Editing Hangzhou (section)

=== Tang dynasty ===
In the [[Tang dynasty]], [[Bai Juyi]], a renowned poet, was appointed governor of Hangzhou.<ref name="Waley 1941, 131">Waley (1941), 131</ref> He noticed that the farmland nearby depended on the water of [[West Lake]], but due to negligence the old [[dike (construction)|dyke]] had collapsed, and the lake so dried out that the local farmers were suffering from severe [[drought]]. He ordered the construction of a stronger and taller dyke, with a [[dam]] to control the flow of water, mitigating the drought problem. The livelihood of local people of Hangzhou improved over the following years. Bai Juyi used his leisure time to enjoy the West Lake, visiting it almost daily. He then had willows and other trees planted along the dyke, making it a landmark.

It is listed as one of the [[Historical capitals of China|Seven Ancient Capitals of China]]. It was first the capital of the [[Wuyue Kingdom]] from 907 to 978<ref name=":04" />{{Rp|page=86}} during the [[Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period]]. Named '''Xifu''' ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|西府}}}}) at the time,<ref>{{cite book |last = Zhou |first = Feng ({{lang|zh|周峰}}) |year = 1997 |script-title = zh:吴越首府杭州: 及北宋东南第一州 |url = https://books.google.com/books?id=E3CxAAAAIAAJ&q=%E8%A5%BF%E5%BA%9C%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E |location = University of California |publisher={{lang|zh-Hans|浙江人民出版社}} [Zhejiang People's Press] |page=32 |isbn= 9787213015052 |access-date = 22 July 2014 |language=zh-Hans |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160429132749/https://books.google.com/books?id=E3CxAAAAIAAJ&q=%E8%A5%BF%E5%BA%9C%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E&dq=%E8%A5%BF%E5%BA%9C%E6%9D%AD%E5%B7%9E&hl=en&sa=X&ei=wRXOU-hWjoHyBZmTgogM&ved=0CBwQ6AEwAA |archive-date=April 29, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> it was one of the three great bastions of culture in [[Northern and southern China|southern China]] during the tenth century{{According to whom|date=January 2023}}, along with [[Nanjing]] and [[Chengdu]].<ref name="Worthy 1983 19">{{Harvnb|Worthy|1983|p=19}}.</ref> Leaders of Wuyue were noted patrons of the arts, particularly of [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] temple architecture and artwork. The dyke built to protect the city by King{{nbsp}}[[Qian Liu]] gave the [[Qiantang River|Qiantang]] its modern name.<ref>{{citation |contribution-url = http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/glossary.php?searchterm=029_chao.inc&issue=029 |last=Barmé |first=Germeie R. |contribution=Glossary: Tides ''Chao'' 潮 |title=China Heritage Quarterly |url = http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org |date=2012 |volume=29 |publisher=Australian National University College of Asia & the Pacific |access-date=January 13, 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190113232026/http://www.chinaheritagequarterly.org/ |archive-date=January 13, 2019 |url-status=live }}.</ref> Hangzhou also became a cosmopolitan center, drawing scholars from throughout China and conducting diplomacy with neighboring Chinese states, and also with [[Japan]], [[Goryeo]], and the [[Khitan people|Khitan]] [[Liao dynasty]].