Brisk business: Containers pile up at the Xiasha Port in Qiantang district in Hangzhou. [Photo/WeChat account: hzjt2008]

Hangzhou — capital of East China's Zhejiang province — saw its river ports experience a major logistics boom, with container throughput reaching 176,800 twenty-foot equivalent units or TEUs in the first half of 2025, up a whopping 51 percent year-on-year.

In particular Xiasha Port, located in the city's Qiantang district, led growth with a remarkable 88 percent increase, becoming the fastest-growing inland port across Zhejiang province.

The surge comes amid China's foreign trade rebound, with Zhejiang's exports growing 9.6 percent from January to May.

Hangzhou's expanding sea-river intermodal services, particularly on the Dongzhou-Xiasha-Zhapu route, are cutting logistics costs by an estimated 20–40 percent compared with road transport. In 2024 alone, this shift saved companies over 87.6 million yuan ($12.2 million) in logistics expenses.

Driven by efficiency and low-carbon transport, more and more exporters are now switching to river shipping.

Xiasha Port now handles 80 percent of the city's export containers and offers daily services linking directly to Ningbo Port, with 99 percent on-time transfers to international vessels.

Overall, Hangzhou is targeting 300,000 TEUs in river-sea throughput by 2027, with enhanced customs services and new green shipping technologies supporting sustainable trade growth.

An employee calculates the best configuration of containers at Xiasha Port. [Photo/WeChat account: hzjt2008]