFAE8BF8 |website=Hurun Report |access-date=November 7, 2020 |archive-date=December 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201221124815/https://www.hurun.net/EN/Article/Details?num=775CEFAE8BF8 |url-status=dead }} As of August 2023, Hangzhou has the tenth-most Fortune Global 500 headquarters of any city in the world and the fourth-most in China{{snd}}after Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen{{snd}}within its city limits.{{Cite web |title=Fortune 500 |url=https://fortune.com/ranking/fortune500/2022/ |access-date=2023-08-09 |website=Fortune |language=en}}

Hangzhou has a smart city initiative and undertakes efforts to digitize the economy and build a cashless city.{{Cite book |last=Liu |first=Lizhi |title=From Click to Boom: The Political Economy of E-Commerce in China |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=2024 |isbn=9780691254104}}{{Rp|pages=122-123}}

Hangzhou is the headquarters of several technology companies including Alibaba Group, NetEase,{{Rp|page=90}} Ant Group, Geely, and HikVision. As a result of its internet industry, many programmers from other cities such as Shanghai or Beijing have come to Hangzhou.{{Cite web|url=http://hangzhou.zjol.com.cn/jrsd/bwzg/201811/t20181110_8712526.shtml|script-title=zh:最新丨杭州互联网人才净流入率全国第一 大多来自京沪-浙江在线杭州在线网站|website=Zhejiang Online|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605150047/http://hangzhou.zjol.com.cn/jrsd/bwzg/201811/t20181110_8712526.shtml|archive-date=June 5, 2019|access-date=2019-09-24}} The city has developed many new industries, including medicine, information technology, heavy equipment, automotive components, household electrical appliances, electronics, telecommunication, fine chemicals, chemical fibre and food processing.{{cite web |title=Hangzhou Economy |url=http://www.china-window.com/china_economy/china_economy_guide/hangzhou-economy.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108150104/http://www.china-window.com/china_economy/china_economy_guide/hangzhou-economy.shtml |archive-date=January 8, 2009 |access-date=2011-03-16 |publisher=China-window.com |df=mdy-all}} The city describes its important industries as "1 + 6" industrial clusters, with the "1" referring to the digital economy and the "6" referring to cultural/creative economy, finance, tourism, fashion manufacturing, and high-end equipment manufacturing.{{Rp|page=91}} As of at least 2023, Hangzhou's economic growth has been led by the digital sector and the creative/cultural sectors.{{Rp|page=91}}

In March 2013, the Hangzhou Tourism Commission started an online campaign via Facebook, the 'Modern Marco Polo' campaign. Over the next year nearly 26,000 participants applied from around the globe, in the hopes of becoming Hangzhou's first foreign tourism ambassador. In a press conference in Hangzhou on 20 May 2014, Liam Bates was announced as the successful winner and won a $55,000 contract, being the first foreigner ever to be appointed by China's government in such an official role.{{cite web |date=May 20, 2014 |title=Modern-Day Marco Polo for Hangzhou, China |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/modern-day-marco-polo-hangzhou-china-n109921 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205044658/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/modern-day-marco-polo-hangzhou-china-n109921 |archive-date=December 5, 2014 |access-date=2014-11-26 |publisher=NBC NEWS |df=mdy-all}}

Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone was established and approved as a national development zone by the State Council in 1993. It covers an area of {{convert|104.7|km2|abbr=on}}. Encouraged industries include electronic information, biological medicine, machinery and household appliances manufacturing, and food processing.[http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/hangzhou-economic-technological-development-zone/ Hangzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone|China Industrial Space] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100323035036/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/hangzhou-economic-technological-development-zone |date=March 23, 2010 }}. Rightsite.asia. Retrieved on 2011-08-28. Hangzhou Export Processing Zone was established on April 27, 2000, upon approval of the State Council. It was one of the first zones and the only one in Zhejiang Province to be approved by the government. Its total planned area is {{convert|2.92|km2|abbr=on}}. It is located close to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport and Hangzhou Port.[http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/motuo-development-zone/ Hangzhou Export Processing Zone|China Industrial Space] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100417071417/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/motuo-development-zone |date=April 17, 2010 }}. Rightsite.asia (2000-04-27). Retrieved on 2011-08-28.

Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was set up with approval from the State Council as a state-level high-tech Industrial Development Zone in March 1991. The HHTZ is composed of three parts, with the main regions being the Zhijiang Sci-Tech Industrial Park and Xiasha Sci-Tech Industrial Park. HHTZ has become one of the most influential high-tech innovation and high-tech industry bases in Zhejiang Province. {{As of|2013}}, HHTZ hosts more than 1,100 software developers and BPO enterprises. Major companies such as Motorola, Nokia and Siemens have established R&D centers in the zone. In 2011, the GDP of the zone rose by 13.1 percent, amounting to RMB 41.63 billion. This accounted for 5.9 percent of Hangzhou's total GDP. The HHTZ positions itself as the "Silicon Valley" of China. The Alibaba Group is headquartered in the zone.[http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/hangzhou-hi-tech-industrial-development-zone/ Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone|China Industrial Space] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100322202947/http://rightsite.asia/en/industrial-zone/hangzhou-hi-tech-industrial-development-zone |date=March 22, 2010 }}. Rightsite.asia. Retrieved on 2011-08-28.{{cite web|title=Hangzhou Development Zones|url=http://www.china-briefing.com/regional-intelligence/hangzhou.html|website=China Briefing|access-date=9 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150507033508/http://www.china-briefing.com/regional-intelligence/hangzhou.html|archive-date=May 7, 2015|url-status=live|df=mdy-all}}

File:The coastline of Hangzhou's West Lake during sunset. December 2023.jpg

File:Aerial panorama of West Lake sunset and its lakeside district. December 2023.jpg

File:Aerial panorama of West Lake and its surrounding mountains. December 2023.jpg

{{prose|date=August 2019}}

{{more citations needed|date=August 2019}}

File:Leifang Pagoda Sunset.jpg and Leifeng Pagoda]]

File:West Lake at night in Hangzhou.jpg at night]]

File:Former Residence of Hu Xueyan 3.jpg Residence, a historic mansion in Hangzhou]]

Although Hangzhou has been through many recent urban developments, it still retains its historical and cultural heritage and natural environment. Today, tourism remains an important factor for Hangzhou's economy.[http://www.chinapages.com/zhejiang/hangzhou/jg Hangzhou Today: Tourism]. China Pages. Retrieved August 22, 2006. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326003733/http://www.chinapages.com/zhejiang/hangzhou/jg |date=March 26, 2009 }} Hangzhou has numerous skyscrapers, making it the 19th city in the world with the most skyscrapers as well as the 9th in China.{{cite web |title=Number of 150m+ Completed Buildings – The Skyscraper Center |url=http://skyscrapercenter.com/cities?list=buildings-150 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202102726/http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/cities?list=buildings-150 |archive-date=2 December 2017 |access-date=5 November 2018 |website=Skyscrapercenter.com}}

One of Hangzhou's most popular sights is West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The West Lake Cultural Landscape covers an area of {{convert|3323|ha|abbr=on}} and includes some of Hangzhou's most notable historic and scenic places. Adjacent to the lake is an area which includes historical pagodas, cultural sites, as well as the natural environment of the lake and hills, including Phoenix Mountain. There are two causeways across the lake. The west of the lake contains Dreaming of the Tiger Spring, popular for longjing tea fields.{{cite web |title=the tea fields of Longjing |url=http://www.minorsights.com/2015/12/china-tea-fields-of-longjing.htmll |access-date=9 December 2015 |publisher=Minor Sights}}

The parts of the Grand Canal in Hangzhou, also a World Heritage Site was built in 610 AD. The core historical sites are accessible by Hangzhou Metro Line 5's The Grand Canal station or East Gongchen Bridge station. The West Lake Cultural Square is located in the Xiacheng District and houses several famous buildings in the city, including the Zhejiang Natural History Museum, Zhejiang Museum of Science and Technology, and the Zhejiang Global Center, one of the tallest buildings in the city center at about {{convert|160|m|ft|abbr=on|-1}}.

The Xixi National Wetland Park was established with the aim of preserving the wetland ecological system, it covers an area of about {{convert|10|km2|abbr=on|0}}. Fish ponds and reed beds have been restored and it is home to many types of birds. It holds a temple and several historic rural houses. The Qiandao Lake is a man-made lake with the largest number of islands in Chun'an County, under administration of the Hangzhou prefecture-level city. These islands are different in size and shape, and have distinctive scene. The Hangzhou Botanical Garden and the Hangzhou Zoo are located in the Xihu District.

