Shaoxing

Lu Xun's Hometown, the Orchid Pavilion and Shen Garden, with black-awning boats, yellow rice wine and stinky tofu: a Jiangnan water town steeped in literary heritage and the top pick for a slow trip near Hangzhou.

Shaoxing lies in central-northern Zhejiang on the Ningshao Plain on the south shore of Hangzhou Bay, bordering Ningbo to the east and Hangzhou to the west (about 20 minutes by high-speed rail). Known in ancient times as Kuaiji and Yuezhou, it was the capital of the State of Yue 2,500 years ago and the hometown of notable figures such as Wang Xizhi, Lu You, Lu Xun, Cai Yuanpei and Zhou Enlai. It is at once a land of water towns, bridges, wine, calligraphy and famous scholars. The main areas to visit fall into three layers: first, the old city (Yuecheng District), where Lu Xun's Hometown, Shen Garden, Cangqiao Straight Street, Bazi Bridge, the Calligraphy Sage's Hometown and Cai Yuanpei's Former Residence are within walking distance and form the core of a slow trip; second, the outskirts: the Orchid Pavilion (12 km southwest), East Lake (6 km east), the Mausoleum of Yu the Great and Kuaiji Mountain (4 km southeast), Keyan Jianhu (12 km west) and Anchang Ancient Town (25 km northwest); and third, farther afield, Zhuji (Xishi's hometown, Wuxie), Xinchang (Dafo Temple, Tianmu Mountain) and Shengzhou. The climate is subtropical monsoon, with March–April and October–November the best; the Orchid Pavilion Calligraphy Festival takes place in March, and rapeseed flowers bloom around Anchang in spring; June–July brings the plum rains and summer is hot and humid; winter is damp and cold, but in the twelfth lunar month Anchang's drying of cured sausages and soy-sauce duck, and the start of the yellow wine brewing season, make it the time with the strongest New Year atmosphere. Getting there: Shaoxing North Station (Shanghai–Kunming high-speed line) is about 12 km from the old city, about 20 minutes from Hangzhou East and about 1.5 hours from Shanghai Hongqiao, while Shaoxing East Station (Hangzhou–Ningbo high-speed line) is closer to the Xinchang direction; Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport is about 40 km from Shaoxing, with an airport shuttle bus; in the old city, Metro Line 1, buses and shared bikes are convenient, and the area around Lu Xun's Hometown is mostly pedestrian streets. Allow 2 days: the old city (Lu Xun's Hometown, a night visit to Shen Garden, Cangqiao Straight Street, the Calligraphy Sage's Hometown) for one day, and the Orchid Pavilion + East Lake or Anchang Ancient Town for one day. Tips: Lu Xun's Hometown is free but requires a reservation (covering his former residence, Sanwei Study and Baicao Garden), and some venues are closed on Mondays; Shen Garden costs CNY 40 by day, and the night show "Night at Shen Garden" is a separate ticket; black-awning boats can be taken on East Lake and on the canals at Lu Xun's Hometown and Cangqiao Straight Street, at about CNY 80–150 per boat; Shaoxing yellow wine can be tasted at the Yellow Wine Town and the Xianheng Hotel, and stinky tofu, fennel-flavored beans, braised pork with preserved vegetables and "Shao San Xian" are signature dishes.

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