Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, is a key city located on China’s southeast coast. The geographic of the downtown area are 30°16′ N, 120°12′ E. Hangzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate. In 2015, the average temperature was 17.3 degrees Celsius, the total precipitation was 1,947.6 millimeters, and the total sunshine was 1,358.5 hours.

Hangzhou covers a metropolitan area of 16,600 square kilometers and has a population of 9.01 million. In 2015, the GDP of the Hangzhou area was over RMB one trillion, and the per capita GDP of the resident population reached US$ 18,025.

Hangzhou is one of the ancient capitals of China. Archaeological evidence has shown that Hangzhou was home to the Kuahuqiao Culture 8,000 years ago and the Liangzhu Culture 5,000 years ago. Hangzhou served as the capital of the kingdom of Wuyue (907-978) during the Five Dynasties and the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).

Hangzhou boasts two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: West Lake and the Grand Canal. West Lake embodies the very essence of classical Eastern aesthetics, while the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal has witnessed 2,500 years of history. This well-preserved section of the canal remains a bustling transportation artery to this day.

Hangzhou is home to 54 museums, including the China National Silk Museum, the China National Tea Museum, the Museum of Chinese Seal Engraving Art, and the Southern Song Imperial Kiln Museum. Thirty-eight structures in the city – such as Lingyin Temple – have been designated nationally protected sites of historical and cultural significance. Three examples from Hangzhou are included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The city is also host to famous institutions of higher learning, such as Zhejiang University and the China Academy of Art.

Around 1,200 years ago, the renowned poet Bai Juyi (772-846) served as mayor of Hangzhou. After leaving his post, he summarized his nostalgia for the city in this short verse, “Of all my memories from lands south of the Yangtze River, those of Hangzhou are my fondest.”

More than 700 years ago, the Italian merchant and adventurer Marco Polo praised the city as “the noble capital, which surpasses in grandeur and wealth every other city in the world.”

A proponent of sustainable urban development, Hangzhou has made the protection of ecological environment a priority. Forests cover 65% of the city, where built-up urban areas enjoy 15.1 square meters of green space per capita. Hangzhou has been inscribed on the United Nations Habitat Scroll of Honor and declared an International Garden City. It has also been designated a national forest city and a national model city for environmental protection.

Hangzhou is home to the world-famous Qiantang River tidal bore and serves as the setting for “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains,” a masterpiece by the Yuan Dynasty painter Huang Gongwang (1269-1354). We are proud to call Mount Tianmu a national nature reserve, Qiandao Lake contains more islands than any other lake in the world, and the Xixi Wetland is the largest of its kind in China. In the city proper, we have preserved 27 historic areas that celebrate traditional Chinese culture, including Qinghefang, Southern Song Imperial Street, and the west bank of Gongchen Bridge.

The World Tourism Organization and the China National Tourism Administration have recognized Hangzhou as the “top tourist city in China,” and the World Leisure Organization has acknowledged it as the “leisure capital of the East,” while The New York Times included Hangzhou on its annual list of “52 Places to Go.” In 2015, our city welcomed 120 million visitors from other parts of China and overseas.

Hangzhou has also been designated a National Innovation Demonstration Area. We have been recognized as one of the top ten innovative eco-cities in China, and our R&D expenditures account for 3% of our regional GDP. We lead the nation’s information industry, and our competitiveness in cultural and creative industries has been ranked third.

Hangzhou hosts the headquarters of world-famous companies such as Alibaba, Wanxiang, Wahaha, and Hikvision. We are also proud to be the hometown of successful entrepreneurs such as Jack Ma, Lu Guanqiu, and Zong Qinghou, as well as world champion swimmer Sun Yang.

China’s first comprehensive pilot zone for cross-border e-commerce was established here in Hangzhou. The zone brings together more than one third of China’s e-commerce companies and serves as an important hub on China’s “Online Silk Road.” In surveys of Chinese cities, the World Bank has consistently recognized Hangzhou as a “golden city” for its overall investment climate.

The coordination of urban and rural development is a priority in Hangzhou, where we have promoted 31 specialty towns as models of development. The West Lake Scenic Area has been free and open to the public since 2002, and Hangzhou Public Bicycle is one of the largest bike-sharing programs in the world. Our commitment to being a pleasant place for everyone to live and work is evident in the life expectancy of our residents, which soared to a new high of 81.56 years in 2015. Hangzhou is thus named China’s happiest and safest city.

The spirit of Hangzhou is “exquisite and harmonious, big-hearted and open-minded.” A reservoir of Chinese culture, the city still upholds a global perspective.

Welcome to Hangzhou, where excellence meets the East!