Shaoxing

Brief Introduction

Shaoxing is a well-known tourist destination with colorful culture, remarkable tradition and unique landscape belonging to the area in south yangtze river.

Shaoxing has a long history of over 4,000 years. it was said that in the xia dynasty 4,000 years ago, dayu, leader of a tribe in the low reach of the yellow river once visited shaoxing twice for water-control. now in shaoxing, visitors can find the yu mausoleum, evidencing yu's journey to this town. shaoxing began to gain its historical role in the spring and autumn period when it served as capital of the wu state. shaoxing obtained the present name in the song dynasty.

Shaoxing is home to many famous chinese politicians, literates. celebrities including luxun, taiyuanpei and china's first premier, zhou'enlai were all from shaoxing.

Shaoxing is the background of most of mr luxun's literature works. simple classrooms, flowers garden, shops and the ancient stages in mr. lu's work all have been well preserved. these old shops, gardens, small boat flowing on the narrow water lanes present an old shaoxing.

Shaoxing is a characteristic ancient water town. there are dozes of rivers running the town on which spans over 4,000 stone bridges of different styles and size. the unique landscape of south china with abundant rivers, stone bridge and riverside ancient houses are well displayed in shaoxing.

Weather and Climate

Shaoxing is located at the subtropical zone with monsoon climate. the annual temperature is 16 centigrade. the best time to visit shaoxing is from may to october while the weather condition is comfortable and scenery is the most beautiful. on the down side, may to october is the rainy time in shaoxing and you may encounter rainstorms. another pleasant time  to visit shaoxing is in april when flowers are blooming and trees turn green.  

Transportation

Train: Shaoxing railway station: chenzhan road, at the terminal for buses. no. 1,2 and 4. tel: 8022584. trains to shanghai, ningbo and hangzhou are very frequent.

Bus: There are four long-distance bus stations in shaoxing but for travelers, the shaoxing passenger transit center is the most useful one. most of the buses to hangzhou, ningbo and shanghai depart here.

Accommodation
 

Shaoxing has a host of hotels of different star-grade and budget accommodation is easy to find. the shaoxing dynasty hotel and yuedu hotel are among the best deals. those who seek more luxurious lodging may find the shaoxing international hotel and shaoxing xianheng hotels are good places to stay

Food

Local food takes advantage of the wine called shaoxing yellow rice wine. this cooking wine, produced from a special kind of glutinous rice, is often added to dishes to make a distinctive flavor. shaoxing food tends to be crisp, light in flavor. when it is cooked, only small amount of cooking oil is used so that the natural flavor of food is preserved. the main raw materials of shaoxing food are freshwater fishes, shrimps, poultry meat and bean products. the primary food to try is shaoxing chicken, prepared by marinate the breast meat in the wine.

The best restaurants in shaoxing are xianheng restaurant, nanxing guan restaurant, tongxinlou restaurant. but if you are looking for something cheap, go to the street stalls along the jiefang bei lu where many fantastic local dishes are served for a very cheap price.  

Tourist Attractions

Lanting( orchid pavilion): The pavilion is considered as a sacred site for both chinese and overseas calligraphers. china's calligraphy master wangxizhi in east jin dynasty once written his masterpiece anting anthology here. surroundings in this area is also fascinating with gently flowing rivers, bamboo forest and elegant pavilions.

Former Residence of Luxun: China's famous writer luxun was born in shaoxing and lived here for quite a long time. his house has been restored to its original style, with more than one hundred rooms and a central garden.

Yu's mausoleum: The site is said to be the tomb of xiayu, a water-control hero in xia dynasty. thousands of years ago.

Many other interesting sights in shaoxing include the east lake, zhou enlai's ancestral home and much more.