{{more citations needed|date=August 2019}}

File:Relics Unearthed from Leifeng Pagoda Site 03 2017-12.jpg unearthed from Leifeng Pagoda Site, Zhejiang Provincial Museum]]

The native residents of Hangzhou, including those of Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu, speak the Hangzhou dialect, a Wu dialect unique to the area. Hangzhou's dialect differs from those of regions in southern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu. As the official language defined by China's central government, Mandarin is the dominant spoken language, though it is mutually unintelligible with the Hangzhou dialect. The Hangzhou dialect has an estimated total of 1.2 to 1.5 million speakers.

There are several museums located in Hangzhou including China National Silk Museum, the largest silk museum in the world, China National Tea Museum ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|中国茶叶博物馆}}), and Zhejiang Provincial Museum, which has a collection of integrated human studies, exhibition and research with over 100,000 collected cultural relics.

Many theaters in Hangzhou host opera shows such as Yue opera. There are several big shows themed with the history and culture of Hangzhou like [https://web.archive.org/web/20140605035555/http://www.hzyxxh.com/en/ Impression West Lake] and the Romance of Song Dynasty. The landscapes in Hangzhou bridges stories of celebrities in Chinese history and feelings of ordinary people visiting Hangzhou with joy and enthusiasm.{{Cite journal |last1=Zhang |first1=Rouran |last2=Taylor |first2=Ken |date=2020-02-17 |title=Cultural landscape meanings. The case of West Lake, Hangzhou, China |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01426397.2019.1589438 |journal=Landscape Research |language=en |volume=45 |issue=2 |pages=164–178 |doi=10.1080/01426397.2019.1589438 |bibcode=2020LandR..45..164Z |s2cid=150910197 |issn=0142-6397}}

Hangzhou is home to the China Academy of Art and prominent painters such as Lin Fengmian and Fang Ganmin.

The 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. {{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

File:Xi Hu Longjing Tea 01.jpg

Hangzhou's local cuisine is often considered to be representative of Zhejiang provincial cuisine, one of China's eight fundamental cuisines. The locally accepted consensus among Hangzhou's natives defines dishes prepared in this style to be "fresh, tender, soft, and smooth, with a mellow fragrance". {{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

Generally, Hangzhou's cuisines tend to be sweeter rather than savoury. The local people enjoy a light diet incorporating river fishes from the Yangtze River. There are historical stories revolving around the origins of local dishes.

Dishes such as Pian Er Chuan Noodles ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|片儿川}}), West Lake Vinegar Fish ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|西湖醋鱼}}), Dongpo Pork ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|东坡肉}}), Longjing Shrimp ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|龙井虾仁}}), Beggar's Chicken ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|叫化鸡}}), Steamed Rice and Pork Wrapped by Lotus Leaves({{lang|zh-hans-CN|荷叶粉蒸肉}}), Braised Bamboo Shoots ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|油焖笋}}), Lotus Root Pudding ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|藕粉}}) and Sister Song's Fish Soup ({{lang|zh-hans-CN|宋嫂鱼羹}}) are some of the better-known examples of Hangzhou's regional cuisine.

Longjing tea is the most famous green tea and rank first among top ten famous teas in China. Those planted by the West Lake is the best Longjing tea. Tea is an important part of Hangzhou's economy and culture. Hangzhou is best known for originating Longjing, a notable variety of green tea.{{cite book |author=Cummings, Joe and Robert Storey |title=China, Volume 10 |publisher=Lonely Planets Publications |year=1991 |isbn=0-86442-123-0 |page=345}}

{{Original research section|date=January 2025}}

An ancient Chinese proverb about Hangzhou and Suzhou is:

There is Heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below. ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|上有天堂，下有苏杭}})

