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83-480: Dongfang Bubai makes his dramatic physical appearance in only one chapter of the novel, but his character is pivotal and indispensable to the essence of the story and is continually referenced in vital ways throughout the plot. For example, Ren Woxing ranks him first on a list of "three and a half" persons he most respects and admires. Dongfang Bubai's captivating and provocative character has enabled his role to be largely expanded in films and television series adapted from

166-688: A UNESCO World Heritage Site west of the city, is among its best-known attractions. In 2023, it became the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games , after Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010 . It was also the second Chinese city to host the Asian Para Games after the Guangzhou 2010 . Hangzhou also hosted the 11th G20 summit in 2016. The celebrated neolithic culture of Hemudu is known to have inhabited Yuyao , 100 km (62 mi) south-east of Hangzhou, as far back as seven thousand years ago. It

249-460: A trans woman has influenced subsequent portrayals of the character; Dongfang Bubai has typically been depicted as a trans woman in television series based on The Smiling, Proud Wanderer since the 2000s. Dongfang Bubai is also referred to as "Invincible Asia" in the subtitles of Swordsman II and The East Is Red . Notable actors and actresses who have portrayed Dongfang Bubai in television series include: A manhua series titled Dongfang Bubai

332-770: A 2.8 km (1.7 mi) long causeway across West Lake made of mud dredged from the lake bottom. The lake is surrounded by hills on the northern and western sides. The Baochu Pagoda sits on the Baoshi Hill to the north of the lake. Hangzhou was chosen as the new capital of the Southern Song dynasty in 1132, when most of northern China had been conquered by the Jurchens in the Jin–Song wars . The surviving imperial family had retreated south from its original capital in Kaifeng after it

415-591: A GDP of $ 452 billion (the 26th biggest in the World) and Nigeria with a GDP of $ 448 billion (the largest in Africa). A study conducted by PwC and China Development Research Foundation saw Hangzhou ranked first among "Chinese Cities of Opportunity". Hangzhou is also considered a World City with a "Beta+" classification according to GaWC . Hangzhou ranked 89 in the Global Financial Centres Index in 2018. It

498-571: A GDP of around 1.8 trillion RMB ($ 280 billion). Home to the headquarters of large global tech companies such as Alibaba Group , Ant Group , and NetEase , Hangzhou is known for attracting professionals and entrepreneurs who work in information technology . As of August 2023 , Hangzhou has the tenth-most Fortune Global 500 headquarters of any city in the world and the fourth-most in China ;– after Beijing , Shanghai and Shenzhen  – within its city limits. According to

581-598: A comprehensible version of the manual. This copy falls into the hands of the Sun Moon Holy Cult (and later into Dongfang Bubai's hands) when the cult took advantage of the internal conflict in the Mount Hua School to attack them. While working with Yue Su and Cai Zifeng, Duyuan himself gradually became increasingly obsessed with the Sunflower Manual and his mind was totally corrupted by it. He secretly developed

664-435: A consequence and he developed an intimate relationship with a male lover, Yang Lianting. He neglects the cult's affairs and leaves them to Yang. Ren Woxing eventually escapes from the dungeon with Linghu Chong's help and gradually wins back allegiance from his former followers. Ren Woxing, along with his daughter Ren Yingying, Linghu Chong, and another follower Xiang Wentian, sneak back to the cult to confront Dongfang Bubai. In

747-539: A corresponding population increase and the city developed well outside its 9th-century ramparts. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica , Hangzhou had a population of over 2 million at that time, while historian Jacques Gernet has estimated that the population of Hangzhou numbered well over one million by 1276. (Official Chinese census figures from the year 1270 listed some 186,330 families in residence and probably failed to count non-residents and soldiers.) It

830-423: A long and painful death. However, if the person submits to him and obeys his orders, they will be given an antidote to temporarily ease their suffering for a limited period of time. Dongfang Bubai castrated himself to fulfil the prerequisite for learning the skills in the Sunflower Manual and became an extremely formidable martial artist after mastering those skills. However, his personality became more feminine as

