Hangzhou Cultural Radio and Television Group
Corporate brand
UnclaimedA Hangzhou municipal cultural-media organisation operating television, radio, cultural venues, performing arts, and related media businesses.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Hangzhou Cultural Radio and Television Group is a municipal cultural and media organisation based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is also associated with the institutional call signs Hangzhou Radio and Television Station and Hangzhou Television. The organisation combines broadcasting operations with cultural investment, performing arts, cable and media services, and the management of cultural venues. The group's direct predecessor, Hangzhou Radio and Television Group, was established on September 28, 2002. Its creation made Hangzhou the first sub-provincial city in mainland China to establish a radio and television group. At the beginning, the group operated within a one-institution, two-brands arrangement alongside the Hangzhou Municipal Radio and Television Bureau. This model allowed the administrative bureau and the operating group to coexist while responsibilities were gradually reorganised. In January 2005, Hangzhou implemented a cultural-system reform designed to separate public administration from media management and commercial operations. The municipal radio and television bureau was separated from the existing group, while Hangzhou Radio and Television Group was merged with Hangzhou Cultural Development Investment Company Limited. The resulting organisation was named Hangzhou Cultural Radio and Television Group, with an associated corporate entity known as Hangzhou Cultural Radio and Television Group Co. It operates as a public institution managed using enterprise-style methods under the municipal government. The group has a broad operating scope. Its media portfolio includes five television channels, three radio frequencies, and approximately ten other media outlets, including Radio & TV Weekly. It also has interests in or oversight of around 30 wholly owned, holding, and shareholding companies. Its cultural assets and affiliated institutions include the Hangzhou Grand Theatre, the Xiling Calligraphy and Painting Institute, the Hangzhou Cultural Center, and eight art troupes. Reference material describes a workforce of more than 3,000 people and fixed assets valued in the billions of renminbi, although no independently sourced current financial statements are specified here. Hangzhou Television is the group's television call sign. The service began broadcasting in early 1984 after the municipal authorities decided in 1983 to establish a local television station. Its first broadcasts were carried on Channel 11 from a temporary transmitter on Wushan. The station initially relied heavily on relays from Shanghai Television, but it progressively expanded original programming and by 1986 was producing five and a half hours of original programming daily. A second channel was introduced in 1990 and later became the Westlake Pearl Channel. Cable television became an important part of the organisation's development. Hangzhou Cable TV was established in 1991, began trial broadcasting later that year, and officially launched in 1993. It was described as the first cable television station in a provincial capital approved by the national broadcasting authority and the first in mainland China to offer round-the-clock broadcasting. Cable network planning and transmission were later consolidated into a separate network centre, the predecessor of WASU. Hangzhou Cable TV and Hangzhou TV formally merged in 2001, retaining the Hangzhou TV call sign and adopting a new logo based on the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon motif. Today, the group functions as a regional public-service and cultural-media platform rather than as a conventional standalone television brand. Its content covers local news, public affairs, social mediation, finance, lifestyle, health, entertainment, film, youth programming, sport, and Hangzhou dialect broadcasting. Its radio operations similarly combine news, local information, economic coverage, traffic information, and cultural programming. The organisation's role reflects the integration of municipal broadcasting, cultural production, public communication, and cultural-venue management in Hangzhou.
