Change of setting yielded Shanghai Communique

Known as one of the seven capitals of ancient China, Hangzhou is gearing up to host the G20 Leaders Summit on Sunday and Monday. Though the tranquil city may not be as internationally well-known as Beijing or Shanghai, it has played a vital role, on many occasions, in forging China's diplomatic landscape.

The crucial document that ended 23 years of isolation between China and the United States, as well as resulting in the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1979, the Shanghai Communique, which was issued on Feb 27, 1972 in Shanghai, was actually agreed upon in Hangzhou.

The negotiation for the communique continued throughout then-US president Richard Nixon's visit, which he described as "the week that changed the world", but the final version was released just a day before the US delegation headed back to Washington.