In 2023, Hangzhou Metropolitan Area which means Hangzhou and its surrounding cities in Zhejiang, has enhanced cross-regional cooperation in fields like transport, industry, people’s livelihood, and ecology, achieving remarkable progress.

Transport projects have made significant achievements, including the facts that the main line of Huzhou-Hangzhou Expressway has been connected, and Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Ningbo Expressway is about to be open to traffic. In addition, Hangzhou has also exceeded its transport investment plan. A batch of major projects, such as the Second Channel of Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Air Cargo Terminal of Hangzhou International Airport, has been completed. In terms of intercity railways, Hangzhou has opened two lines, including Hangzhou-Shaoxing Railway and Hangzhou-Haining Railway, and has accelerated the advancement of Hangzhou-Deqing Railway Project. These achievements can not only facilitate the travel of residents, but also promote the urban economic development.

The integration of industries in various regions brings benefits to regional economic development. For example, located in the east of Hangzhou, Xucun Town builds the fashion industry cluster with the total industrial value of more than 100 billion yuan, producing women’s clothing that accounts for 70% of Hangzhou Sijiqing Market and 40% of Hangzhou E-Commerce Platform. “Zhuji Island”, an industrial enclave in Binjiang, attracts many excellent sci-tech innovation enterprises. Among them, the project of Well-healthcare Technologies has won the Special Prize for Digital Health Task Force of Global Internet Competition.

Hangzhou Asian Games provides development benefits and opportunities for Hangzhou Metropolitan Area. Due to the sport climbing event of the Asian Games, Keqiao (Shaoxing) has built 41 sports parks to improve the per-capita sports area. Deqing (Huzhou) has successively hosted many new competitions, such as Chinese Volleyball Super League. Hangzhou and other five co-host cities are dedicated to building a city of international events by attracting numerous citizens through the national fitness activities, and making full use of the legacy of the Asian Games to promote the sustainable development.

Hangzhou cooperates with Jinhua, Shaoxing and Quzhou to jointly protect the ecological environment of Qiantang River. Through Xin’an River Basin Water Environment Compensation Pilot Project and Qiantang River Basin Water Environment Governance & Protection Alliance, Hangzhou Metropolitan Area promotes the water environment protection and ecological restoration. In Dongtiao Creek, after the improvement of water quality, the little fish called “Zacco tiaoxiensis” successfully returns to its habitat.  

Hangzhou and its surrounding cities share resources for people’s livelihood. In September this year, Hangzhou Normal University cooperated with Deqing County to set up the affiliated primary and middle schools to boost the radiation of high-quality educational resources to surrounding areas. Moreover, the major hospitals in Hangzhou have established the cooperation relationship with the hospitals in other regions of the metropolitan area to promote the sharing of medical resources and the construction of specialized alliances.