913-481: A new skill, Bixie Swordplay ( 辟邪劍法 ), based on his own interpretation of the manual and wrote the instructions on his kasaya . Later, he renounced his vows as a monk, returned to secular life, and assumed his former name, Lin Yuantu. The Bixie Swordplay bears similarities to the original Sunflower Manual , one of which is that any man who wishes to learn either of these skills must castrate himself before he starts practising

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996-406: A population of 3,780,000 and the suburban districts occupy 7,586.04 km (2,928.99 sq mi) and have a population of 4,461,000. The West Lake Scenic Area holds the country-level administrative power, though not formally a county or district. In the early 90s, the urban districts of Hangzhou only comprised Shangcheng, Xiacheng, Gongshu, Jianggan. On December 11, 1996, Binjiang District

1079-872: Is affected by the plum rains of the Asian monsoon in June. In late summer (August to September), Hangzhou suffers typhoon storms, but typhoons seldom strike it directly. Generally they make landfall along the southern coast of Zhejiang, and affect the area with strong winds and stormy rains. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −9.6 °C (15 °F) on 6 February 1969 up to 41.9 °C (107 °F) on 3 August 2024; unofficial readings have reached −10.5 °C (13 °F), set on 29 December 1912 and 24 January 1916, up to 42.1 °C (108 °F), set on 10 August 1930. With monthly percent possible sunshine ranging from 30% in March to 51% in August,

1162-999: Is also the Jingci Temple , the Baochu Pagoda , and the Leifeng Pagoda .The Qiantang River is the largest river in Zhejiang Province, China. Every year during August 15 to August 18 of the lunar month in China, the Qiantang Tide occurs. It is called "the Biggest Tide in the World". The world's largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang River through Hangzhou reaching up to 12 m (39 ft) in height. Other religious sites in Hangzhou include

1245-401: Is believed that Hangzhou was the largest city in the world from 1180 to 1315 and from 1348 to 1358. Because of the large population and densely crowded (often multi-story) wooden buildings, Hangzhou was particularly vulnerable to fires. Major conflagrations destroyed large sections of the city in 1208, 1229, 1237, and 1275. The 1237 fire alone destroyed 30,000 dwellings. However, the worst was

1328-611: Is classified as a sub-provincial city and forms the core of the Hangzhou metropolitan area, the fourth-largest in China. It is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang Province in East China . Hangzhou comprises 10 districts , 1 county-level city , and 2 counties . The ten urban districts occupy 8,292.31 km (3,201.68 sq mi) and have a population of 8,241,000, in which there are six central urban districts and four suburban districts. The central urban districts occupy 706.27 km (272.69 sq mi) and have

1411-499: Is composed of three parts, with the main regions being the Zhijiang Sci-Tech Industrial Park and Xiasha Sci-Tech Industrial Park. HHTZ has become one of the most influential high-tech innovation and high-tech industry bases in Zhejiang Province. As of 2013 , HHTZ hosts more than 1,100 software developers and BPO enterprises. Major companies such as Motorola , Nokia and Siemens have established R&D centers in

1494-657: Is home to many types of birds. It holds a temple and several historic rural houses. The Qiandao Lake is a man-made lake with the largest number of islands in Chun'an County , under administration of the Hangzhou prefecture-level city . These islands are different in size and shape, and have distinctive scene. The Hangzhou Botanical Garden and the Hangzhou Zoo are located in the Xihu District . The native residents of Hangzhou, including those of Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu , speak

1577-710: Is located in the Xiacheng District and houses several famous buildings in the city, including the Zhejiang Natural History Museum , Zhejiang Museum of Science and Technology, and the Zhejiang Global Center, one of the tallest buildings in the city center at about 160 m (520 ft). The Xixi National Wetland Park was established with the aim of preserving the wetland ecological system, it covers an area of about 10 km (4 sq mi). Fish ponds and reed beds have been restored and it

1660-522: Is located near the West Lake . Lingyin Temple (Soul's Retreat), located about 2 km (1.2 mi) west of West Lake, is believed to be the oldest Buddhist temple in the city, which has gone through numerous destruction and reconstruction cycles. Yue Fei Temple , on the northwest shore of West Lake, was originally constructed in 1221 in memory of General Yue Fei , who died due to political persecution. There

