Hangzhou Bay, or the Bay of Hangzhou (simplified Chinese: 杭州湾; traditional Chinese: 杭州灣; pinyin: Hángzhōu Wān), is an inlet of the East China Sea, bordered by the province of Zhejiang and the municipality of Shanghai. The Qiantang River flows into the bay.
It lies south of Shanghai, and ends at the city of Hangzhou. Hangzhou Bay contains many small islands collectively called the Zhoushan Islands.
The bay is known for hosting the world's largest tidal bore, being up to 9 metres (30 ft) high, and travelling up to 40 km (25 mi) per hour. The tidal bore is especially high during the Mid-Autumn Festival when several thousand tourists come to watch the magnificent Qiantang Tidal Bore.
The bay is spanned by the Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which was linked up on June 14, 2007 and opened on 1 May, 2008. The then second-longest bridge in the world, it cuts the trip between eastern Zhejiang and Shanghai from 400 to 80 kilometres (250 to 50 miles).
Famous quotes containing the word bay:
“The seagull’s wings shall dip and pivot him,
Shedding white rings of tumult, building high
Over the chained bay waters Liberty—
Then, with inviolate curve, forsake our eyes”
—Hart Crane (1899–1932)