This phrase has a similar meaning to the English phrases "Heaven on Earth". Marco Polo in his accounts described Suzhou as "the city of the earth" while Hangzhou is "the city of heaven".{{citation|chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/marcopolo00polouoft#page/288/mode/2up|author=J.M. Dent|title=The travels of Marco Polo the Venetian|chapter=Chapter LXVIII: On the Noble and Magnificent City of Kin-Sai|year=1908|page=289|access-date=October 16, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160402140626/http://archive.org/stream/marcopolo00polouoft#page/288/mode/2up|archive-date=April 2, 2016|url-status=live}} The city presented itself as "Paradise on Earth" during the G20 summit held in the city in 2016.{{cite news |url= https://time.com/4477547/g20-summit-china-hangzhou-environment/ |title= China's Hanghzou Clears Out Pests—and People—as It Prepares to Host the G20 Summit |author= Hannah Beech |date= September 2, 2016 |access-date= October 16, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20161017005023/http://time.com/4477547/g20-summit-china-hangzhou-environment/ |archive-date= October 17, 2016 |url-status= live |df= mdy-all }}

Another saying about Hangzhou is:

Be born in Suzhou, live in Hangzhou, eat in Guangzhou, die in Liuzhou. ({{lang|zh-Hans-CN|生在苏州，活在杭州，吃在广州，死在柳州}})

The meaning here lies in the fact that Suzhou was renowned for its beautiful and highly civilized and educated citizens, Hangzhou for its scenery, Guangzhou for its food, and Liuzhou (of Guangxi) for its wooden coffins which supposedly halted the decay of the body (likely made from the camphor tree).

Hangzhou has a bus network consisting of a fleet of diesel, hybrid and electric buses, as well as trolleybuses. 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. However, as of mid-2021, all but one BRT routes and feeding routes had closed or been transformed to regular routes. Only route B1 is still in operation.

Taxis are also popular in the city, with the newest line of Hyundai Sonatas and Volkswagen Passats, and tight regulations. In early 2011, 30 electric taxis were deployed in Hangzhou; 15 were Zotye Langyues and the other 15 were Haima Freemas. In April, however, one Zoyte Langyue caught fire, and all of the electric taxis were taken off the roads later that day. The city still intends to have a fleet of 200 electric taxis by the end of 2011.{{cite web |title=Hangzhou Halts All Electric Taxis as a Zotye Langyue (Multipla) EV Catches Fire |url=http://chinaautoweb.com/2011/04/hangzhou-halts-all-electric-taxis-as-a-zotye-langyue-multipla-ev-catches-fire/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110618145049/http://chinaautoweb.com/2011/04/hangzhou-halts-all-electric-taxis-as-a-zotye-langyue-multipla-ev-catches-fire/ |archive-date=June 18, 2011 |access-date=2011-07-06 |publisher=ChinaAutoWeb |df=mdy-all}} In 2014, a large number of new electric taxis produced by Xihu-BYD (Xihu (westlake) is a local company which produced televisions in the past) were deployed.

Central (to the east of the city centre, taking the place of the former east station), north, south, and west long-distance coach stations offer frequent coach service to nearby cities/towns within Zhejiang province, as well as surrounding provinces.

Hangzhou Metro has a network of 323 km as of mid-2021, not including the Hangzhou-Haining Intercity Railway which has a length of 46 km. Major expansion plans continue. It is the 17th city in China to have a rapid rail transit system. In 2018, the State Council approved the planning for 15 metro lines, including extensions to the three existing lines, scheduled to open in time for the 2022 Asian Games.{{Cite web |title=杭州地铁三期10条线路获批 计划亚运会前建成 - 杭网原创 - 杭州网 |url=http://ori.hangzhou.com.cn/ornews/content/2016-12/21/content_6425502.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418132818/http://ori.hangzhou.com.cn/ornews/content/2016-12/21/content_6425502.htm |archive-date=April 18, 2018 |access-date=April 12, 2018 |df=mdy-all}} By then the Hangzhou Metro system is projected have a network of {{convert|617|km|abbr=on}}.{{Cite web |date=July 5, 2017 |script-title=zh:[浙江]杭州地铁2号线西北段开通 22分钟城西飞驰到城东(图) |url=http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2017-07-05/doc-ifyhweua4014660.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020140005/http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2017-07-05/doc-ifyhweua4014660.shtml |archive-date=October 20, 2017 |access-date=2017-07-06 |website=news.sina.com.cn |publisher=Sina News |language=zh-hans |df=mdy-all}}

