Xiaoshan and Yuhang, two prosperous small cities in Zhejiang Province that neighbor Hangzhou, will officially become a part of the famous honeymooners' town in less than a week.

Xiaoshan and Yuhang are both scheduled to become districts of Hangzhou on March 25.

With the annexation of its two neighbors, Hangzhou's administrative area will expand into 3,068 square kilometers, a dramatic increase of 2,385 square kilometers over its current size.

"After the annexation, the city will spread along the Qiantang River rather than around the West Lake as it has been," said Zhu Baochun, deputy Party secretary of Hangzhou.

According to experts, the annexation will mark a new age - some are calling it the Qiantang River Age - in the history of the city.

Hangzhou city proper used to have six districts, covering a land area of only 683 square kilometers.

With the fast expansion of its economy over the past 20 years, the city began to expand. Problems emerged owing to the city's limited area.

"To ease the conflict between economic development and environmental protection, expansion in administrative area is one of the most practical and feasible options," Zhu said.

As the city proceeds with structural readjustment plans, a large number of enterprises, most of them heavy polluters, will have to be moved out of city's urban center.

"As we have only some 20 square kilometers of unused space at our disposal, it's really difficult for us to find ideal places to resettle them," Zhu explained.

The merger will help improve the overall layout of the city, he added.

Over the past years, quite a number of prestigious research institutes, colleges and universities intended to move into Hangzhou, but gave up for lack of adequate locations.

After the merger, most of the city's infrastructure projects and public facilities, including the public transport system and gas pipes, will be extended into the two new districts.

Experts said the merger would be very helpful to the optimization of resources in the area, making it more attractive to potential investors.

Covering a land area of 1,163 square kilometers, Xiaoshan has a population of some 1.14 million. Yuhang is similar in size.

"The new Hangzhou will become a big regional metropolis," Zhu predicted.

(China Daily 03/20/2001)