A concise timeline of the region’s heritage and the modern city.
Early foundations
c. 3300–2300 BCE: Liangzhu City and its surrounding archaeological landscape.
Tenth century: Hangzhou serves as the capital of the Wuyue kingdom.
The imperial city
1138: Lin’an becomes the Southern Song capital. The dynasty’s period is 1127–1279.
Yuan period: Hangzhou appears prominently in the account associated with Marco Polo, under the name Quinsai.
Heritage in the modern era
1924: The original Leifeng Pagoda collapses.
2002: The present Leifeng Pagoda reconstruction opens.
2011: UNESCO inscribes the West Lake Cultural Landscape.
2014: UNESCO inscribes the Grand Canal.
2019: UNESCO inscribes the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City.
