# Only in Hangzhou: Hang Lung’s new Westlake 66 complex blends hi-tech and history > Source: > Published: 2026-07-24 00:00:07+00:00 # Only in Hangzhou: Hang Lung’s new Westlake 66 complex blends hi-tech and history Hang Lung Properties’ newest mixed-use development connects centuries of history to one of China’s most dynamic tech hubs Hangzhou is a city of contradictions. It is home to West Lake, a Unesco World Heritage site that has inspired poets and painters for more than 1,000 years, since at least the Tang dynasty (AD618-907). It is also the birthplace of Alibaba (owner of the South China Morning Post) and a growing centre of artificial intelligence and robotics, thanks to Zhejiang University’s engineering pipeline and a local government that offers subsidies, low-cost rentals and a hands-off approach, creating an ecosystem that has made the city a natural home for companies such as DeepSeek and Unitree Robotics. One of the seven ancient capitals of China – once praised by Marco Polo as the “city of heaven” – is now one of the country’s most dynamic tech hubs. Building something that honours Hangzhou’s multilayered identity is no small feat, but that is exactly the opportunity the creative minds behind Westlake 66, Hang Lung Properties’ newest mixed-use development, in the Wulin Central Business District, saw in the project. “Hangzhou is one of the most incredible cities I’ve ever experienced,” says Jeffrey Kenoff, FAIA, design principal at Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) architectural firm. “It’s a city with centuries of history, yet being reinvented by Alibaba and its peers as a kind of ‘Silicon Valley of Asia’. Westlake 66 gave us a chance to rethink office, hospitality and retail for a new generation.” All of this enthusiasm reflects a deeper shift that has reshaped Hangzhou, propelled by the “Six Little Dragons” – Game Science, DeepSeek, Unitree Robotics, Deep Robotics, BrainCo and Manycore Tech – setting up operations in the city. With a population of 12.62 million, according to a 2024 census, including a growing number of AI and tech workers, Hangzhou has a pressing need for spaces where people can connect, collaborate and unwind beyond the office. It calls for a different approach from the one that has shaped many American cities, and one that New York-based KPF was keen to explore. “A lot of modern [American] cities developed in the 1980s and 90s were leaning towards more efficiency,” says Kenoff, describing them as “single‑use districts: all residential, all office, all shopping. People were driving on highways back and forth from destination A to destination B”. In his view, that obsession with efficiency hollowed out a sense of community, something China is trying to rebuild by looking to “reinvent the way that people actually occupy public space”.