Skip to content
International News

Hangzhou: an emerging brand-new “paradise” blending cultural legacies with modern elements

The People's Government of Hangzhou Municipality 3 mins read
HANGZHOU, China, Sept. 25, 2023 /Xinhua-AsiaNet/--

Hangzhou, a city of more than 12 million people on China's southeastern coast, is known for its cultural legacies and scenic views. Long famed as "a paradise on earth", Hangzhou, which will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, has charted a path featuring sustained economic prosperity and harmonious development of humanity and economy, according to the People's Government of Hangzhou Municipality. Today, the time-honored city is seeking to nurture a brand-new "paradise" that integrates cultural legacies and modern elements.

As one of the first batch of national historical and cultural cities in China, Hangzhou is home to three world cultural heritages: West Lake Cultural Landscape, the Grand Canal and Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. Like a historical and cultural treasure house, Hangzhou is waiting for people to explore and discover.

Many renowned Chinese poets have left their traces in Hangzhou, including Bai Juyi in the Tang Dynasty, Su Shi and Liu Yong in the Northern Song Dynasty and Lu You in the Southern Song Dynasty. Thus, Hangzhou offers visitors not only picturesque views but also profound cultural legacies.

In this city that has made into the list of China's happiest cities for 16 consecutive years, a series of activities to showcase the cultural styles in the Song Dynasty, a peak period for Hangzhou in the ancient times, have been held with much popularity, and Hangzhou-based plays have become hit shows.

At the same time, Hangzhou is also a metropolis full of modern vibe. The unique charm and development potential of the digital economy has turned the city into a popular destination for young people, where ancient cultural heritages and modern skyscrapers together make up an impressive landscape.

Less than five kilometers from the West Lake, China's first national wetland park located in west Hangzhou offers visitors a spectacular view of the south of the Yangtze River.

Only six or seven kilometers away lies Hangzhou Future Sci-tech City, where e-commerce giant Alibaba's global headquarters with a total construction area of nearly one million square meters stands. The large intelligent complex has become a new local landmark.

Driven by the digital economy, Hangzhou boasts world-class infrastructure and advanced technology industries, with dozens of leading enterprises such as Alibaba and Hikvision, and scientific research institutions such as Westlake University, Zhejiang Lab and Alibaba DAMO Academy. In 2022, the core industry of Hangzhou's digital economy achieved an added value of 507.6 billion yuan, accounting for 27.1 percent of the city's GDP.

In northwest Hangzhou lies the archaeological site of Liangzhu ancient city. With its magnificent jade artifacts, magnificent three components sites, and large-scale water conservancy project relics, the site proves that China had a great prehistoric rice civilization and urban civilization more than 5,000 years ago.

About an hour's drive away from the ancient city of Liangzhu, World of Metaverse, a high-intelligence park in Hangzhou's Qiantang district, is introducing and cultivating a large number of future-oriented start-ups around the core underlying technologies of metaverse such as digital twin technology, and new application scenarios such as games, social networking and education.

Hangzhou has been making strides on various fronts.

In the sci-tech field, the city has made a leap from developing marine technologies and integrating land-sea development to cultivating innovation in the high-tech arena.

On cultural development, in addition to establish popular tourism towns featuring the integration of cultural and natural resources, Hangzhou has implemented a series of cultural inheritance projects such as the collection of various Chinese painting schools since ancient times and the local branch of the China National Archives of Publications and Culture.

From the context of humanistic economic development, Hangzhou is building a "city of the future" from many aspects, and striving to become a model city in Chinese-style modernization.

The 19th Asian Games opened on September 23 in Hangzhou.

The city will leverage the Asian Games and Asian Para Games to improve urban management and games services simultaneously in a bid to amplify the comprehensive effect of the games and build a brand-new "paradise" with unique charm, said Chen Weiqiang, executive secretary general of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee and deputy mayor of Hangzhou.

By implementing the top-priority government project of improving the quality of digital economy through innovation, Hangzhou will improve the local income distribution system by expanding the middle-income community and improving the well-being of the low-income community, so that a brand-new "paradise" with robust innovation and entrepreneurship where happiness is shared, and good laws and good governance are practiced can be established, Chen added.

Source: The People's Government of Hangzhou Municipality

More from this category

  • International News, Science
  • 26/07/2024
  • 08:20
CMC

Great Barrier Reef remains off the World Heritage Committee list of in-danger sites, Committee calls for stronger climate action to keep it safe

The Great Barrier Reef remains off the United Nations' World Heritage Committee (WHC) list of in-danger sites - the decision was made overnight at the 46thWHC session in India. Each year UNESCO reviews the latest research on the state of the Reef and assesses measures taken by Australian governments to protect and preserve the largest living structure on Earth, UNESCO then makes a recommendation to the WHC - the draft decision this year came with a call for stronger emissions reduction targets. The WHC has urged Australia to increase its climate targets to be in line with limiting warming to…

  • CharitiesAidWelfare, International News
  • 25/07/2024
  • 15:58
ActionAid Australia

ActionAid Australia welcomes Minister Wong’s announcement today of new Australian sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Quotes Attributable to ActionAid Australia Executive Director Michelle Higelin: “We are encouraged to see the Government promptly taking action following the announcement of the International Court of Justice’s historic opinion on the weekend," said Ms Higelin. "The Court has made it clear that Israel must end its occupation of Palestine “as rapidly as possible”, and that all countries carry obligations to ensure this ruling is upheld. “The only way to achieve sustainable peace is for Israel to end this occupation and enable Palestinians to return to their land. “As Minister Wong has noted, Israel’s longstanding occupation of Palestine has not…

  • International News, Political
  • 23/07/2024
  • 11:26
Monash University

Monash expert: Kamala Harris set to become new Democratic nominee for US President

US Vice President Kamala Harris has already consolidated support among powerful Democrats as the likely nominee to run for President, raising a record $81 million in the 24 hours since Joe Biden stepped down. A Monash expert is available to talk about how her nomination will play out in the media, and how a female presidential candidate will be perceived by US voters. Dr Blair Williams, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations Contact: +61 431 067 541 or blair.williams@monash.edu Read more of Dr William’s commentary at Monash Lens The following can be attributed to Dr Williams: “As a Black and…

Media Outreach made fast, easy, simple.

Feature your press release on Medianet's News Hub every time you distribute with Medianet. Pay per release or save with a subscription.