The Song Dynasty and Hangzhou, “The City of Heaven”

        The Song Dynasty and Hangzhou, “The City of Heaven” (960–1279 ce) 367

“The most splendid city in the world”—so the Venetian explorer Marco Polo (1254–1324) described Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279)

when Polo first visited it in 1274. Although Hangzhou was then the world’s largest city—home to about 2 million people—no other Westerner had ever seen it. Marco Polo’s father and uncle had a successful trading business with the East, and Polo lived with them in China for 17 years.

He wrote at length about his journey to Hangzhou in his Travels, first published in 1299. He claimed that he first visited the city as the ambassador of Kublai Khan. Northern Song China was already in Kublai Khan’s hands, conquered in 1271, but he would not conquer the Southern Song on the Yangzi River until 1279. So when Polo first saw Hangzhou, it was still a Song city. Its lakes and parks were so beautiful, filled with floating teahouses from which passengers could view the palaces, pagodas, and temples that dotted the shore, that the city was known as Kinsai, or the “City of Heaven.” The entire city, some 200 square miles in area, was protected by a 30-foot-high wall, with even higher watchtowers rising above it. Inside the walls, a system of canals, which must have reminded Polo of his native Venice, was crisscrossed by some 12,000 bridges. These canals were fed by the most famous and probably most beautiful lake in China, the so-called West Lake, a popular resort. Beautiful women and pleasure-seekers gathered on houseboats on its waters, and writers and artists congregated in the tranquil libraries and monasteries on its shores.

“In this city,” Polo would write, “there are 12 guilds of different crafts, and each guild has 12,000 houses in the occupation of its workmen. Each of these houses contains at least 12 men, while some contain 20 and some 40, including the apprentices who work under the masters. All these craftsmen had full employment since many other cities of the kingdom are supplied by this city.” In fact, each guild was formed around people from the same province. In Hangzhou, tea and cloth merchants hailed from the eastern province of Anhui, carpenters and cabinetmakers from the city of Ningbo, and so on. All came together to enjoy the benefits of trade and commerce in the capital. Foodstuffs, silks, spices, flowers, and books filled the markets (Reading 11.2)

10 magical scenes to prove that Hangzhou is the most beautiful city to host G20 yet. #360 #VR, 6:13

Hangzhou Zhejiang China Marko Polo recorded his visit in the 13th century. In his book he wrote “it is without a doubt the finest and most splendid city in the world.” Throughout history it has been of great importance as the capitals of the Wuyue Kingdom and the Song dynasty and the birthplace of porcelain. Now it is the Silicon Valley of China, home to Alibaba (market value US$231 billion) and many other tech giants. Countless legends and poems were written in Hangzhou, with the most famous a saying, "Heaven above, Suzhou and Hangzhou below." These are a few of the reasons why Zhou Enlai brought Richard Nixon to Hangzhou on that infamous first visit from the west. Where did they stay when here? On the shores of West Lake, the legendary body of water in the middle of the city. Join VICI as we take you on a tour through 10 magical sights on Hongzhou's famous West Lake.