1743-538: The Hangzhou dialect , a Wu dialect unique to the area. Hangzhou's dialect differs from those of regions in southern Zhejiang and southern Jiangsu . As the official language defined by China's central government, Mandarin is the dominant spoken language, though it is mutually unintelligible with the Hangzhou dialect. The Hangzhou dialect has an estimated total of 1.2 to 1.5 million speakers. There are several museums located in Hangzhou including China National Silk Museum ,

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1826-555: The Liuhe Pagoda , located on Yuelun Hill on the north bank of Qiantang River and the Hupao Temple ( 虎跑寺 ). In 2019, Hangzhou established a pilot program artificial intelligence-based Internet Court to adjudicate disputes related to ecommerce and internet-related intellectual property claims. Parties appear before the court via videoconference and AI evaluates the evidence presented and applies relevant legal standards. Hangzhou

1909-632: The Ming dynasty . There was persecution of Christians in the early 21st century in the city. There are many temples near the West Lake. Lingyin Temple was founded in the first year of Xianhe in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 326). It has a history of about 1,700 years and is the earliest famous temple in Hangzhou. Yuefei Temple , a temple constructed during the Song Dynasty in 1221 to commemorate Yue Fei ,

1992-607: The Mongol siege of Kaifeng , while sparing the city of Hangzhou including the Chinese Zhao royal family of the Southern Song . The Mongols rehired Southern Song government officials and had Han Chinese artisans in Shangdu marry the palace women. The capital of the new Yuan dynasty was established in the city of Dadu ( Beijing ), but Hangzhou remained an important commercial and administrative center for their southern territory. Yuan China

2075-637: The Yuan Mongol administrator of the city, who according to Ibn Battuta, was fond of the skills of local Chinese conjurers . The city remained an important port until the middle of the Ming dynasty era, when its harbor slowly silted up. Under the Qing , it was the site of an imperial army garrison. In 1856 and 1860, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom occupied Hangzhou. The city was heavily damaged during its conquest, occupation, and eventual reconquest by

2158-592: The eleventh G20 summit in 2016. In February 2020, the city was under curfew measures due to the outbreak of coronavirus beginning in Wuhan that spread across China . Hangzhou is located in northwestern Zhejiang province, at the southern end of the Grand Canal of China , which runs to Beijing , in the south-central portion of the Yangtze River Delta . Its administrative area (sub-provincial city) extends west to

2241-491: The "1" referring to the digital economy and the "6" referring to cultural/creative economy, finance, tourism, fashion manufacturing, and high-end equipment manufacturing. As of at least 2023, Hangzhou's economic growth has been led by the digital sector and the creative/cultural sectors. In March 2013 the Hangzhou Tourism Commission started an online campaign via Facebook, the 'Modern Marco Polo' campaign. Over

2324-667: The "Two Chins, Two Lins" (二秦二林) for their extensive roles in romantic movies of the 1970s based on Chiung's novels that dominated the Taiwanese box office. She subsequently joined Chiung Yao's company in 1976 and, by 1982, had played the lead in 12 of her films. Lin won the Best Actress award at the Asia-Pacific Film Festival for her role as a girl scout in Eight Hundred Heroes (1976). She appeared in 55 films in

2407-442: The 1208 fire which burned for 4 days in a 3-mile diameter and burnt 58,097 houses as well as killing 59 people. To combat this threat, the city constructed storage buildings that were rented out to merchants where watchmen patrolled by night and was enclosed by water on all sides. Besides this, the government established an elaborate system for fighting fires, erected watchtowers, devised a system of lantern and flag signals to identify

2490-451: The 1970s, even sustaining a proposal from the latter before eventually cancelling it. Lin married Hong Kong businessman Michael Ying in 1994. She is the mother of Eileen Ying Oi Lum (born 1996) and Melani Ying Yin-oi (born 2001) and stepmother to Claudine Ying. She made her first public appearance since her marriage at the screening of Ashes of Time Redux during the 2008 New York Film Festival . In 2015, Lin made an appearance as

2573-418: The 19th city in the world with the most skyscrapers as well as the 9th in China. One of Hangzhou's most popular sights is West Lake , a UNESCO World Heritage Site . The West Lake Cultural Landscape covers an area of 3,323 ha (8,210 acres) and includes some of Hangzhou's most notable historic and scenic places. Adjacent to the lake is an area which includes historical pagodas, cultural sites, as well as

