History of Hangzhou in Timeline

Hangzhou is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang province in China. Strategically located at the intersection of the Grand Canal's southern end and Hangzhou Bay, it holds the distinction of being one of China's Eight Ancient Capitals. The city is particularly famous for its rich cultural history and its iconic West Lake, which is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

December 1912: Unofficial Record Low Temperature in Hangzhou

In December 29, 1912, Hangzhou experienced an unofficial record low temperature of −10.5 °C (13 °F).

January 1916: Unofficial Record Low Temperature in Hangzhou

In January 24, 1916, Hangzhou experienced an unofficial record low temperature of −10.5 °C (13 °F).

1927: Kuomintang Administers Hangzhou

In 1927, after the Northern Expedition, the Kuomintang began to more fully administer Hangzhou, marking a period of governance by the Republic of China.

August 1930: Unofficial Record High Temperature in Hangzhou

In August 10, 1930, Hangzhou experienced an unofficial record high temperature of 42.1 °C (108 °F).

1937: Japanese Occupation of Hangzhou

In 1937, Hangzhou was occupied by Japan, initiating a period of foreign control that lasted until 1945.

1945: Kuomintang Returns to Hangzhou

In 1945, following the end of World War II, the Kuomintang returned to govern Hangzhou until 1949.

May 3, 1949: People's Liberation Army Enters Hangzhou

On May 3, 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Hangzhou, marking the end of Kuomintang governance and the beginning of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control over the city.

1951: Start of Temperature Records

Since 1951, Hangzhou's temperature extremes have been recorded.

February 1969: Record Low Temperature in Hangzhou

In February 6, 1969, Hangzhou experienced a record low temperature of -9.6 °C (15 °F).

1975: 1975 Hangzhou Incident

In 1975, during the late Cultural Revolution, Hangzhou was the site of labor unrest and factional fighting, known as the 1975 Hangzhou incident.

1978: Deng Xiaoping's Reforms Enacted

In 1978, after Deng Xiaoping's reform policies started being enacted, Hangzhou leveraged its location in the Yangtze Delta to boost its development.

1990: Beijing Hosts Asian Games

In 1990, Beijing hosted the Asian Games.

March 1991: Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone Established

In March 1991, the Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established with approval from the State Council as a state-level high-tech Industrial Development Zone.

1992: Hangzhou Opens Up

In 1992, Hangzhou's economy began to rapidly develop after opening up, leading to its growth as an industrial city and logistics hub.

1993: Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone Established

In 1993, the Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone was established and approved as a national development zone by the State Council.

December 11, 1996: Binjiang District Established

On December 11, 1996, Binjiang District was established in Hangzhou.

April 27, 2000: Hangzhou Export Processing Zone Established

On April 27, 2000, the Hangzhou Export Processing Zone was established with the approval of the State Council, becoming one of the first zones and the only one in Zhejiang Province approved by the government.

March 12, 2001: Xiaoshan and Yuhang Re-organized as Districts

On March 12, 2001, Xiaoshan and Yuhang, formerly county-level cities, were re-organized as districts under Hangzhou's administration.

2001: Hangzhou's GDP

In 2001, Hangzhou's GDP was RMB 156.8 billion, ranking second among provincial capitals after Guangzhou.

March 2006: Construction of Hangzhou Metro Starts

In March 2006, construction of the Hangzhou Metro began.

October 26, 2010: Inauguration of China Railway High-Speed Service

On October 26, 2010, the China Railway High-Speed service was inaugurated, utilizing CRH 380A(L), CRH 380B(L) and CRH380CL train sets capable of reaching a maximum speed of 350 km/h, reducing the trip to Shanghai to just 45 minutes.

2010: Hangzhou Metropolitan Area Population Estimate

As of 2010, the OECD estimated the population of the Hangzhou metropolitan area to be 13.4 million.

2010: Guangzhou Hosts Asian Games

In 2010, Guangzhou hosted the Asian Games.

2011: GDP Growth in HHTZ

In 2011, the GDP of the Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone rose by 13.1 percent, amounting to RMB 41.63 billion.

2011: Deployment and Removal of Electric Taxis in Hangzhou

In early 2011, 30 electric taxis, Zotye Langyues and Haima Freemas, were deployed in Hangzhou; however, after a fire incident involving a Zotye Langyue, all electric taxis were removed from the roads. The city still intended to have 200 electric taxis by the end of 2011.

November 24, 2012: Hangzhou Metro Line 1 Opens

On November 24, 2012, Hangzhou Metro Line 1 opened, connecting the city center with the suburbs, running from Xianghu to Wenze Road, with a branch to Lingping.

March 2013: Hangzhou Tourism Commission Launches Online Campaign

In March 2013, the Hangzhou Tourism Commission initiated an online campaign via Facebook, named the 'Modern Marco Polo' campaign, seeking a foreign tourism ambassador.

2013: HHTZ Hosts Software Developers and BPO Enterprises

As of 2013, the Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone hosted more than 1,100 software developers and BPO enterprises.

2013: Hangzhou Railway Station Closed for Renovation

In mid 2013, the Hangzhou railway station (City Station) was closed for renovation.

