Hangzhou is a city with a very valuable natural environment: a majestic lake in the heart of the city, surrounded by green hills and numerous gardens. It is also a cultural pole and an important religious center, many temples are still active. The city is one of China's most famous attractions. Hangzhou, frequented by growing tourist groups, is overcrowded on weekends and holidays. It is recommended to avoid places on these dates and to prefer a week's stay, calmer and less expensive, to visit places of worship early, to enjoy more of the peaceful atmosphere of religious sites.HistoryCapital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou belongs to the rich Jiangnan region, a country of water and rice. Originally, Lake Xi Hu was a marine gulf where the Zhejiang River came. Gradually the sediments of the river formed a vast sand bank linking the Wu Shan Hills and Bao Shi Shan, giving birth to the lake. Under the Qin (221-206 BC), the population became sedentary at the foot of Lingyin Hill, west of the lake. In 605, Emperor Yangdi of the Sui Dynasty (589-618) had a Grand Canal built between Beijing and Hangzhou, 1,794 km long. This one, deprecating the region, led to Hangzhou's economic expansion. Indeed, it allowed the delivery of local products such as rice, salt, tea, to the capital. This channel is still in service locally.Under the Tang dynasty (618-907), the emergence of Buddhism and Taoism made Hangzhou a major religious center. There are still more than 360 temples on the lake hills. The city reached its apogee under the Song (1126-1279), which elected Hangzhou as the capital in 1138. The emperor and his court had just abandoned the northern capital, Kaifeng. They were fleeing the irreparable advance of the Jurchans, future conquerors of the Empire. The construction of Taoist temples and the creation of schools announced Hangzhou's golden age. As the largest metropolitan metropolis in the world, it had 1,240,000 inhabitants.The city became the first cotton producer, silk and flax of an unequaled refinement. Production was exported throughout China and the rest of the world. Marco Polo, passing through the city, named Hangzhou as one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Hangzhou kept the favor of the emperors over the dynasties, and we went to the most exquisite arts.Over the centuries, the city was a resort for the aristocracy, before becoming an important tourist center. The Shanghai elite came to Hangzhou, building dream villas around the lake.In 1862 the Taiping revolt did not save the city. Hangzhou was shaved. The latter rose from his ashes in 1895, when she became an open port, before being ravaged again by the excesses of the Cultural Revolution.TodayBut we don't stop the course of history. Today, Hangzhou has regained his past prosperity. This city represents an important industrial area, specialized in the pharmaceutical and telecommunications sectors (especially here the giant of e-commerce Ali Baba). The city's exponential urbanization attests to its economic growth and the G 20 meeting in 2016.

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