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China Travel Guide » Places in China » Zhejiang Province
Places in China: Zhejiang Province
Immediately south of Shanghai municipality is one of the wealthiest provinces in China, Zhejiang Province. It is a coastal province on the East China Sea, a small province made up of 101,000 square kilometres including around 3000 islands. The population of the entire province is approximately 47,200,000 people. Most of the people are Han Chinese with less than one percent which are from other ethnic groups.
Although it has been a part of Chinese history for thousands of years, it was considered more of a frontier area until the Sui Dynasty when the Grand Canal of China was built, connecting Hangzhou to the North China Plain. This helped to make the area more in touch with the rest of China.
The capital of the province is Hangzhou. This city became the capital of the Han Chinese Southern Song Dynasty in 1127. From that time until the present, luxury and opulence have been major elements in the city and Zhejiang Province.
Marco Polo, calling the city 'Kinsay', pronounced that Hangzhou was the 'finest and noblest city on Earth'. The city of 1.4 million people is one of China's most attractive cities and is beautified by the presence of West Lake and the south end of China's Grand Canal. Graceful willow trees shading bicyclers make a timeless scene which has been common for centuries in Hangzhou. Silk production and nearby plantations growing some of the world's best tea are other highlights of this capital city.
Other superior attractions in the province include tea museums, silk museums, pagodas, a cave park and Tianyi Ge Tower. Trips to outlying islands are also gratifying.
Yueju opera calls Zhejiang its home territory. Yueju is one of the most prominent forms of Chinese opera. It is performed only by female actresses who play both the male and female roles in the operas.
Visitors usually buy silk umbrellas and silk fans when they visit Zhejiang since the quality of the local silk is so good.
The climate in the province is considered to be monsoon subtropical. Thus, winters are not too cold although summers are usually quite hot and humid. As long as one can endure the warm summer weather, Zhejiang is one of the top destination choices for visitors to China.
Major cities in Zhejiang:
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