May 2014: Liam Bates Appointed as Hangzhou's Tourism Ambassador

On May 20, 2014, Liam Bates was announced as the winner of the 'Modern Marco Polo' campaign, becoming Hangzhou's first foreign tourism ambassador with a $55,000 contract.

December 13, 2014: Fuyang Re-organized as District

On December 13, 2014, Fuyang, formerly a county-level city, was re-organized as a district under the administration of Hangzhou.

2014: Deployment of New Electric Taxis in Hangzhou

In 2014, a large number of new electric taxis produced by Xihu-BYD were deployed in Hangzhou.

June 2015: Completion of Metro Line 2 and Line 4 Sections

By June 2015, the southeast section of Line 2 and a short part of Line 4 of the Hangzhou Metro were completed.

2016: Hangzhou Hosts G20 Summit

In 2016, Hangzhou hosted the eleventh G20 summit, showcasing its status as one of China's major cities.

2016: Hangzhou Presents Itself as Paradise on Earth

The city presented itself as "Paradise on Earth" during the G20 summit held in Hangzhou in 2016.

July 2017: Lin'an Re-organized as District

In July 2017, Lin'an, formerly a county-level city, was re-organized as a district under the administration of Hangzhou.

2018: Hangzhou Ranked in Global Financial Centres Index

In 2018, Hangzhou ranked 89th in the Global Financial Centres Index.

2018: Hangzhou's GDP Increase

In 2018, Hangzhou's GDP increased to RMB 1.3509 trillion, with a GDP per capita of $21,184, tripling since 2001.

2018: Extensions of Metro Lines 2 and 4 Open

In 2018, extensions of Hangzhou Metro Line 2 (city center and northwest Hangzhou) and Line 4 (east of Binjiang District) opened.

2018: State Council Approves Metro Expansion Plans

In 2018, the State Council approved plans for 15 metro lines, including extensions, to be completed in time for the 2022 Asian Games.

2019: Hangzhou Metropolitan Area Gross Product

As of 2019, the Hangzhou metropolitan area produced a gross metropolitan product of 3.2 trillion yuan ($486.53 billion).

2019: Hangzhou Establishes AI Internet Court

In 2019, Hangzhou established a pilot program for an artificial intelligence-based Internet Court to handle disputes related to e-commerce and internet-related intellectual property. The court uses videoconferencing and AI to evaluate evidence.

2019: First Parts of Metro Lines 5, 6, 7, and 8 Open

In 2019, the first parts of Hangzhou Metro Lines 5, 6, 7, and 8 opened.

February 2020: Hangzhou Implements Curfew Measures Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

In February 2020, Hangzhou implemented strict curfew measures in response to the coronavirus outbreak that spread across China from Wuhan.

2020: Hangzhou Billionaire Ranking

In 2020, Hangzhou ranked 11th globally and 6th in China in terms of the number of billionaires, according to the Hurun Global Rich List.

2020: First Parts of Metro Lines 5, 6, 7, and 8 Open

In 2020, the first parts of Hangzhou Metro Lines 5, 6, 7, and 8 opened.

April 9, 2021: Linping District and Qiantang District Established

On April 9, 2021, Linping District and Qiantang District were established.

2021: Hangzhou Life Expectancy

As of 2021, Hangzhou had a life expectancy of 83.18 years for its registered population, making it one of the highest in China.

2021: Changes to Hangzhou's Bus Rapid Transit Network

As of mid-2021, all but one of Hangzhou's Bus Rapid Transit routes and feeding routes had closed or been transformed to regular routes. Only route B1 is still in operation.

2021: Hangzhou Metro Network Size

As of mid-2021, the Hangzhou Metro network had a length of 323 km, excluding the 46 km Hangzhou-Haining Intercity Railway.

2021: Hangzhou Tops China Emerging City Rankings

In 2021, Hangzhou ranked first in the China Emerging City Rankings by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

September 22, 2022: Opening of Hangzhou West Station

On September 22, 2022, a second high-speed rail channel through Hangzhou became operational with the opening of Hangzhou West station.

2022: Projected Hangzhou Metro Network Size

By the time of the 2022 Asian Games, the Hangzhou Metro system was projected to have a network of 617 km.

2022: Hangzhou Hosts Asian Games

In 2022, Hangzhou became the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

2022: Hangzhou Tops China Emerging City Rankings

In 2022, Hangzhou ranked first in the China Emerging City Rankings by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

August 2023: Hangzhou Fortune Global 500 Headquarters

As of August 2023, Hangzhou had the tenth-most Fortune Global 500 headquarters globally and fourth-most in China.

2023: Hangzhou Population

As of 2023, Hangzhou's permanent population was 12.522 million, with 10.543 million residing in urban areas.

2023: Hangzhou's Leading Industries

As of at least 2023, Hangzhou's economic growth has been led by the digital and creative/cultural sectors, with the city emphasizing its "1 + 6" industrial clusters.

August 2024: Record High Temperature in Hangzhou

In August 3, 2024, Hangzhou experienced a record high temperature of 41.9 °C (107 °F).

2025: Hangzhou's Education and Research Ranking

As of 2025, Hangzhou is a major city for education and scientific research in China and Asia, ranking 6th in the Asia-Oceania region and 10th globally by the Nature Index.