绍兴
Shaoxing
Shaoxing is a canal city of the old Jiangnan kind, twenty minutes from Hangzhou, where people still live along the water. It has the writer Lu Xun's childhood, the calligrapher Wang Xizhi's pavilion, and the wine that carries its name.
At a glance
- Stay
- 1–2 days
- Best seasons
- Mar–May, Oct–Nov
- Airports
- Rail or road access
- Region
- East China
China Unhurried editorial team · Owner-authored
Places to begin
Make the city tangible.
安昌古镇
Anchang
A small water town half an hour north, famous for soy sauce and winter sausages hung along the canal.
八字桥
Bazi Bridge
A Song stone bridge from 1256 shaped like the character for eight, in a quiet residential canal quarter.
仓桥直街
Cangqiao Straight Street
A kilometre of stone houses on a canal, with bridges every hundred metres and people living in all of it.
鲁迅故里
Lu Xun's Hometown
The writer's family house, the Three Flavours study and the Hundred Plant Garden he wrote about. Free.
兰亭
Orchid Pavilion
Where Wang Xizhi wrote the Orchid Pavilion Preface in 353. Bamboo, a stream and a lot of calligraphy.
沈园
Shen Garden
The Song garden where Lu You met his former wife and wrote the poem on the wall.
大禹陵
Mausoleum of Yu the Great
The site links Mount Kuaiji to the cultural memory of Yu the Great, the flood-control hero and dynastic founder in early Chinese tradition. Temple, stele, ritual axis and later monuments represent centuries of state and local commemoration rather than an archaeologically verified tomb biography. A careful visit separates mythology, ritual history and physical landscape while recognising their combined importance.
绍兴博物馆
Shaoxing Museum
Shaoxing Museum introduces the archaeological culture of ancient Yue and the city's development through weapons, ritual objects, ceramics and material from regional tombs and settlements. Its compact chronology explains the political world behind familiar stories of Goujian and prepares visitors to recognise later canal, bridge and craft traditions. Museum evidence also balances literary tourism with a deeper pre-imperial history.
Local snacks
Taste the city, one dish at a time.
These cards describe dishes, not restaurants. Images are added only after their license and attribution are verified.
Funky, crisp, salty and spicy-sweet
Shaoxing Stinky Tofu
绍兴臭豆腐
Brined tofu is fried until crisp outside and tender inside, then served with chilli or sweet fermented sauce; its aroma comes from controlled fermentation.
Eat immediately and choose a high-turnover vendor with clean brine and frying practices. It contains soy and sauces may include gluten.
Savoury, herbal and gently chewy
Fennel Beans
茴香豆
Broad beans are simmered with fennel, salt and other aromatics until savoury and slightly firm, a modest snack strongly linked to Shaoxing tavern culture and Lu Xun's writing.
Eat in small portions; people with favism must avoid broad beans. Packaged versions can be high in sodium.
Sweet, creamy, crisp and airy
Shaoxing Cream Pastry
奶油小攀
A small tart-like shell holds a sweet egg-white or cream topping that is baked or set until lightly coloured, combining crisp base and airy centre.
Best fresh the same day. It commonly contains gluten, egg and dairy; confirm refrigeration for cream-filled versions.
Cold, creamy, malty and lightly alcoholic
Shaoxing Yellow-wine Popsicle
黄酒棒冰
A modern frozen snack uses Shaoxing rice-wine flavour with milk or a sweet ice base, translating the city's brewing identity into a summer dessert.
Check the label for actual alcohol and dairy. Not suitable for children, pregnancy, driving or alcohol avoidance when alcoholic wine is used.
City essentials
The practical details, when you need them.
Places and local food come first. Open these notes for context, arrival and neighbourhood advice.
Overview+
SHANGHAIANHUIFUJIANJIANGXIShaoxing
The water towns around Shanghai have mostly become open-air museums. Shaoxing has the same canals and stone bridges and never stopped being a working city, so the laundry hangs over the water and the boatmen paddle with their feet because that is how it is done. The old centre is small enough to walk in a morning and interesting enough to stay two nights.
Lu Xun grew up here and his house, school and the garden he wrote about are open and free. Shen Garden is where the poet Lu You met his lost wife. The Orchid Pavilion, outside town, is where Wang Xizhi wrote the most famous piece of calligraphy in the language in 353.
Then there is the wine: amber, warm in winter, drunk from bowls with fennel beans. Yellow wine has been made here for two and a half thousand years. Spring and autumn are the seasons; summer is hot and wet.
Getting there+
**Shaoxing North** is on the high-speed line: Hangzhou East in about 20 minutes, Shanghai Hongqiao in about an hour and 20. From the station, metro line 1 runs into the old town in about 40 minutes and connects at the other end with Hangzhou's metro. The old **Shaoxing** station near the centre serves slower trains. Fly to **Hangzhou (HGH)**.
**Rail tip.** Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=trains&from=city-rail), then go straight to the gate. See [Getting around](/guides/getting-around). The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
**Stay online.** Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — [Saily](/go/saily?from=city-esim) takes US$5 off a first plan with the code **CHINA**. See [Staying online](/guides/staying-online). The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).
Where to stay+
Cangqiao Straight Street and the old town
仓桥直街·古城
The canal street at the centre. Stay in a stone house by the water.
Guesthouses along and behind Cangqiao Zhijie, with the Lu Xun quarter fifteen minutes south. Everything is walkable.
first visitatmospherewalking
Shusheng quarter
书圣故里
The lanes around Wang Xizhi's old home. Quieter canals, fewer visitors.
North-east of the centre around Jiezhu Temple and the Bazi Bridge. Small inns in old courtyards, and the most photogenic water in town.
quietcanals
**Booking.** Compare hotels in Shaoxing on [Trip.com](/go/trip?to=hotels&city=shaoxing&from=city-stay), filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See [Where to stay](/guides/where-to-stay). Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you ([how that works](/about#affiliate)).