Famed for its natural scenery, Hangzhou and its West Lake have been immortalized by countless poets and artists. It is one of the most important cultural centers of China. The city was the capitol of the Southern Song Dynasty from 1127 until the Mongol invasion of 1276, during that time the city's population is estimated to have been as high as one million, making it the largest city in the world. Even Marco Polo claimed to have passed through, calling it "beyond dispute the finest and the noblest in the world".

With the gradual silting up of its harbor much of the city's trade and industry passed to nearby Shanghai, but the city still has a bustling population of 1.7 million and ranks as one of China's most popular tourist attractions.