Hangzhou (Chinese: 杭州; Hanyu Pinyin: Hángzhōu;) is a sub-provincial city in China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located 180 km southwest of Shanghai, By the end of 2007, Hangzhou has 7,730,000 residents . As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake (Xī Hú, 西湖) as the most noteworthy location.