The construction of the Metro started in March 2006, and Line 1 opened on November 24, 2012.{{cite web |script-title=zh:本网快讯：杭州地铁时代即将来临 1号线24日开通 |url=http://www.zj.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/headlines/2012-11/22/c_113766139.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617174207/http://www.zj.xinhuanet.com/newscenter/headlines/2012-11/22/c_113766139.htm |archive-date=June 17, 2013 |access-date=November 22, 2012 |publisher=Xinhua Zhejiang |language=zh-hans |df=mdy-all}} Line 1 connects city centre with suburbs. It run from Xianghu to Wenze Road with a branch to Lingping, which would later become part of Line 9. By June 2015, the southeast section of Line 2 (starts in Xiaoshan District, ends to the south of the city centre) and a short part of Line 4 (fewer than 10 stations, connecting Line 1 and Line 2) were completed. The system is expected to have 15 lines upon completion; most lines are still under construction. The extensions of Line 2 (city centre and northwest Hangzhou) and Line 4 (east of Binjiang District) opened in 2018. Line 5/6/7/8 opened their first parts in 2019 and 2020.

{{multiple image

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| image1 = 6-5859 at Guodongyuan Alley, Jiangcheng Rd (20190807101902).jpg

| caption1 = Hangzhou trolleybus

| image2 = 6-6892 at Hangzhoudong Railway Station West Bus Terminal (20190224055507).jpg

| caption2 = Hangzhou BRT Line 4 (Closed)

| image5 = Qiantang River Bridge HXD1D 2016 January.jpg

| caption5 = Qiantang River Bridge

| image6 = 杭州地铁1号线列车离开乔司站向乔司南驶去IMG 0154.JPG

| caption6 = Hangzhou Metro Line 1

| image7 = 201607 Z176 departs from Hangzhou.jpg

| caption7 = Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway (Original route to Hangzhou Station)

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Bicycles and electric scooters are very popular, and major streets have dedicated bike lanes throughout the city. Hangzhou has an extensive public bike rental system called the Hangzhou Public Bicycle system. There is a dock-and-station system like those of Paris or London and users can hire bicycles with IC card or mobile phone application. Journeys within 60 minutes are free of charge.

Hangzhou sits on the intersecting point of some of the busiest rail corridors in China. The city's main station is Hangzhou East station (colloquially "East Station" {{lang|zh-hans|东站}}). It is one of the biggest rail traffic hubs in China, consisting of 15 platforms that house the High Speed services to Shanghai, Nanjing, Changsha, Ningbo, and beyond. The metro station beneath the rail complex building is a stop along the Hangzhou Metro Line 1 and Line 4. There are frequent departures for Shanghai with approximately 20-minute headways from 6:00 to 21:00. Non-stop CRH high-speed service between Hangzhou and Shanghai takes 50 minutes and leaves every hour (excluding a few early morning/late night departures) from both directions. Other CRH high-speed trains that stop at one or more stations along the route complete the trip in 59 to 75 minutes. Most other major cities in China can also be reached by direct train service from Hangzhou. The Hangzhou railway station (colloquially the "City Station" {{zh|c=城站|links=no}}) was closed for renovation in mid 2013 but has recently opened again.

A second high-speed rail channel through Hangzhou is operational along with another major station, Hangzhou West, opened on September 22, 2022.{{Cite web |title=杭州西站开通运营-新华网 |url=http://m.news.cn/2022-09/22/c_1129022727.htm |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=m.news.cn}}

Direct trains link Hangzhou with more than 50 main cities, including 12 daily services to Beijing and more than 100 daily services to Shanghai; they reach as far as Ürümqi. The China Railway High-Speed service inaugurated on October 26, 2010. The service is operated by the CRH 380A(L), CRH 380B(L) and CRH380CL train sets which travel at a maximum speed of {{convert|350|km/h|abbr=on}}, shortening the duration of the {{convert|202|km|abbr=on}} trip to only 45 minutes.{{cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-10/26/c_13575584.htm|author=xinhuanet|title=China unveils Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway; eyes network extension|date=2010-10-26|access-date=2010-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029002208/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2010-10/26/c_13575584.htm|archive-date=October 29, 2010|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

