in 13th century
marco polo, a venetian merchant, explorer and writer, travelled through hangzhou and promoted it to the world
early 1950s
hangzhou claimed itself to be an "eastern geneva"
mid 1980s
hangzhou set a goal to shape itself into a world-class international tourist city
in 1990s
hangzhou strived to grow into a highly urban city with a strong economy and culture
in 2000s
hangzhou placed emphasis on internationalization and has since put more focus on it
in 2008
going international was listed one of hangzhou's six key development strategies
in 2012
hangzhou pointed out that internationalization was one of two driving forces behind its development
dec 30 2015
hangzhou prioritized internationalization in its 13th five-year plan (2016-20) and was determined to maintain its leading position among domestic cities on the path toward becoming a world-famous city
may 2016
hangzhou rolled out a three-year (2015-17) action plan on the acceleration of internationalization
september 2016
the 11th g20 summit was held in hangzhou on sept 4-5. it was hence dubbed the 2016 g20 hangzhou summit
february 2017
seven communities in hangzhou made the list of the city's first international demonstration communities
september 2018
hangzhou designated sept 5 as its international day and has celebrated five editions of it since then
november 2020
hangzhou for the 10th time was recognized as one of the most popular chinese cities among foreigners
january 2021
hangzhou realized its goal of becoming an international city with relatively high global visibility
september 2021
hangzhou noted in its 14th five-year plan (2021-25) that it would work to develop itself into a modern socialist international metropolis at a high standard
september 2023
the 19th asian games hangzhou 2022 will be held in the city from sept 23 to oct 8, 2023