Hangzhou

One of birthplaces of Chinese Civilization and ranking amongthe seven ancient capitals in China, Hangzhou stands out asthe "Famous Town of the Southeast". The excavation of theKuahu Bridge site indicates that as early as 8,000 years ago,the place already saw thriving human activities. The LiangzhuCulture, dating 5000 years back, is hailed by historians as "thedawn of civilization". First set up as a county in the Qin Dynasty (222 BC), it has a past of over 2,200 years. In the 9th Yearof Sui Emperor Kaihuang(589 AD), the old Qiantang Countywas abolished and replaced by Hangzhou (Hang prefecture)marking the first appearance of its current name.Chosen bytwo dynasties -Wuyue state in the Five Dynasties (907-978AD) and the Southern Song (1138-1279 AD) as capital city,Hangzhou was marveled by the 13th century Italian travelerMarco Polo who called it "the most graceful and splendid cityof the world". The city began as part of Qiantang County. In thefirst year of the Republic of China (1912), the former Qiantangand Renhe counties were merged into Hangxian County. In theSixteen Year of ROC (1927), the urban part of Hangxian and itsneighboring areas were grouped into Hangzhou City, so beganHangzhou as an urban center. On May 3, 1949, Hangzhou wasliberated, and a new era in its history of development began