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,[http://www.schiphol.com/B2B/RouteDevelopment/RouteDevelopmentNews/KLMLaunchedItsFirstFlightToHangzhouInChina.htm KLM launched its first flight to Hangzhou in China] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009150323/http://www.schiphol.com/B2B/RouteDevelopment/RouteDevelopmentNews/KLMLaunchedItsFirstFlightToHangzhouInChina.htm|date=October 9, 2011}}. Schiphol (2010-05-08). Retrieved on 2011-08-28. Qatar, Portugal and the United States, as well as regional routes to Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macau. It has an extensive domestic route network within the PRC and is consistently ranked top 10 in passenger traffic among Chinese airports.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

The Port of Hangzhou is a small river port with a cargo throughput that exceeds 100 million tons annually.{{cite web |date=October 26, 2016 |title=Hangzhou Port cargo throughput exceeds 100 mln tons |url=http://hangzhouweekly.com/society/economy/hangzhou-port-cargo-throughput-exceeds-100-mln-tons |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101203209/http://hangzhouweekly.com/society/economy/hangzhou-port-cargo-throughput-exceeds-100-mln-tons/ |archive-date=January 1, 2015 |access-date=December 29, 2014 |publisher=Hangzhou Weekly |df=mdy-all}}

{{See also|List of universities in China}}Hangzhou is a major city for education and scientific research in China, ranking 8th in Asia-Oceania region and 13th globally by the Nature Index as of 2024.{{Cite web |title=Leading 200 science cities 2024 {{!}} {{!}} Supplements {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.nature.com/nature-index/supplements/nature-index-2024-science-cities/tables/overall |access-date=2024-11-21 |website=www.nature.com}} Hangzhou hosts many universities, most notably the Zhejiang University, one of the world's top 100th comprehensive public research universities{{Cite web |date=2015-07-16 |title=Zhejiang University |url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/zhejiang-university |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=Top Universities |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2020-09-18 |title=Zhejiang University |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/zhejiang-university |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Institution outputs {{!}} Nature Index |url=https://www.natureindex.com/institution-outputs/generate/All/global/All/score |access-date=2020-10-10 |website=www.natureindex.com}} and a member of the C9 League, an alliance of elite Chinese universities offering comprehensive and leading education,{{cite web |date=17 February 2011 |title=Eastern stars: Universities of China's C9 League excel in select fields |url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/eastern-stars-universities-of-chinas-c9-league-excel-in-select-fields/415193.article |access-date=25 February 2021 |website=Times Higher Education (THE) |language=en}}

Hangzhou has a large student population, with college towns such as Xiasha, located near the east end of the city, and Xiaoheshan, located near the west end of the city. Universities in Hangzhou include China Academy of Art, China Jiliang University, Communication University of Zhejiang, Hangzhou City University (also known as Zhejiang University City College), Hangzhou Dianzi University, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou Normal University, Westlake University, Zhejiang A&F University, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Zhejiang Gongshang University, Zhejiang International Studies University (also known as Zhejiang Education Institute), Zhejiang Normal University, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University of Science and Technology, Zhejiang University of Technology, and Zhongfa Aviation Institute of Beihang University.{{cite web |date=26 October 2021 |title=US News Best Global Universities in Hangzhou |url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/search?city=hangzhou |website=U.S. News & World Report}}

Provincial key public high schools in Hangzhou include Hangzhou No. 2 High School, Hangzhou Xuejun High School, Hangzhou High School, Hangzhou No. 14 High School, Hangzhou No. 4 High School, High School Attached to Zhejiang University, The Affiliated High School to Hangzhou Normal University, and Hangzhou Foreign Language School.

Private high schools in Hangzhou include Hangzhou Green Town Yuhua School, Hangzhou Chinese International School, Hangzhou International School and Hangzhou Japanese School ({{zh|labels=no|s=杭州日本人学校}}) (nihonjin gakkō).

