Hangzhou(Chinese:杭州;HanyuPinyin:Hángzhōu;Wade-Giles:Hang-chou)isasub-provincialcityinChina,andthecapitalofZhejiangprovince.Located180kmsouthwestofShanghai,thepopulationinthecityproperisnow1.75million.Bytheendof2003,Hangzhouhadaregisteredpopulationof6.4millionincludinganurbanregisteredpopulationof3.9million.AsoneofthemostrenownedandprosperouscitiesinChinaformuchofthelast1,000years,Hangzhouisalsowellknownforitsbeautifulnaturalscenery,withtheWestLake(XīHú,西湖)asthemostnoteworthylocation. 　　HangzhouislocatedinnorthernZhejiangprovince,easternChina,atthesouthernendoftheGrandCanalofChina,ontheplainofthemid-lowerreachesoftheYangtzeRiver(ChángJiāng).Theprefecture-levelregionofHangzhouextendswesttotheborderwiththehilly-countryAnhuiProvince,andeasttotheflat-landHangzhouBay.ThecitycentreisbuiltaroundtheeasternandnorthernsidesoftheWestLake,justnorthoftheQiantangRiver.