Facts
Phone Code: 0575
Postal Code: 312000
Area: 8,279 square kilometers (3,196 square miles)
Population: 4,912,200 (2012 statistics)
Location: Shaoxing City, mid-northern Zhejiang Province, on the southern bank of Hangzhou Bay. The city neighbors Ningbo in the east, Taizhou and Jinhua in the south, Hangzhou in the west and faces Jiaxing across the Qiantang River. Its longitude lies between 119°53′02" E and 121°13′38"E, while its the latitude is between 29°13′36" and 30°16′17".
Physical Features: Shaoxing lies at the transitional zone between a hilly area and plain. Hills cover nearly one third of the land, in the west, middle and east of the city. The landform of Shaoxing can be described as “four mountains, three basins, two rivers and one plain”: Kuaiji, Siming, Tiantai and Longmen mountains, Zhuji, Xinsheng and Sanjie-Zhangzhen basins, Puyang and Cao’e rivers, and Shaoyu Plain.
History: Shaoxing has a history of over 8,000 years dating back to the Neolithic period. It was the capital of many ancient kingdoms and dynasties. It was a large city and a political, economic and cultural center of the southeastern China during the Three Kingdoms Period (220 - 280), Jin (265 - 420), Southern and Northern (386 - 589), Sui (581 - 618), Tang (618 - 907) and Song (960 - 1279) dynasties.
Attractions: Shaoxing boasts a long history and a picturesque landscape. There are over 3,000 cultural sites, so it is honored as the “museum without a fence”. The most famous attractions in Shaoxing include the Former Residence and Memorial Hall of Lu Xun (1881 - 1936), the famous Chinese writer, critic and poet. There are also traditional Chinese gardens such as the Orchid Pavilion, Shen’s Garden and West Garden, where you will see classical Chinese buildings with flying roofs, painted columns, carved window frames, rockeries, ponds and classical furniture. East Lake, Mirror Lake and Kuaiji Mountain have picturesque scenery. Cangqiao Straight Street with flat stone paving, old houses of white walls and grey roof, and arched stone bridges crossing rivers will drag you back to the life of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911).
Transportation:
Air: There is no airport in Shaoxing, but the city is only 30 km from the Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport. Shuttle buses depart hourly from the airport to Keqiao and Shaoxing. The bus stops at Keqiao Mirror Lake Hotel and Shaoxing Margaret Hotel. The bus fare to Keqiao is CNY 20 and CNY 30 to Shaoxing.
Train: It takes 50 minutes from Hangzhou to Shaoxing and 1 hour and 40 minutes from Ningbo by train. All trains depart from Ningbo stop at Shaoxing. Visitors can take a train to Hangzhou or Ningbo if you cannot find a direct train to Shaoxing from your city.
Bus: Long-distance buses are available from most cities to Shaoxing, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Suzhou, Ningbo, Nanjing, Wuhan, Xiamen and Qingdao. The bus from Hangzhou to Shaoxing departs from Hangzhou East Long-distance Bus Station, and the fare is CNY 18 for normal bus and CNY 23 for direct express bus. There are two bus stations in Shaoxing, the east and west stations.
Incity Bus: Over 20 bus routes run in the city, among which bus No. 8 and 88 stop at the Former Residence House of Lu Xun, No. 1 stops at the East Lake, and No. 3 runs to the Orchid Pavilion. There are also two tourist bus routes starting from the railway station and stopping at most of the attractions in the city, such as the Memorial Hall of Lu Xun, East lake, Shen’s Garden and Tower Mountain.
Taxi: The flag-down price is CNY 7 for the first 2.5 km and additional CNY 2 after that, plus CNY 1 for fuel surcharge. Traveling within the city by taxi will not exceed CNY 10. The approximate fare from the city to Keyan is CNY 35.
Black Awning Boat: Boat is a unique means of transport in Shaoxing, and can be found at ports around East Lake, Jian Lake, in Keyan and Kepiao Port. The price is CNY 40 for half an hour. You are also suggested to tip the boatman CNY 10.
Weather: Shaoxing has a subtropical monsoon climate with four distinct seasons, sufficient rainfall and sunshine. The average annual temperature is 16.5°C (61.7°F). The weather is suitable to travel to Shaoxing all year round.
Dining and Shopping
Fresh water fish, poultry and beans are the major ingredients of Shaoxing cuisine, featuring a fresh and light flavor. Famous restaurants are Xianheng Restaurant located at No. 44 Luxun Road, Lanxian Hall at No.1 Shangda Road, Tongxin Pavilion at No. 87 Jiefang Road and Juleyuan Restaurant at No. 37 Shengli Road. Local wines are also very famous.
Local products in Shaoxing include Yellow Wine, beans flavored with aniseed and preserved tofu, which can be found in most supermarkets. Jiefang Road is one of the busiest commercial streets in the city. For antique lovers, the antique market opposite Luxun Square must be a good choice. There are also small markets on Shaoxing East Street.