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2656-548: The 2020 Hurun Global Rich List, Hangzhou ranks 11th in the world and 6th in China (after Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong , Shenzhen and Guangzhou ) in the number of resident billionaires. Hangzhou ranks 13th globally by scientific outputs. It hosts several notable universities , including Zhejiang , Zhejiang University of Technology , Hangzhou Normal , Hangzhou Dianzi , Zhejiang A&F , Zhejiang Sci-Tech , Zhejiang Chinese Medical , Westlake , China Jiliang and Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics . Its West Lake ,

2739-518: The Best Actress trophy at the 27th Golden Horse Awards for her depiction of a Chinese female writer who fell in love with a Japanese collaborator in Red Dust (1990). It was common for women to cross dress as male characters in Chinese movies and operas. Lin is particularly well known for her androgynous roles, her earliest being Jia Baoyu , the male protagonist of the 1977 film adaptation of Dream of

2822-604: The Qing army. Hangzhou was ruled by the Republic of China government under the Kuomintang from 1927 to 1937. From 1937 to 1945, the city was occupied by Japan . The Kuomintang returned in 1945, and governed until 1949. On May 3, 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Hangzhou and the city came under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control. After Deng Xiaoping 's reformist policies began in

2905-698: The Red Chamber . In Peking Opera Blues (1986), she was a guerrilla revolutionary and in Royal Tramp II (1992), she was the leader of the Heavenly Dragon Sect, both of whom were women characters dressed as men. And in Ashes of Time (1994), she played twin brother/sister duo Yin and Yang. However, she is perhaps most well known for her role as Dongfang Bubai in Swordsman II (1992). Swordsman II marked

2988-585: The Romance of Song Dynasty. The landscapes in Hangzhou bridges stories of celebrities in Chinese history and feelings of ordinary people visiting Hangzhou with joy and enthusiasm. Brigitte Lin Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia ( Chinese : 林青霞 ; pinyin : Lín Qīngxiá ; born 3 November 1954) is a Taiwanese actress. She is regarded as an icon of Chinese language cinema for her extensive and varied roles in both Taiwanese and Hong Kong films. Lin

3071-696: The World". The world's largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang River through Hangzhou reaching up to 12 m (39 ft) in height. Hangzhou's climate is humid subtropical ( Köppen Cfa ) with four distinct seasons, characterised by long, very hot, humid summers and chilly, cloudy and drier winters, albeit with occasional snow. The mean annual temperature is 17.0 °C (62.6 °F), with monthly daily averages ranging from 5 °C (41.0 °F) in January to 29.3 °C (84.7 °F) in July. The city receives an average annual rainfall of 1,438 mm (56.6 in) and

3154-589: The area of Wulin Mountains and Wulin Lakes, Hangzhou's aliases Qiantang ( 錢唐 ) and Wulin ( 武林 ) began to appear during the Qin and Han dynasties. Hangzhou was made the seat of the prefecture of Hang in AD 589 , entitling it to a city wall which was constructed two years later. By a longstanding convention also seen in other cities like Guangzhou and Fuzhou , the city took on

3237-575: The arts, particularly of Buddhist temple architecture and artwork. The dyke built to protect the city by King   Qian Liu gave the Qiantang its modern name. Hangzhou also became a cosmopolitan center, drawing scholars from throughout China and conducting diplomacy with neighboring Chinese states, and also with Japan , Goryeo , and the Khitan Liao dynasty . In 1089, another renowned poet governor Su Shi (Su Dongpo) used 200,000 workers to construct

3320-456: The character Dongfang Bubai is a yōkai and he leads a triad family. Hangzhou Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang, China . It is located in the northeastern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay , which separates Shanghai and Ningbo . As of 2022, the Hangzhou metropolitan area was estimated to produce a gross metropolitan product ( nominal ) of 4 trillion yuan (US$ 590 billion), making it larger than

3403-481: The city receives 1,709.4 hours of sunshine annually. and (yearend est.) As of 2023, Hangzhou had a permanent population of 12.522 million (including Xiaoshan and Yuhang), of which 10.543 million (84.2%) lived in urban areas. The encompassing metropolitan area was estimated by the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) to have, as of 2010 , a population of 13.4 million, although other sources put

