Hangzhou (杭州), formerly romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang Province in East China. It sits at the head of Hangzhou Bay, which separates Shanghai and Ningbo. Hangzhou grew to prominence as the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and has been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China for much of the last millennium. The city's West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, immediately west of the city, is amongst its best-known attractions.

Hangzhou is classified as a sub-provincial city and forms the core of the Hangzhou metropolitan area, the fourth-largest in China. During the 2010 Chinese census, the metropolitan area held 21.102 million people over an area of 13,353 square miles (34,585 square kilometers). Hangzhou prefecture had a registered population of 9,018,000 in 2015.

Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangzhou

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Nanjing, formerly romanized as Nanking and Nankin, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China and the second largest city in the East China region, with an administrative area of 2,500 square miles (6,600 square kilometers) and a total population of 8,270,500 as of 2016. The inner area of Nanjing enclosed by the city wall is Nanjing City (南京城) is 21 square miles, while the Nanjing Metropolitan Region includes surrounding cities and areas, covering over 23,000 square miles, with a population of over 30 million.

Situated in the Yangtze River Delta region, Nanjing has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having served as the capital of various Chinese dynasties, kingdoms and republican governments dating from the 3rd century to 1949, and has thus long been a major center of culture, education, research, politics, economy, transport networks and tourism. It is the home to one of the world's largest inland ports. The city is also one of the fifteen sub-provincial cities in the People's Republic of China's administrative structure, enjoying jurisdictional and economic autonomy only slightly less than that of a province.

Nanjing, one of the nation's most important cities for over a thousand years, is recognized as one of the Four Great Ancient Capitals of China. It has been one of the world's largest cities, enjoying peace and prosperity despite wars and disasters. Nanjing served as the capital of Eastern Wu (229–280), one of the three major states in the Three Kingdoms period; the Eastern Jin and each of the Southern Dynasties (Liu Song, Southern Qi, Liang and Chen), which successively ruled southern China from 317–589; the Southern Tang (937–75), one of the Ten Kingdoms; the Ming dynasty when, for the first time, all of China was ruled from the city (1368–1421);[16] and the Republic of China (1927–37, 1946–49) prior to its flight to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War. The city also served as the seat of the rebel Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (1853–64) and the Japanese puppet regime of Wang Jingwei (1940–45) during the Second Sino-Japanese War. It suffered severe atrocities in both conflicts, including the Nanjing Massacre.

Nanjing has served as the capital city of Jiangsu province since the establishment of the People's Republic of China. It boasts many important heritage sites, including the Presidential Palace and Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum. Nanjing is famous for human historical landscapes, mountains and waters such as Fuzimiao, Ming Palace, Chaotian Palace, Porcelain Tower, Drum Tower, Stone City, City Wall, Qinhuai River, Xuanwu Lake and Purple Mountain. Key cultural facilities include Nanjing Library, Nanjing Museum and Nanjing Art Museum.

Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanjing

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The General Post Office Building (上海邮政总局大楼) is the head post office of Shanghai, China. Built in 1924, the four-storey building is located at 395 Tiandong Road, at the north end of the Sichuan Road Bridge, on the banks of the Suzhou Creek.

In the early years of the Republic of China (ROC), Shanghai was the center of China's postal network. In 1914, China joined the Universal Postal Union, and Shanghai was designated as the exchange for international mail. By the early 1920s, the previous premises of the postal administration was no longer adequate, and land was acquired on the north bank of Suzhou Creek for the construction of a new headquarters building. The building was situated within the Shanghai International Settlement, midway between the central business district and the Shanghai North Railway Station.

Built from 1922 to 1924 and designed by Stewardson & Spence, the building is in Classical style. Its two main facades use three-story high grand order Corinthian columns. The main door is on the corner, and is topped by a Baroque style clock tower. The sides of the clock tower are decorated with three statuary groups. The central group features Hermes, flanked by Eros and Aphrodite, the god and goddess of love. On the second level is the 1200 square meter main trading hall, which was known as the "First Hall of the Far East." The foundations of the building used an ingenious system of tanks, which was filled and drained by water from neighboring Suzhou Creek as water levels rose and fell. This ensured that the building remained stable and level despite changes in water levels.

After the Chinese civil war the building continued to house the headquarters of Shanghai's postal administration. From 2003, parts of the building, including the courtyard, was converted into Shanghai Postal Museum. Admission to the museum is free. Postal administration functions had moved out, but the retail post office operation continue from the trading hall (though that is now only a fraction of its original size). It is protected as a National Artifact Preservation Unit.

Information from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Post_Office_Building,_Shanghai

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