Hangzhou, 1200, more than 1 million inhabitants.
This city was located to the south of the Great Chinese Canal. The city was a major shopping center and capital during the last phase of the Song Dynasty.
The traveler Marco Polo, who visited Hangzhou in the late 13th century, wrote that it is the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world. The Moroccan traveler Ibn Batuta, who visited Hangzhou in 1345, said that this is the largest city he saw. Alas, with the decline of the Song Dynasty, the city lost its commercial importance, and its population dispersed throughout China.
