History of Hangzhou

Hangzhou was founded about 2,200 years ago in the Qing Dynasty, it's listed as one of the 7 Ancient Capitals of China. However, the city wall was not constructed until the Sui Dynasty.

The city of hangzhou was the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom from 907 to 978 during the 5 Dynasties and 10 Kingdoms Period. Named Xifu at the time, it was one of the 3 great centers of culture in southern China during the 10th century, along with Chengdu and Nanjing.

During 1089, Su Shi constructed a 2.8 kilometers long dike across the West Lake, which Qing Emperador Qianlong considered primarily attractive in the early morning of the spring time.

The Bai Dike built by Bai Juyi and the Su Dike built by Su Shi, a famous Tang Dynasty Poet who was once the governor of Hangzhou. The Lake is surrounded by hills on west and north side. The Baochu Pagoda sits on the Baoshi Hill to the north of the Lake.

History of Hangzhou

Southern Song: The city of Hangzhou was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty since the beginning of the 12th century until the Mongol invasion of 1276, and was known as Lin'an.

It served as the seat of the imperial government, a center of entertainment & trade, & the nexus main of the civil service. In that time, the town was a sort of gravitational center of Chinese civilization: Who was formerly known as "central China" in the north was taken by the Jin, an ethnic minority dynasty ruled by Jurchens.

Several politicians, philosophers, and men of literature, including some of the most celebrated poets in Chinese history, such as Xin Qiji, Lu You, and Su Shi came here to live and die.

The town of Hangzhou was besieged and captured by the advancing Mongol armies of Kublai Khan during 1276, 3 years before the final collapse of the empire.The capital of the new Yuan Dynasty was established in the town of Khanbaliq (Beijing).

The town remained an important port until the middle of the Ming Dynasty era when its harbor slowly silted up. As late as the latter part of the 16th and early 17th centuries, the town was an important center of Chinese Jewry, and may have been the original home of the more well-known Kaifeng Jewish community.

References:

� Hangzhou Statistics 0nline, Hangzhou Municipality. Retrieved 14 July 2007
� Hangzhou. China Today. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
� Hangzhou Today: Tourism. China Pages. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
� Hangzhou Today: General Survey. China Pages. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
� Hangzhou Today: Tourism. China Pages. Retrieved 22 August 2006.
� Xi Hu Long Jing Tea Tea Spring. Retrieved 23 August 2006.