Hangzhou is twinned with:

• Isfahan, Iran (2024)

{{Portal|China}}

• Historical capitals of China
• Jiangnan
• List of cities in the People's Republic of China by population
• Suzhou numerals – in the Unicode standard version 3.0, these characters are incorrectly named Hangzhou style numerals
• Chinese destroyer Hangzhou

{{Notelist}}

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{{Reflist}}

; General

{{refbegin}}

• {{PD-old-text |title = The Middle kingdom: a survey of the ... Chinese empire and its inhabitants ...|year=1848 |author=Samuel Wells Williams }}
• {{PD-old-text |title = The middle kingdom: a survey of the geography, government, education, social life, arts, religion, etc. of the Chinese empire and its inhabitants, Volume 2 |year=1848 |author = Samuel Wells Williams, John William Orr }}
• {{PD-old-text |title=The Chinese repository, Volume 13 |year=1844 }}
• {{PD-old-text |title=The Baptist missionary magazine, Volume 29 |year=1849 |author = American Baptist Missionary Union. Executive Committee, Baptist General Convention. Board of Managers }}
• {{PD-old-text |title = My holidays in China: An account of three houseboat tours, from Shanghai to Hangehow and back via Ningpo; from Shanghai to Le Yang via Soochow and the Tah Hu; and from Kiukiang to Wuhu; with twenty-six illustrations (from photographs) |year=1895 |author=William R. Kahler }}
• {{PD-old-text |title=Reports from the consuls of the United States, Issues 124–127 |year=1891 |author=United States. Bureau of Foreign Commerce }}
• {{PD-old-text |title = Memoirs of the Rev. Walter M. Lowrie: missionary to China |year=1854 |author = Walter Macon Lowrie, Presbyterian church in the U.S.A. Board of foreign missions}}
• {{PD-old-text |title = Darkness in the flowery land: or, Religious notions and popular superstitions in north China |year=1857 |author = Michael Simpson Culbertson }}
• {{citation |last=Yule |first=Henry |title = The Travels of Friar Odoric |year=2002 }}
• [http://info.hktdc.com/mktprof/china/hangzhou.htm Economic profile for Hangzhou] at HKTDC
• {{cite book |last=Worthy |first=Edmund H. |editor-first=Morris |editor-last=Rossabi |title=China among Equals: the Middle Kingdom and its Neighbors, 10th–14th centuries |year=1983 |publisher=University of California Press |location=Berkeley, CA |pages=17–44 |chapter=Diplomacy for Survival: Domestic and Foreign Relations of Wü Yueh, 907–978}}

{{refend}}

{{See also|Timeline of Hangzhou#Bibliography|l1=Bibliography of the history of Hangzhou}}

• {{Cite book|author=Cotterell, Arthur|title=The Imperial Capitals of China: An Inside View of the Celestial Empire|location=London|publisher=Pimlico|year=2007|isbn=978-1-84595-009-5|page=304}}
• {{Cite book|author=Gernet, Jacques|title=Daily Life in China on the Eve of the Mongol Invasion, 1250–1276|location=Stanford|publisher=Stanford University Press|year=1962|isbn=0-8047-0720-0|url=https://archive.org/details/dailylifeinchina00gern}}

{{Commons and category|Hangzhou|Hangzhou}}

{{Wiktionary|Hangzhou|Hangchow|Hangchou|Hang-chou|Hang-chau}}

{{Wikivoyage}}

{{NIE Poster|year=1905|Hang-chow}}

• [http://www.hangzhou.gov.cn/ Hangzhou Government website]
• [https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/arts-and-crafts-museum-hangzhou Arts Crafts Museum Hangzhou in Google Cultural Institute]
• [http://en.gotohz.com/ EN.GOTOHZ.COM] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703083141/http://en.gotohz.com/ |date=July 3, 2020 }} – The Official Website of Hangzhou Tourism Commission
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20200716234532/http://www.travelwestlake.com/en/home-2 TRAVELWESTLAKE]}} – The Official Travel Guide of Hangzhou
• [http://travelzhejiang.com/prefectures/hangzhou/hangzhou/ TRAVELZHEJIANG] – The Official Travel Guide of Zhejiang Province
• {{OSM relation|3221112}}

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{{Zhejiang topics}}

{{Zhejiang}}

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Category:Cities in Zhejiang

Category:Jiangnan

Category:National forest cities in China

Category:Populated places established in the 3rd century BC

Category:Prefecture-level divisions of Zhejiang

Category:Provincial capitals in China

Category:Sub-provincial cities in the People's Republic of China

Category:Yangtze River Delta

Category:National Civilized City

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