Qianjiang CBD，Garden of Eden
2 min readHangzhou’s new Qianjiang Central Business District（CBD）aspires to be a kind of Eden for new businesses.It certainly has some pretty hefty backing，not the least of which is the 2020 master plan from China’s central government，with an extra boost from the 2022 Asian Games.
To get down to brass tacks，the CBD is far more than the sum of its 22 square kilometers that lie on the north banks of the languid Qiantang River.It acts as Hangzhou’s equivalent to the Lujiazui financial quarter in Shanghai or Central in Hong Kong.The Qianjiang CBD’s key distinction is its architecture，urban planning，and garden-like quality-integrating nature in a way that stays true to the city’s natural roots and storied West Lake heritage.Three ma jor buildings form the core of the CBD:Hangzhou Public Services Center，Hangzhou International Conference Center，and the Hangzhou Grand Theatre.
Hangzhou Public Services Center is defined by six skyscrapers that form a giant circle, linked with connected glass causeways in the sky. Staying true to Chinese culture, the grand theatre and the conference center are shaped like the moon and the sun, facing each other in couplet form across the Wave Culture Center. This skyline is also marked with agiant golden sphere for luck and prosperity at the conference center. The river boasts a masterful City Balcony for citizens to gather and find inspiration.
For those with a burning creative spirit, the area also hosts a world-class library.
Nestled between Jiefang East Road and Qianjiang Road, the new Hangzhou Library has over five floors at 43,680 square meters and a storage capacity for two million books. Fit for 6,000 people, this amazing library features fast wifi, state-of-the-art audio visual technology,a robust foreign language section, four film and music rooms,a children’s section, and a calligraphy room. Foreigners can access the collections with their passport and a small fee-a fee that is waived if the patron can provide proof of employment in Hangzhou.
