Preface
The Most Luxurious City in the World
In September of 2016, Hangzhou will become a major site for foreign relations, as it hosts the G20 summit. The city of Hangzhou, so significant in history, is now welcoming a new opportunity. How should it display itself to friends from around the world? This is a pressing and serious affair for the city of Hangzhou.
When describing Hangzhou, everyone knows the saying:“Up there is heaven, and down here are Hangzhou and Suzhou”, as well as Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi’s description of Hangzhou as the most memorable city in the Jiangnan area (the area south of the Yangtze River), and Su Dongpo’s description of the West Lake in the rain. Hangzhou is the former capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, a cultural capital, the birthplace of the Liangzhu and Wuyue cultures, and a famously warm and prosperous spot. Hangzhou is the seat of Zhejiang Province, a modern city that is beautiful, fashionable, trendy, and inclusive. Hangzhou is a synonym for the Jiangnan area, and has long been seen as the “most liveable city”. Hangzhou is an international city that was once praised by Marco Polo as “the most luxurious city in the world” centuries ago.
After three decades of opening up and reform, Hangzhou has evolved even further. The city has received a number of honours: a national-level forest city, a national-level city of environmental protection, an international garden city, a UN habitat scroll of honour... the West Lake and Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal have both been listed as UNESCO world heritage sites. In the future plans of the Chinese government, Hangzhou’s position is to be one of a famous cultural centre, a city of innovation, a famous oriental metropolis, an example of a beautiful Chinese city, an international travel destination, a haven for innovation and entrepreneurship, and a first-rate international city. It’s rare to see a city that can incorporate so many different aspects.
Understanding all aspects of Hangzhou is not easy, and introducing the city to people from both a foreign and Chinese perspective at the same time is even more difficult. It’s important to approach from different angles and simultaneously employ different expository techniques. Speaking broadly, “the most luxurious city in the world” is a good characterisation. We could describe it from four main aspects: refined, harmonious, generous and open-minded.
The refinement of Hangzhou: all know about the beauty of the West Lake, beautiful against the clear sky and even more so when it rains. In recent years, the West Lake has been extended towards the west, and Yang Gong Causeway complements the Su Causeway now. The West Creek Wetlands area has been developed, showing their beautiful natural state to all. From the rivers to the traditional houses that sit upon their banks, people live comfortably along the waterways. Tea houses are located upon Santai Mountain sitting both to peaks and water, elegant and quiet, these structures with upturned eaves and pretty pavillions. One can eat a lotus cake with rice in it that’s been flavoured with osmanthus, and savour the soft texture and fragrant complexities of the flavour. The girls of Hangzhou are beautiful and refined. The maple forest near the Xiling Bridge brings views of red leaves against purple mists in autumn. At the Prince Harbour Park, sunlight through the moist air shines over visitors’ shoulders with fragrance all around. A poem, a bridge, a tower, a bolt of silk, a tea leaf – these are all exquisite, beautiful objects that show off the high quality of Chinese cities at modern times.
The harmony of Hangzhou: Hangzhou is said to be clouds and mountains on three sides, and the city the rest. Mountains, waterways, the city and the people all go well together. The West Lake, that takes running water from the Qiantang River is clear and surrounded by mountains which one can view from near or afar. With the water of the lake nourishing them, they are beautiful beyond compare. A train station built on an intercontinental scale, a city enjoys underground rails and high-speed rails, and a green-car rail line is preserved among them for workers and residents to commute. Income disparity here is the lowest in the country, which speaks to the harmonious development of city and countryside at the same time. The Running Tiger Temple is where the monk Hong Yi cast off worldly desires, and is an excellent site to visit for its austere scenery, just as there is the Jesus Alley of John Leighton Stuart, who was born and buried here. A number of century-old stores continue handcraft traditions that are on the verge of extinction, their crafts passed down through the ages. A creative base in the West Creek Industrial Park provides opportunities for entrepreneurship, and gives hope to youths who wish to participate. You can see free bicycle rental points throughout the city, which is a new addition. Cars yield to pedestrians at crosswalks by habit now, which is another nice addition to an already cultured and harmonious city.
The generosity of Hangzhou: “There are many lakes like the West Lake, But the West Lake in Hangzhou is the best”. Visitors from other places flow in to line the banks of the West Lake as it has been open to tourists for free for a number of years, which makes people call Hangzhou the most generous city. New construction along the Qiantang River has transformed quaint old buildings into modern constructions along the banks, with the Binjiang District and Dajiangdong District being home to operations of enterprises such as Alibaba, Netease, Samsung, Siemens, ABB and others as they push along high-tech progress. The Hangzhou Grand Theatre offers 60-Yuan discount tickets that allow the normal residents of the city to freely enjoy plays, operas, performances and other high art. At the Qianjiang New City, the modern Hangzhou Library admits homeless people to read books, and there are travelling bookcases at tourist spots that give everyone a surprise when taking a rest. It’s an amazing city that appreciates human rights and is full of warmth and welcome.
The openness of Hangzhou: the K155 city bus line, with its route number resembling the English word “KISS”, has sparked the imaginations of many people, causing the bus line to be officially dubbed “Hangzhou’s most romantic bus”. When the middle-aged women dance in the squares, the younger generation joins in too, bringing rhythm, style to the scene. A great march happens every year in which visitors from around the world join the people of Hangzhou, young and old, to walk the entire city. Zhejiang University is approaching its goal to become a world-class university. Architect Wang Shu won the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2012, and designed every aspect of the new campus. Under the i-hangzhou scheme, WiFi covers the entire city, making it the first scheme to offer citywide WiFi coverage to a major city nationwide.“West Lake Announcement”deliver all kinds of useful information to everyone on topics such as government, finance, medicine, and education, from car parks at shopping centres and public transport information, which makes Hangzhou a lively smart city.
Innovation and entrepreneurship have already become a new trend in Hangzhou, with the future technology centre and west-of-city technological innovation corridor complimenting each other, and the Alibaba group’s operations becoming one of the 5 strongest in the industry worldwide. Internet wealth management and finance innovation companies representing by Alipay outpace any other area in the country.
This is the new Hangzhou, being refined, harmonious, generous and open-minded. This sums up how this city nurtures and grows its constituents, its fame and influence reaching far and wide, like the strong current of the Qiantang River.
Over the past three decades we have all lived in this city and have participated in and witnessed its development and changes. We have deep feelings for her, a strong emotional bond. When we wander through this refined, harmonious, generous and open-minded city, its history and scenery unfolds before us like a panorama. How should we convey our love and admiration for this city? The Microblog China series has given us an excellent opportunity. This book has more than 420 stories and 190 pictures. Looking at the city from different angles, exploring history, culture, economic development, society, life, technology, innovation, the environment, travel, leisure, and fashion, we assemble a picture from these fragments that as a whole gives us a good feeling of and for the city. We see people, things and emotions that give us a precise, true and changing picture of Hangzhou. We showcase the everyday lives of the people of Hangzhou, showing their inner-heart worlds, their humanity and feelings. We hope this bilingual English-Chinese volume full of pictures will have a special attraction to audiences, convey our ideas well, and be accepted and loved by both Chinese and foreign readers.
“If you build it, they will come.”This book arrives on the spring wind and blooms in the summer. We hope as we await the G20 summit that the door of our heavenly city will open up and welcome guests from all over the world!
Wang Jianhua
April 2016