Hangzhou/China

    Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province with the sub-provincial administrative level, is the center of provincial politics, economy, culture, science and education. Hangzhou's history dates back over 2,200 years when it was one of the seven ancient capitals of China. In the 13th century, the Italian traveler Marco Polo admired Hangzhou as the “Most Beautiful and Splendid City in the World”. The Grand Canal, built in the 8th century, connects it to Beijing. And the distance between Hangzhou and Shanghai is 200 kilometers, which is connected by the railway and highway. Nowadays, Hangzhou is a bustling metropole with 6 million inhabitants and over 20 million tourists a year. The economic development level of Hangzhou is very high, its economic strength is continuously ranked second among all provincial capitals and its economic general strength is listed in the top ten among all the big-middle cities in China.

CHINA IS BOOMING!

    You have surely heard this phrase in many recent publications regarding recent economic developments in the People's Republic of China. These developments no doubt pose interesting challenges and opportunities for Western industrialized nations to be a part of this “revolution”.

    Many projects are currently planned and many have already been implemented, not only in the economic, but also in the turistic and cultural sectors. Many of these projects are geared to generate interest in the People's Republic of China on the one hand and to open unheard of economic opportunities for international investors on the other.

    Within this context we would like to inform you of an interesting and “first” type of venture: The city of Hangzhou, capital of the southern Province of Zhejiang, is working with great zeal in planning and building a completely new urban area where approx. 800,000 people will live and work within the next decade. The primary function of this urban area is to house the city's and region's provincial headquarters. The prestigious German newspaper “Sueddeutsche Zeitung” has devoted a full page article (December 20, 2003) describing this unique undertaking: Reminiscent in form of Manhattan, the area will offer space for a mix of residential, commercial and light industrial uses, including a new and futuristically designed multi-functional cultural center. It is about this cultural center, how it is run and what opportunities it may offer your company that we want to talk to you.

    The Grand Theater Hangzhou, as it is officially called, which is not only impressing local, regional and foreign visitors with its phantastic archictecture (designed by the internationally acclamied Canadian architect Carlos Ott) but is used primarily as a showcase for culture in China, hosting both high quality Chinese and foreign cultural events.

    This cultural center poses an interesting business venture in itself; more importantly, it offers an unusual marketing platform for domestic and foreign companies with current or future interests in the area and beyond.

    The city of Hangzhou is home to approx. 6 million inhabitants. Due to its local and nearby natural attractions and strong historical and cultural traditions, it is rated as one of the 10 most popular turistic areas, with currently more than 20 million annual visitors from all parts of China.

    It is the expressed wish of the officials of the City of Hangzhou, that this cultural center be offered to one or more foreign companies as a marketing instrument. The Grand Theater Hangzhou will be established as a prominent showcase for traditional and modern Chinese, Asian and Western cultural events.

Hangzhou is booming!

    Hangzhou is a city with 6 million inhabitants and belongs, due to its historical traditions and natural attractions, to one of the seven most popular cultural and touristic centers in China. Over 20 million tourists annually from all over China attest to this fact. Hangzhou is the capital of the Zhejiang province and is located approx. 160 km from Shanghai, west of the Yangtze Delta along the Qinjang River. According to a recent rating by the World Bank, the city of Hangzhou is second only to Shanghai in terms of economic attraction, especially to white collar industries. According to 2004 Forbes' mainland China best commercial city lists , Hang Zhou rated the first place. And traditional industries such as the production of silk and the growing and harvesting of tea contribute, along with the touristic attractions, to the economic development of the region.

    The city fathers have recognized that long-range city planning is necessary in order to keep pace with the growth of the city and its economic importance. They have therefore taken another unusual step in commissioning the planning and building of an entire new urban district – Hangzhou Gulf New Town, entrusting its design to the architectural team of Fink & Jocher from Munich, Germany. This new urban district will provide homes to approx. 800,000 people over the next decade and convey the necessary residential, commercial, economic and academic infrastructure.

Westlake Exposition Hang Zhou, China

    Hangzhou is one of the originating places for China's modern international exhibition business. With its lovely natural landscape, rich historical and cultural heritage and strong local economy, Hangzhou boasts the most desirable conditions for exhibition industry. The West Lake Exhibition held in 1929 is the first of its kind in the country, which helped usher in the first chapter of China's modern exhibition history. To restore the very spirit of that pioneering undertaking, we renewed to the world after 71 years of unfortunate discontinuity West Lake Exposition 2000, which was unanimously hailed as a huge success as it brought a stunning attending community of 5.74 million people into town, achieved an impressive trade volume of 7 billion yuan and received more than 16 billion yuan worth of contracted foreign investment. Since then, West Lake Exposition Hang Zhou is hold yearly, and intended to facilitate through exhibitions the positive flow of sales, merchandise, technology, personnel, information and capital. Those events in the category of conference are performing the functions of introducing, disseminating and exchanging upbeat perspectives on variety topics of new economy and new technology, and tourism-related cultural events, showcasing Hangzhou's legendary charms as a historic city and tourist destination.

2006 World Leisure Expo in Hang Zhou

    The 2006 World Leisure Expo in Hangzhou, is widely known as one of the three major international events to be held in China during the first decade of this century. The other two are the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai.

    Co-sponsored by the World Leisure Organization, relevant national Ministries, the Zhejiang Provincial Government as well as the Hangzhou Municipal Government and other related organizations, the various specific activities of the Hangzhou World Leisure Expo 2006 will be jointly managed by the Xiaoshan District Government and the Hangzhou Songcheng Group. The Expo will feature important events such as the World Leisure Expo Garden Display, the Folk Garden Display, the Commodities Exhibition, the World Leisure Congress, the World Leisure Summit, the World Leisure Prize, and World Leisure Education and Trainings, as well as the China Hangzhou West Lake Carnival. The 2006 World leisure Expo is undoubtedly a major international occasion embracing leisure, tourism, entertainment, conferences, exhibitions and other large-scale events.