Shaoxing

Shaoxing has been a city of canals for two and a half thousand years, and its wubeng, black-canopied boats propelled by a boatman working an oar with his foot, still work the waterways. It is the home of Shaoxing wine, a fermented rice wine aged in earthenware jars and used across Chinese cooking, and of stinky tofu sold on the streets. Lu Xun, the most influential modern Chinese writer, was born here, and his family home, school and the Xianheng tavern from his stories form a preserved quarter. At the Orchid Pavilion outside the city, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi composed the Lantingji Xu in 353, the most revered work in Chinese calligraphy.

History

The Kuaiji Mountains south of the city were a centre of the Yue people in the Spring and Autumn period, linked in legend with Yu the Great, and in the early 5th century BC King Goujian had his adviser Fan Li build a fortified town on the plain where Shaoxing's old centre stands. The First Emperor climbed Mount Kuaiji in 210 BC and sacrificed to Yu, the city was called Kuaiji until it took the name Shaoxing, from a Song reign title, in 1131, and in 2010 it celebrated 2,500 years since its founding (Wikipedia, Shaoxing).

The main sights

• The foot-rowed boats - black-canopied wubeng worked with an oar by foot.
• The Lu Xun quarter - the writer's home, school and the Xianheng tavern.
• The Orchid Pavilion - the site of the most famous work in Chinese calligraphy.
• The rice wine - Shaoxing wine cellars, jars and tastings.

When to go

March to May and September to November; summer is hot and humid. The Orchid Pavilion holds a calligraphy gathering each spring. Weekends bring domestic visitors to the Lu Xun sites.

Things to know

The Lu Xun quarter means little without knowing his work, though it is free to enter. Boat rides are short and priced per boat. The city is large and modern outside the preserved areas.

Nearby

Hangzhou lies northwest; Ningbo is east.