Zhapu
History
Zhapu is the site of a deepwater harbor on the northern shore of Hangzhou Bay, noted as a port since the Tang. Under the Qing, an extensive canal network connected it to Hangzhou and turned it into the area's principal port. Under the dynasty's restrictive trade policies, its merchants monopolized China's trade with Korea and Japan.
At the time of the First Opium War, Chapu was protected by an imperial army garrison and a city wall with a circuit of about 5 miles (8.0 km). The British captured the town on 18 May 1842 but abandoned it shortly thereafter. By that time, the harbor had begun silting up and was only accessible to the lighter-draft British vessels. It was omitted from the treaty ports at the end of the war and declined in importance relative to nearby Shanghai and Ningbo.
By the early 20th century, its harbor had effectively silted up and the town became a backwater.
Zhapu Port
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/02/Zhapu_port_Jiaxing.jpg/220px-Zhapu_port_Jiaxing.jpg)
Zhapu port, located south of the mouth of Yangtze river is a new port developed after 2000, and is a part of the port of Jiaxing. It is located in Hangzhou bay, equidistant from Ningbo, Hangzhou and Huzhou.