Hang-chow

Hang-chow (Hang-chau), the gate of the imperial canal, capital of the Chinese province of Cheh-chiang, and since the Japanese treaty of Shimonoseki (1895) a treaty port, is at the mouth of the Tsi-en-tang in the Bay of Hang-chow, 110 miles SW. of Shanghai. It was the capital of the Sung empire of southern China previous to its overthrow by the Mongols, and was a splendid city when visited by Marco Polo early in the 14th century. The city, one of the great commercial, religious, and literary centres of China, has clean, well-paved streets and many magnificent temples, is a principal seat of the silk manufacture, of gold and silver work, and is noted for the beauty of its surroundings. From a remote period, many spots in the environs have been the resort of pilgrims; and here several thousands of candidates assemble every year for the public examinations. It was formerly a naval port. The river is subject to a dangerous bore or eagre. Previous to the Taiping rebellion, the city had some 2,000,000 inhabitants; but it was then (1861) laid in ruins by the rebels, and now contains a population estimated at from 400,000 to 800,000.