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3486-599: The dyke, making it a landmark. It is listed as one of the Seven Ancient Capitals of China . It was first the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom from 907 to 978 during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period . Named Xifu ( 西府 ) at the time, it was one of the three great bastions of culture in southern China during the tenth century , along with Nanjing and Chengdu . Leaders of Wuyue were noted patrons of

3569-404: The economy of Sweden. As of the 2020 Chinese census , it had a total population of 11,936,010 inhabitants. However, its metropolitan area, populated by 13.035 million people over an area of 8,107.9 km (3,130.5 sq mi), consists of all urban districts in Hangzhou and 3 urban districts of the city of Shaoxing . Hangzhou is the eighth largest GDP among cities in mainland China with

3652-544: The end of 1978, Hangzhou took advantage of being situated in the Yangtze Delta to bolster its development. It is now one of China's most prosperous major cities. During the Cultural Revolution , Hangzhou was stage to a series of labor unrest and factional fighting known as the Hangzhou incident . Hangzhou was the third city in China to host the Asian Games after Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010 . It also hosted

3735-472: The ensuing fight, Dongfang Bubai is invincible and gains the upper hand despite being outnumbered three-to-one. However, he loses focus after Yang Lianting is injured and abused by Ren Yingying on the sidelines. His three opponents seize the opportunity to inflict devastating blows on him. Dongfang Bubai is critically wounded and eventually killed by Ren Woxing. Just before his death, he manages to blind Ren Woxing in one eye with his needles. The Sunflower Manual

3818-482: The figure at over 21 million. The Hangzhou metropolitan area includes the major cities of Shaoxing , Jiaxing and Huzhou . Hangzhou has a life expectancy of 83.18 years for the city's registered population as of 2021 , one of the highest in China. In 1848, during the Qing dynasty , Hangzhou was described as the "stronghold" of Islam in China , the city containing several mosques with Arabic inscriptions. A Hui from Ningbo also told an Englishman that Hangzhou

3901-529: The large population. Arab merchants lived in Hangzhou during the Song dynasty , due to the fact that the oceangoing trade passages took precedence over land trade during this time. The Phoenix Mosque was constructed by a Persian settler in Hangzhou at this time. From 1132 until the Mongol invasion of 1276, Hangzhou remained the capital of the Southern Song dynasty and was known as Lin'an ( 臨安 ). It served as

3984-408: The largest silk museum in the world, China National Tea Museum ( 中国茶叶博物馆 ), and Zhejiang Provincial Museum , which has a collection of integrated human studies, exhibition and research with over 100,000 collected cultural relics. Many theaters in Hangzhou host opera shows such as Yue opera . There are several big shows themed with the history and culture of Hangzhou like Impression West Lake and

4067-481: The library, and in their attempt to copy the manual, each of them read half of the manual and memorised it before returning to Mount Hua. However, when they tried to piece together what they read, they found the final copy to be incomprehensible. Each of them believed that his memory of the manual is better than that of the other, but none of them was able to come up with something that made sense. Nevertheless, Yue Su and Cai Zifeng managed to integrate what they learnt from

4150-487: The manual into their existing skills and made significant improvements in their mastery of martial arts. At the same time, this also resulted in a rivalry between Yue Su and Cai Zifeng because they started concentrating on qi ( inner energy ) and swordplay techniques respectively. The Mount Hua School split into the Qi and Sword factions as a consequence. Reverend Hongye recognised the evil nature and inherent dangers of practising

4233-532: The most celebrated poets in Chinese history such as Su Shi , Lu You , and Xin Qiji came here to live and die. Hangzhou is also the birthplace and final resting place of the scientist Shen Kuo (1031–1095 AD), his tomb being located in the Yuhang district. During the Southern Song dynasty, commercial expansion, an influx of refugees from the conquered north, and the growth of the official and military establishments, led to

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4316-473: The mountainous parts of Anhui province, and east to the coastal plain near Hangzhou Bay . The city center is built around the eastern and northern sides of the West Lake, just north of the Qiantang River . The Qiantang River is the largest river in Zhejiang Province, China. Every year during August 15 to August 18 of the lunar month in China, the Qiantang Tide occurs. It is called "the Biggest Tide in