History
Hangzhou's television history under the group began in 1983, when the Hangzhou municipal authorities decided to establish a local television service. Approval was obtained from the national broadcasting authority in July, and the station began its first broadcasts on Channel 11 using a temporary transmitter installed on the eastern slope of Wushan. The service was formally launched at the end of January 1984. Because it initially had limited staff and technical resources, it mainly relayed programmes from Shanghai Television. A microwave link enabled it to relay Shanghai Television's Channel 8 by the end of 1984, while locally produced material was gradually expanded. In September 1986, Hangzhou Television ended its dependence on the Shanghai relay and began producing approximately five and a half hours of original programming each day. The television service became institutionally independent from the Hangzhou Radio and Television Bureau in 1985. A second television channel was launched on November 12, 1990, initially carrying China Central Television material. On April 24, 1993, it was rebranded Xihu Mingzhu Television, later known as the Westlake Pearl Channel. The new channel broadened the organisation's ability to distribute local news, social reporting, commentary, and cultural programmes. Cable television developed in parallel. Hangzhou Cable TV was founded on June 28, 1991, with trial broadcasts beginning on December 31 in five districts of the city. It officially launched on May 22, 1993. By 1994, it was carrying 22 channels and 23 programme services, and reference material identifies it as an early 24-hour cable broadcaster in mainland China. In June 1995, Hangzhou Cable TV and Hangzhou TV were formally separated while remaining under a one-institution, two-brands arrangement. The cable infrastructure was subsequently reorganised. On August 18, 1999, the municipal authorities established the Hangzhou Cable Broadcasting and Television Network Center to coordinate cable network planning, construction, operation, and transmission. This left Hangzhou Cable TV primarily focused on programme production and broadcasting. The institutional identities of Hangzhou TV and Hangzhou Cable TV were later abolished by the municipal radio and television bureau, although the broadcasting call signs were retained. On June 2001, with approval from the national and Zhejiang provincial broadcasting authorities, Hangzhou Cable TV and Hangzhou TV formally merged. A new logo featuring the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon image was introduced on July 1, 2001. This merger consolidated the city's main television production and broadcasting identities before the wider group-level restructuring that followed. The first major group restructuring occurred on September 28, 2002, when Hangzhou Radio and Television Group was established. It was the first radio and television group created in a sub-provincial city in mainland China. The group initially operated alongside the municipal radio and television bureau under a one-institution, two-brands model. A broader cultural-system reform took effect in January 2005. The municipal radio and television bureau was separated from the operating group in an effort to distinguish administration from management and business operations. Hangzhou Radio and Television Group was simultaneously merged with Hangzhou Cultural Development Investment Company Limited, creating Hangzhou Cultural Radio and Television Group and its associated corporate entity. The resulting organisation became a public institution using enterprise-style management and broadened its activities beyond broadcasting. The modern group manages television, radio, publications, performing-arts organisations, cultural venues, and a network of affiliated companies. Its television portfolio has included comprehensive, Westlake Pearl, life, film, and youth-sports services. Its radio portfolio is represented by the Hangzhou People's Radio call sign, which developed from earlier municipal broadcasting services. Hangzhou People's Broadcasting Station began in 1958, suspended operations in 1961, and resumed regular broadcasting in 1984. Its later services included West Lake Sound Radio and an economic frequency that subsequently incorporated traffic programming. In January 2010, the radio operation moved from Moganshan Road to the Broadcasting Center Building at No. 888 Zhijiang Road, the group's current headquarters address in the supplied reference material. The organisation's programming has maintained a strong local orientation. It has used Mandarin, Hangzhou dialect, and other regional cultural forms to cover city news, public opinion, social mediation, public services, finance, health, consumer life, entertainment, education, and cultural affairs. This combination of regional broadcasting and municipal cultural infrastructure defines the group's role within Hangzhou's media system.
- 2010
Radio operation relocates to Zhijiang Road
[1]Hangzhou People's Radio moved to the Broadcasting Center Building at No. 888 Zhijiang Road.
- 2005
Creation of Hangzhou Cultural Radio and Television Group
[1]A municipal cultural-system reform separated administration from operations and combined Hangzhou Radio and Television Group with Hangzhou Cultural Development Investment Company Limited.
- 2002
Hangzhou Radio and Television Group established
[1]The group was established on September 28 as the first radio and television group in a sub-provincial city in mainland China.
- 2001
Hangzhou TV and Hangzhou Cable TV merge
[1]The two television operations formally merged in June, and Hangzhou TV introduced a Three Pools Mirroring the Moon logo on July 1.
- 1993
Cable service officially launches
[1]Hangzhou Cable TV officially launched on May 22, while the second Hangzhou television channel was rebranded as Xihu Mingzhu Television.
- 1991
Hangzhou Cable TV established
[1]Hangzhou Cable TV was established in June and began trial broadcasts in December.
