Zhoushan

Zhoushan is an urbanized archipelago prefecture-level city located in the eastern Chinese province of Zhejiang. It sits across an island cluster at the southern mouth of Hangzhou Bay off the mainland city of Ningbo, featuring a built-up area population of 882,932 residents living across the urban districts of Dinghai and Putuo.

A historical turning point for the islands occurred during the First Opium War when British forces under Captain Charles Elliot captured Zhoushan on July 5–6, 1840. British forces later evacuated the archipelago in early 1841 following an agreement to exchange the territory for Hong Kong. British Foreign Secretary Palmerston reacted with fury to the acquisition of Hong Kong—described then as a barren island with hardly a house on it—leading to Elliot's dismissal in April 1841. A replacement fleet led by Sir Henry Pottinger recaptured Zhoushan on October 1, 1841. Although the conclusion of the First Opium War via the Treaty of Nanjing opened other mainland ports like Guangzhou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Ningbo, and Shanghai to British trade, Britain retained the archipelago until 1846 as a guarantee for the treaty.

Centuries prior to these colonial maneuvers, the islands possessed a long maritime and strategic record. Inhabited 6,000 years ago during the Neolithic by people of the Hemudu culture, the archipelago was known as Yongdong during the Spring and Autumn period and belonged to the state of Yue. Later, during the Ming dynasty between 1530 and 1560, Japanese and Chinese pirates utilized Zhoushan as a principal base for raids extending as far as Nanjing.

Today, the municipal economy has significantly diversified beyond its primary fishing sector, which is rooted in China's largest fishery. The broader urban area supports ship building, repairing, shipping, light industry, tourism, and services. In July 2011, the central government approved the establishment of the Zhoushan Archipelago New Area as a state-level new area.