4399-453: The name of the area it administered and became known as Hangzhou. Hangzhou was at the southern end of China's Grand Canal which extends to Beijing. The canal evolved over centuries but reached its full length by 609. In the Tang dynasty , Bai Juyi , a renowned poet, was appointed governor of Hangzhou. He noticed that the farmland nearby depended on the water of West Lake , but due to negligence

4482-529: The natural environment of the lake and hills, including Phoenix Mountain . There are two causeways across the lake. The west of the lake contains Dreaming of the Tiger Spring , popular for longjing tea fields. The parts of the Grand Canal in Hangzhou, also a World Heritage Site was built in 610 AD. The core historical sites are accessible by Hangzhou Metro Line 5 's The Grand Canal station or East Gongchen Bridge station . The West Lake Cultural Square

4565-422: The next year nearly 26,000 participants applied from around the globe, in the hopes of becoming Hangzhou's first foreign tourism ambassador. In a press conference in Hangzhou on 20 May 2014, Liam Bates was announced as the successful winner and won a $ 55,000 contract, being the first foreigner ever to be appointed by China's government in such an official role. Hangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone

4648-421: The novel. He is first mentioned by name in the novel as a deputy to Ren Woxing, the leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. Through a scheme, he ousts Ren Woxing from power, imprisons him in an underground dungeon in Hangzhou , and thereafter seizes the leadership position. He treats his subordinates cruelly and forces them to submit to him by making them consume poison pills. After taking the pill, the person will suffer

4731-459: The old dyke had collapsed, and the lake so dried out that the local farmers were suffering from severe drought . He ordered the construction of a stronger and taller dyke, with a dam to control the flow of water, mitigating the drought problem. The livelihood of local people of Hangzhou improved over the following years. Bai Juyi used his leisure time to enjoy the West Lake, visiting it almost daily. He then had willows and other trees planted along

4814-640: The original home of the Kaifeng Jewish community . There was formerly a Jewish synagogue in Ningbo, as well as one in Hangzhou, but no traces of them are now discoverable, and the only Jews known to exist in China were in Kaifeng. Two of the Three Pillars of Chinese Catholicism were from Hangzhou. The Immaculate Conception Cathedral of Hangzhou is one of the oldest Catholic churches in China, dating back 400 years to

4897-506: The palace walls. The city walls were built with tamped earth and stone and was 30 feet high and 10 feet thick at its base. There were 13 gates and several towers on the walls. The walls covered the city by four miles north to south and only one mile east to west. According to the Italian explorer Odoric of Pordenone , Hangzhou was the greatest city in the world. It was heavily populated and filled with large family estates. It had 12,000 bridges. Bread, pork, rice, and wine were abundant despite

4980-462: The peak of her career in terms of box office earnings for which she was listed among the 10 greatest performances in cinema of all time, by Time magazine. Subsequently, she starred in many other notable martial epics including New Dragon Gate Inn (1992) and The Bride with White Hair (1993). At the height of her popularity, Lin was one of the most sought-after actresses in the Chinese film industry. She starred in more than 100 movies. Lin

5063-524: The period between 1972 and 1979, and all her roles were romantic heroines in love stories. She then left for the U.S. in 1979 for a year and a half, to study and relax. Known for being a "screen goddess" by Chinese film lovers, Lin's early collaborations with Hong Kong New Wave directors Ringo Lam , Tsui Hark and Jackie Chan in Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain (1983), The Other Side of Gentleman (1984), Police Story (1985) and Peking Opera Blues (1986) brought her success. In 1990, she won

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5146-431: The provincial capitals after Guangzhou. The city has more than tripled its GDP since then, increasing from RMB 156.8 billion in 2001 to RMB 1.3509 trillion in 2018 and GDP per capita increasing from US$ 3,020 to $ 21,184. As of 2019, the Hangzhou metropolitan area was estimated to produce a gross metropolitan product ( nominal ) of 3.2 trillion yuan ($ 486.53 billion), making it larger than the economies of Argentina, with

