Qiantang River District

The Qiantang River runs east through Hangzhou to the East China Sea, and its eastern stretch is now the orientation point for the city's 21st-century expansion. The Qianjiang New City CBD on the north bank — visible across the city skyline from West Lake — was developed from the early 2000s as Hangzhou's finance and technology hub. The Hangzhou Citizens Centre, the West Lake Cultural Plaza, the Hangzhou Library, and the conference venues used for the 2016 G20 summit all sit in this district.

The Liuhe (Six Harmonies) Pagoda on the southern bank, a 13-storey octagonal pagoda from the 11th century, is a working Buddhist monument and a viewing tower over the river. Its earlier function was tidal-bore observation: monks maintained the pagoda partly to track and warn against the river's seasonal floods.

The Qiantang tidal bore — the fastest-rising tidal wave on any of the world's major rivers — peaks twice annually in mid-August and mid-September by the lunar calendar. Hangzhou's official tidal-bore viewing windows are at Yanguan (45 minutes east of the city), Lao Yan Cang, and several designated points along the south bank. The phenomenon draws hundreds of thousands of visitors during peak weeks; viewing platforms must be reached at the time-bound bore arrival hour.

The 2022 Asian Games (held September 2023) used Qianjiang Olympic facilities, accelerating further infrastructure construction in this district.