Jade Cong of Liangzhu Culture

One of birthplaces of Chinese Civilization and ranking among the seven ancient capitals in China, Hangzhou stands out as the "Famous Town of the Southeast". The excavation of the Kuahu Bridgesite indicates that as early as 8,000 years ago, the place already saw thriving human activities. The Liangzhu Culture, dating 5000 years back, is hailed by historians as "the dawn 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 Year of Sui Emperor Kaihuang(589 AD). the old Qiantang County was abolished and replaced by Hangzhou (Hang prefecture), marking the first appearance of its current name. Chosen by two dynasties-Wuyue state in the Five Dynasties (907-978 AD) and the Southern Song (1138-1279 AD) as capital city, Hangzhou was marveled by the 13th century Italian traveler Marco Polo who called it "the most graceful and splendid city of the world". The city began as part of Qiantang County. In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), the former Qiantang and Renhe counties were merged into Hangxian County. In the Sixteen Year of ROC (1927), the urban part of Hangxian and its neighboring areas were grouped into Hangzhou City, so began Hangzhou as an urban center. On May 3, 1949, Hangzhou was liberated, and a new era in its history of development began.

Deshou Palace