5229-419: The seat of the imperial government, a center of trade and entertainment, and the nexus of the main branches of the civil service . During that time the city was a gravitational center of Chinese civilization as what used to be considered "central China" in the north was taken by the Jin , an ethnic minority dynasty ruled by Jurchens . Numerous philosophers, politicians, and men of literature, including some of

5312-429: The skills in the Sunflower Manual so he sent a monk, Duyuan, to serve as a mediator in the conflict between the two factions and dissuade them from practising the skills in the manual. Yue Su and Cai Zifeng apologise for their folly and seek Duyuan's help in trying to better understand the manual. Duyuan is able to make logical conclusions about the manual based on Yue Su and Cai Zifeng's recollections, and thereby compile

5395-558: The skills. Brigitte Lin portrayed Dongfang Bubai in the 1992 film Swordsman II , a sequel to The Swordsman . The plot differs largely from the novel and Dongfang Bubai is given a more prominent role as the primary antagonist. The following year, the producers released the film The East Is Red , with Dongfang Bubai as the main character. The East Is Red is unrelated to the novel except for its Chinese title Dongfang Bubai zhi Fengyun Zaiqi , which roughly translates to The Return of Dongfang Bubai . Lin's portrayal of Dongfang Bubai as

5478-408: The source of the flames and direct the response, and charged more than 3,000 soldiers with the task of putting out fire. Hangzhou was besieged and captured by the advancing Mongol armies of Kublai Khan in 1276, three years before the final collapse of the Southern Song. Historian Patricia Buckley Ebrey noted that the Mongol Yuan dynasty killed the Jurchen Wanyan royal family by the hundreds in

5561-792: The tenth-most Fortune Global 500 headquarters of any city in the world and the fourth-most in China – after Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen – within its city limits. Hangzhou is the headquarters of several technology companies including Alibaba Group , NetEase , Ant Group , Geely , and HikVision . As a result of its internet industry, many programmers from other cities such as Shanghai or Beijing have come to Hangzhou. The city has developed many new industries, including medicine, information technology, heavy equipment, automotive components, household electrical appliances, electronics, telecommunication, fine chemicals, chemical fibre and food processing. The city describes its important industries as "1 + 6" industrial clusters, with

5644-523: The zone. In 2011, the GDP of the zone rose by 13.1 percent, amounting to RMB 41.63 billion. This accounted for 5.9 percent of Hangzhou's total GDP. The HHTZ positions itself as the "Silicon Valley" of China. The Alibaba Group is headquartered in the zone. Although Hangzhou has been through many recent urban developments, it still retains its historical and cultural heritage and natural environment. Today, tourism remains an important factor for Hangzhou's economy. Hangzhou has numerous skyscrapers , making it

5727-405: Was "the biggest city I have ever seen on the face of the earth." He visited Hangzhou in 1345 and noted its charm and described how the city sat on a beautiful lake and was surrounded by gentle green hills. He was particularly impressed by the large number of well-crafted and well-painted Chinese wooden ships with colored sails and silk awnings in the canals. He attended a banquet held by Qurtai,

5810-406: Was also ranked first in the China Emerging City Rankings of the Economist Intelligence Unit , which assesses Chinese cities growth potential, in both 2021 and 2022. Hangzhou ranks 11th in the world and 6th in China (after Beijing , Shanghai , Hong Kong , Shenzhen and Guangzhou ) in terms of the number of billionaires according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2020. As of August 2023, Hangzhou has

5893-472: Was born in Chiayi , Taiwan to ' waishengren ' parents from eastern Shandong who moved to Taiwan in the KMT exodus in 1949. She was scouted in 1972 on the streets of Taipei by a film producer after she finished women's high school and was preparing for university. Lin debuted in the film adaptation of Chiung Yao 's Outside the Window (1973), which propelled her into stardom. Lin, along with Joan Lin , Charlie Chin and Chin Han , thus became known as

5976-586: Was captured by the Jurchens in the Jingkang Incident of 1127. Emperor Gaozong moved to Nanjing, then to modern Shangqiu , then to Yangzhou in 1128, and finally to Hangzhou in 1129. Once the prospect of retaking northern China had diminished, buildings in Hangzhou were extended and renovated to become a permanent imperial capital. The imperial palace in Hangzhou, modest in size, was expanded in 1133 with new roofed alleyways, and in 1148 with an extension of

