Hangzhou is Zhejiang’s capital, one of China’s best-known cities and its capital of e-commerce, but it does not rely on fame alone. It has old water, new money and a city centre that has learned how to stay polished without losing its sense of place.
杭州是浙江省省会，也是中国最知名的城市之一，更是中国的电子商务之都，但它并不只是靠名气立足。这里有古老的水系、新兴的财富，还有一个在保持精致的同时不失自身气质的城市核心。
The city’s scale is easy to underestimate. Hangzhou has a permanent population of more than 12.5 million across a broad urban area that stretches from the old centre to newer districts such as Binjiang, Yuhang, Xiaoshan and Qiantang.
这座城市的体量很容易被低估。杭州常住人口已超过1250万，城市空间从老城区延伸到滨江、余杭、萧山和钱塘等新城区。
Digital Industry Now Drives the New One
数字产业如今驱动着新城
According to Hangzhou’s 2024 economic performance release, the city’s GDP exceeded ¥2.18 trillion. Hangzhou describes its industrial structure as “1 + 6”, with the digital economy at the core and cultural and creative industries, finance, tourism, fashion manufacturing and high-end equipment among the main pillars.
根据杭州2024年经济运行情况，杭州地区生产总值已超过¥2.18万亿元。杭州把产业结构概括为“1+6”，即以数字经济为核心，文化创意、金融、旅游、时尚制造和高端装备等共同支撑。
That helps explain why Hangzhou feels less like a tourism city with a tech add-on and more like a place where platforms, cloud services, software firms, finance houses and advanced manufacturing all sit in the same urban frame. Alibaba and Ant Group are the best-known names, but Hikvision, Geely and NetEase also belong to the wider story.
这也说明杭州并不是一个“带着科技产业的旅游城市”，而是一座平台经济、云服务、软件、金融和先进制造并行发展的城市。阿里巴巴和蚂蚁集团最为人熟悉，但海康威视、吉利和网易同样属于这座城市的故事。
Historically, Hangzhou’s role was no less important. It was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty, and that era left a dense urban core, canal-side streets and a pattern of temples, markets and residential quarters that still shape how the city works today.
从历史上看，杭州的重要性并不只是今天才有。南宋时期，这里曾是都城，留下了密集的城市核心、运河沿岸街区以及寺庙、市场和居住片区的格局，这些至今仍在影响城市运转。
West Lake Still Anchors the Old City
西湖仍然稳住了老城
West Lake remains the city’s best-known sight, but it is more than a scenic backdrop. The lake covers about 6.39 square kilometres, its shoreline is close to 15 kilometres and the West Lake Cultural Landscape was listed by UNESCO in 2011.
西湖仍然是杭州最知名的景点，但它不只是风景。西湖面积约6.39平方公里，湖岸线接近15公里，2011年被列入联合国教科文组织世界遗产名录。
Hangzhou is one of the few Chinese cities with three World Heritage properties. The Grand Canal runs through the city as part of the canal heritage, while the Liangzhu Ancient City Ruins were added in 2019 for what they show about a highly organised prehistoric civilisation.
杭州是中国少数拥有三处世界遗产的城市之一。京杭大运河穿城而过，属于运河遗产的一部分；良渚古城遗址则在2019年列入世界遗产，展示了一个组织程度很高的史前文明。
Modern Hangzhou also spreads east and south into places such as Qianjiang New City and Binjiang, where office towers, research parks and residential districts now carry much of the city’s daily business. Xixi Wetland adds a different layer, giving the city a protected natural area on the western side.
现代杭州则向东和向南延伸到钱江新城和滨江等区域，写字楼、科研园区和居住区已经承担了城市日常运转的大部分内容。西溪湿地则提供了另一种城市面貌，让杭州在西部保留了一块受保护的自然空间。
Hangzhou also uses its history well. Museums, restored canal blocks, university campuses and riverside parks keep the city active outside office hours, while the Qiantang tidal bore still draws crowds and remains one of Zhejiang’s most distinctive natural events.
杭州也很会“用”历史。博物馆、修复后的运河街区、大学校园和滨江公园，让城市在下班之后依然有活力；钱塘江大潮则持续吸引人群，仍是浙江最具辨识度的自然景观之一。
Transport ties the picture together. Hangzhou is served by Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, with Metro Line 19 linking the airport to the city. Hangzhou East and Hangzhou South are the main rail gateways; direct high-speed trains reach Shanghai in about 45 minutes and Nanjing in about 50 minutes, while Ningbo and the wider Zhejiang network are close enough to feel routine. That suits Hangzhou well; it is a city that now lives by reach as much as by reputation.
交通网络将这幅图景完整串联起来。杭州拥有杭州萧山国际机场，地铁19号线将机场与市区紧密连接。杭州东站和杭州南站是主要铁路门户，乘坐高铁约45分钟即可直达上海，约50分钟可抵达南京，而宁波以及浙江全省各地也都近在咫尺，往来已如日常通勤般便利。这种区位优势与杭州的发展相得益彰——如今，这座城市不仅凭借自身声誉吸引世界，更凭借四通八达的辐射能力不断拓展影响力。
