（The original title:Cloud City futuristic HZ unveiled）

    The new west city AI hub

    Location always matters. Situated in the west of Hangzhou, the new area has drawn much attention. Hangzhou Cloud City sits here bounded by the city beltway on its east, the Nantiao Brook on its west, the Yuhangtang River on the south, and the Hangzhou-Changxing Highway on the north, enclosing an area of about 58 square kilometers.

    There are plenty of natural resources surrounding it, such as the Xixi National Wetland Park, the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, and the well-known mountains of Hangzhou, such as Wushan and Guashan.

    In addition to its natural environment, it has remarkable industrial development advantages as it is on the Hangzhou West City Science and Technology Innovation Corridor, a concept proposed by the municipal government. Along this corridor, 20 projects have been built while 30 others are still under construction, including Westlake University Yungu Campus and Hangzhou Xi Railway Station and its complex, to name just a few,.

    The Cloud City is based on the preliminary plan of building a city center on top of the Hangzhou West Railway Traffic Hub, answering the advocation of building Yangtze River Delta into a megaregion railway web.

    The cloud city will adopt the new-city development, ecological protection and digital management to develop into a vital comprehensive hub in the YRD.

    Cloud-based smart city

    Why is it called cloud city? Because Hangzhou has rolled out cloud management in almost every aspect of city life.

    Hangzhou residents have a special feeling for the word cloud. It reminds people of a long list of big names across the city such as Jack Ma and Alibaba, Yunqi Town and Yungu (Cloud Valley).

    What is behind cloud? It is not only the Internet but the digital economy. Hangzhou is crowned the capital of Chinese e-commerce and the nation's top city of digital economy. There is no wonder that some people would say, Hangzhou is the city that propels China to cloud computing.

    Undoubtedly, Hangzhou Cloud City itself has close connections with cloud computing. It is home to many industry leading enterprises, such as Alibaba, CLP Haikang, and Xixi Software Park.

    Moreover, many universities, think tanks and research institutes are here or near, say, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Normal University, Alibaba Damo Institute, Zhejiang Laboratory and the Hangzhou Dream Town, etc.

    Officials say that the new hub, featuring beautiful views, cultural heritages, convenient traffic as well as advanced industry, will bring more skilled workers, technological progresses and investments to Hangzhou. Additionally, it is expected to become Hangzhou's third city center.

    The third center

    If you ask where Hangzhou's city center is, some people may tell you Yan'an Road and the areas around the West Lake (including Wulin Square, Hubin Pedestrian, and Wushan Square), the historical downtown area; some others may refer to Qianjiang New Town and Qianjiang Century City along the Qiantang River, the landmarks of the Qiantang River era.

    Here comes a new center. Last October, the Management Committee of Hangzhou West City Science and Technology Industry Cluster had investigated into the strategic planning of the third center of Hangzhou.

    Experts suggest that the third center of Hangzhou should be located in the hinterland of Hangzhou's west side and should cover the Nanhu Lake, Hangzhou West Railway Station, Science & Culture Center, and north of Pingyao; it also should include three sub-centers: Nanhu Science Center, Hangzhou Xi Railway Station Traffic Hub, and the Great Corridor Science and Culture Center. Among them, the Railway Station Traffic Hub is roughly next to the Cloud City.

    From the construction of Hangzhou West Railway Traffic Hub, one can get a general idea of the Cloud City blueprint.

    Hangzhou Cloud City gives an example of the future cities by highlighting the landscape, culture and digital economy.