Hangzhou

Hangzhou is the capital首都(shǒudū) of Zhejiang Province. It is a world-famous tourist destination, a city with long history and profound culture, and also one of the seven ancient capitals in China. Hangzhou has a long history历史(lìshǐ), and extensive cultural heritages. As early as in the New Stone Age, 4,000 to 5,000 years ago, its first inhabitants created the splendid Liangzhu Culture, reputedly called the twilight of civilization文明(wénmíng).

Hangzhou was called Qiantang in ancient times古代(gǔdài). Over 2,200 years has passed since it was designated as the seat of Qiantang County in the Qin Dynasty. In 1129, Hangzhou was renamed Lin’an. In 1138, the Southern Song Dynasty made Lin’an (which stood in presentday Hangzhou) its capital, and since then it served as the capital in the following 140 years.

Hangzhou is an important重要(zhòngyào)的(de) city in China’s coastal areas which are developed and wealthy in the country. Machinery, electronics, chemical engineering, light industry and textiles are the backbone支柱(zhīzhù) of Hangzhou’s industry. Hangzhou is also a famous tourist city in China. With its beautiful scenery, it shares with Suzhou the reputation of “The Paradise天堂(tiāntáng) of the World”. The West Lake西湖(xīhú) is the most famous tourist spot in Hangzhou, Surrounded by graceful mountains on three sides, it has charming scenery and many cultural relics and historic sites. There are three stone pagodas in the middle of the lake. The main body of the pagodas is the shape of a ball球(qiú) and hallow inside. At night, candles are lit in the pagodas, and their reflections on the lake look like many small moons, hence the name“The Pools Mirroring the Moon". Built in 970 AD, the Six-harmony Pagoda, 59.89m tall, stands by the Qiantang River. Viewed from outside, it has 13 floors, however, inside the pagoda, it only has seven floors.

The bore of the Qiantang River is the most powerful river bore in the world. It occurs发生(fāshēng) in Haiyan County to the northeast of Hangzhou City. Every year from August 15 to 18 in the Lunar Calendar, the spectacular high tidal waves rush to the narrow estuary where the Qiantang River flows into the sea大(dà)海(hǎi).