6059-564: Was credited for boosting Taiwan's film production in the 1970s before earning even greater popularity in Hong Kong in the 1990s, becoming a trans-island legend of her time. She retired from acting in 1994. Her last acting role was in Ashes of Time (1994). Lin traces her family roots to Shandong , China. It's been reported that Lin has dated both Chin Han and Charlie Chin of "Two Chins, Two Lins" back in

6142-566: Was drawn in 1991 by Hong Kong artist Khoo Fuk-lung . The Chinese electronic music artist Tzusing released an experimental techno album with that title in February 2017. Dongfang Bubai inspired the character Master Asia in the anime Mobile Fighter G Gundam . Master Asia is also known as Tohō Fuhai, which is the Japanese reading of the Hanzi characters as Kanji . In the manga Rosario + Vampire ,

6225-553: Was during this time that rice was first cultivated in southeast China. Excavations have established that the jade -carving Liangzhu culture (named for its type site just northwest of Hangzhou) inhabited the area immediately around the present city around five thousand years ago. The first of Hangzhou's present neighborhoods to appear in written records was Yuhang , which probably preserves an old Baiyue name. In 222 BC, Emperor Qin Shi Huang established Qiantang County, located in

6308-515: Was established and approved as a national development zone by the State Council in 1993. It covers an area of 104.7 km (40.4 sq mi). Encouraged industries include electronic information, biological medicine, machinery and household appliances manufacturing, and food processing. Hangzhou Export Processing Zone was established on April 27, 2000, upon approval of the State Council. It

6391-427: Was established. Hangzhou's economy has rapidly developed since its opening up in 1992. It is an industrial city with many diverse sectors such as light industry, agriculture, and textiles. It is considered an important manufacturing base and logistics hub for coastal China. Additionally, the city is an e-commerce and technology hub. The 2001 GDP of Hangzhou was RMB 156.8 billion, which ranked second among all of

6474-441: Was established. On March 12, 2001, Xiaoshan and Yuhang, formerly two county-level cities under the administration of Hangzhou prefecture-level city , were re-organized as two districts. On December 13, 2014, and in July 2017, Fuyang and Lin'an, formerly two county-level cities under the administration of Hangzhou prefecture-level city , were re-organized as two districts. On April 9, 2021, Linping District and Qiantang District

6557-421: Was one of the first zones and the only one in Zhejiang Province to be approved by the government. Its total planned area is 2.92 km (1.13 sq mi). It is located close to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport and Hangzhou Port. Hangzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was set up with approval from the State Council as a state-level high-tech Industrial Development Zone in March 1991. The HHTZ

6640-519: Was so enormous that no man could form a just estimate thereof". Polo's account greatly exaggerates the city's size, although it has been argued that the "hundred miles" of walls would be plausible if Chinese miles were intended instead of Italian ones and that the "12,000 stone bridges" might have been a copyist error born from the city's 12 gates. In the 14th century, the Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta arrived; his later account concurred that al-Khansā

6723-514: Was the "stronghold" of Islam in Zhejiang province, containing multiple mosques, compared to his small congregation of around 30 families in Ningbo for his mosque. Within the city of Hangzhou are two notable mosques: New Hangzhou Great Mosque and the Phoenix Mosque . As late as the latter part of the 16th and early 17th centuries, the city was an important center of Chinese Jewry , and may have been

6806-445: Was very open to foreign visitors, and several returned west describing Hangzhou—under the names Khinzai , Campsay , etc. —as one of the foremost cities in the world. The Venetian merchant Marco Polo supposedly visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century. In his book , he records that the city was "greater than any in the world" and that "the number and wealth of the merchants, and the amount of goods that passed through their hands,

6889-615: Was written by a eunuch from a previous dynasty era and was passed down for 300 years until it fell to the hands of Reverend Hongye, who is the abbot of Putian Shaolin. Yue Su and Cai Zifeng, two members of the Mount Hua School , knew of this and went to Putian Shaolin to pretend to visit Reverend Hongye as guests while plotting to sneak in to peep at the Sunflower Manual at the library of the Shaolin School . One night, they snuck in

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