- 1990
Second television channel introduced
[1]Hangzhou Television launched a second channel on Channel 41, initially carrying China Central Television material.
- 1984
Hangzhou Television launches
[1]The television service formally launched at the end of January on Channel 11 and initially relied substantially on relays from Shanghai Television.
- 1983
Municipal decision to establish Hangzhou Television
[1]Hangzhou's municipal authorities decided to create a local television service; national approval followed in July.
- 1958
Hangzhou People's Broadcasting Station begins
[1]A second radio programme was provided with equipment by Zhejiang Radio and Television, and Hangzhou People's Broadcasting Station began broadcasting on September 29.
Products and positioning
A Hangzhou municipal public cultural-media platform combining television, radio, local news, public-service communication, cultural production, performing arts, cable-related operations, and cultural venues.
Television broadcasting · 1984
Hangzhou Television
The group's unified television call sign and principal local television service. It began broadcasting in 1984 and developed from an initially relay-based operation into a multi-channel broadcaster producing local news, public-affairs, social, cultural, entertainment, lifestyle, film, and youth-oriented programming. The service retained the Hangzhou TV identity after its 2001 merger with Hangzhou Cable TV.
Television channel · 1993
Westlake Pearl Channel
A Hangzhou television channel formerly known as Xihu Mingzhu Television. Its programming has included Mandarin and Hangzhou-dialect news, social reporting, commentary, mediation, finance, law-and-order content, cultural programmes, and entertainment. Its principal programmes have included Pearl News, A Liutou Speaks News, The Peacemaker, and Happy Teahouse.
Radio broadcasting · 1984
Hangzhou People's Radio
The unified call sign for the group's radio frequencies. The modern service resumed regular broadcasting in 1984 and later included West Lake Sound Radio and an economic service that developed into traffic and economy programming. Radio output includes local news, public information, economic coverage, traffic information, and cultural content.
Television news
Hangzhou News Broadcast
The principal news programme of the Comprehensive Channel, covering current affairs and municipal developments in Hangzhou. It forms part of the group's broader local-news and public-information output.
Dialect television news · 2004
A Liutou Speaks News
A Hangzhou-dialect livelihood-news programme launched in 2004. It focuses on social and everyday issues through local reporting and has been described in reference material as one of Hangzhou's consistently highly rated news programmes, with national recognition in the livelihood-news category.
Cultural television programme · 2005
Happy Teahouse
A Wu-dialect opera and social-affairs programme launched in 2005. It uses everyday stories and traditional performance forms to address social issues and became a notable regional programme in the Yangtze River Delta. Versions were also introduced in Huzhou and Suzhou, although the Suzhou version later ended.
Social mediation programme · 2010
The Peacemaker
A television programme launched in 2010 that focuses on social mediation and the resolution of everyday disputes. It reflects the group's use of broadcasting as a public-service and community communication medium.
Public-affairs television
Citizen's Supervision Group
A Life Channel news and public-affairs programme centred on public opinion supervision, assistance to residents, and the dissemination of practical information. It represents the group's emphasis on citizen-facing municipal communication.
Brand decisions
2005
Cultural-system reform and group formationStrategyBackground
Hangzhou participated in a national pilot programme intended to separate government administration from the management and operation of cultural and media organisations.
Action taken
The municipal radio and television bureau was separated from the operating group, and Hangzhou Radio and Television Group was combined with Hangzhou Cultural Development Investment Company Limited to create Hangzhou Cultural Radio and Television Group.
Aftermath
The new public institution adopted enterprise-style management and expanded its scope across broadcasting, cultural investment, performing arts, venues, publications, and affiliated companies.
2001
Merger of Hangzhou TV and Hangzhou Cable TVM&ABackground
The city had developed separate terrestrial and cable television operations, while cable infrastructure planning and transmission were being consolidated through a dedicated network centre.
Action taken
With approval from national and Zhejiang provincial broadcasting authorities, Hangzhou Cable TV and Hangzhou TV formally merged and continued under the Hangzhou TV call sign.
Aftermath
The merger unified the principal television production and broadcasting identities and was marked by a new Three Pools Mirroring the Moon logo introduced on July 1.
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