An artist's impression of the Hangzhou Cloud City, a new metropolis hub to be constructed in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

A special construction and management department was unveiled on Aug 4, marking the beginning of the construction of Hangzhou Cloud City, a new urban hub in Hangzhou which will cover a planned area of 58 square kilometers.

Focused on digital economy, the new hub is located in the hinterland of the West Hangzhou Science Innovation Corridor, a concept proposed by the municipal government. The Hangzhou West Railway Station will be situated in the center of the new city hub.

Cloud City, which reflects Hangzhou's aim to become China's top digital city, will feature beautiful natural scenery, rich culture, a comprehensive transportation network as well as strong industrial development.

The West Hangzhou Science Innovation Corridor is home to many industry leaders in cloud computing such as Alibaba, Taobao and CECT.

Hangzhou Cloud City is expected to become Hangzhou's third city hub. Officials say that the new hub will bring skilled workers, technological progress and investments to Hangzhou. 

Many universities, think tanks and research institutes are located in or the surrounding areas, including Zhejiang University, Hangzhou Normal University, Alibaba Damo Institute, Zhejiang Laboratory and the Hangzhou Dream Town.

Hangzhou will make use of its previous experience in city construction, ecological preservation and digital governance and apply it to the construction of the new city hub.