杭州G20【5】杭州简介
小编按：习近平主席在向国际社会介绍2016年G20峰会的主办地杭州时引用了“上有天堂，下有苏杭”的俗语，指出杭州“风景如画”，“是历史文化名城，也是创新活力之城”。在G20杭州峰会临近之际，我们特整理推出有关杭州当代发展和人文传说的中英文对照材料，分五个周末刊出：
The capital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou is a key city located on China’s southeast coast approximately 170 kilometers from Shanghai. The geographic coordinates of the downtown area are 30°16′ N, 120°12′ E. Hangzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate. In 2015, the average temperature was 17.3 degrees Celsius, the total precipitation was 1,947.6 millimeters, and the total sunshine was 1,358.5 hours.
Hangzhou covers a metropolitan area of 16,600 square kilometers and has a population of 9.01 million. In 2015, the GDP of the Hangzhou area was over RMB one trillion, and the per capita GDP of the resident population reached US$ 18,025.
Hangzhou is one of the ancient capitals of China. Archaeological evidence has shown that Hangzhou was home to the Kuahuqiao Culture 8,000 years ago and the Liangzhu Culture 5,000 years ago. Hangzhou served as the capital of the kingdom of Wuyue (907-978) during the Five Dynasties and the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).
Hangzhou boasts two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: West Lake and the Grand Canal. West Lake embodies the very essence of classical Eastern aesthetics, while the Hangzhou section of the Grand Canal has witnessed 2,500 years of history. This well-preserved section of the canal remains a bustling transportation artery to this day.
Hangzhou is home to 53 museums, including the China National Silk Museum, the China National Tea Museum, the Museum of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Museum of Chinese Seal Engraving Art, and the Southern Song Imperial Kiln Museum. Thirty-eight structures in the city – such as Lingyin Temple – have been designated nationally protected sites of historical and cultural significance. Three examples from Hangzhou are included on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The city is also host to famous institutions of higher learning, such as Zhejiang University and the China Academy of Art.
Around 1,200 years ago, the renowned poet Bai Juyi (772-846) served as mayor of Hangzhou. After leaving his post, he summarized his nostalgia for the city in this short verse, “Of all my memories from lands south of the Yangtze River, those of Hangzhou are my fondest.”
More than 700 years ago, the Italian merchant and adventurer Marco Polo praised the city as “the noble capital, which surpasses in grandeur and wealth every other city in the world.”
A proponent of sustainable urban development, Hangzhou has made protecting the ecological environment a priority. Forests cover 65% of the city, where built-up urban areas enjoy 15.1 square meters of green space per capita. Hangzhou has been inscribed on the United Nations Habitat Scroll of Honor and declared an International Garden City. It has also been designated a national forest city and a national model city for environmental protection.
Hangzhou is home to the world-famous Qiantang River tidal bore and serves as the setting for “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains,” a masterpiece by the Yuan Dynasty painter Huang Gongwang (1269-1354). We are proud to call Mount Tianmu a national nature reserve, Qiandao Lake contains more islands than any other lake in the world, and the Xixi Wetland is the largest of its kind in China. In the city proper, we have preserved 27 historic areas that celebrate traditional Chinese culture, including Qinghefang, Southern Song Imperial Street, and the west bank of Gongchen Bridge.
The China National Tourism Administration has recognized Hangzhou as the “top tourist city in China,” the World Leisure Organization has acknowledged it as the “leisure capital of the East,” while The New York Times has included Hangzhou on its annual list of “52 Places to Go.” In 2015, our city welcomed 120 million visitors from other parts of China and overseas.
Hangzhou has also been designated a National Innovation Demonstration Area. We have been recognized as one of the top ten innovative eco-cities in China, and R&D expenditures account for 3% of our regional GDP. We lead the nation’s information industry, and our competitiveness in cultural and creative industries has been ranked third.
Hangzhou hosts the headquarters of world-famous companies such as Alibaba, Wanxiang, Wahaha, and Hikvision. We are also proud to be the hometown of successful entrepreneurs such as Jack Ma, Lu Guanqiu, and Zong Qinghou, as well as world champion swimmer Sun Yang.
China’s first comprehensive pilot zone for cross-border e-commerce was established here in Hangzhou. The zone brings together more than one third of China’s e-commerce companies and serves as an important hub on China’s “Online Silk Road.” In surveys of Chinese cities, the World Bank has consistently recognized Hangzhou as a “golden city” for its overall investment climate.
The coordination of urban and rural development is a priority in Hangzhou, where we have promoted 31 specialty towns as models of development. The West Lake Scenic Area has been free and open to the public since 2002, and Hangzhou Public Bicycle is one of the largest bike-sharing programs in the world. Our commitment to being a pleasant place for everyone to live and work is evident in the life expectancy of our residents, which soared to a new high of 81.56 years in 2015. Hangzhou is thus named China’s happiest and safest city.
The spirit of Hangzhou is “exquisite and harmonious, big-hearted and open-minded.” A reservoir of Chinese culture, the city also upholds a global perspective.
25 JUL 2016