Location: located between 2914′ - 3016′ north latitude and 11953′ - 12114′ east longitude,northeast of Zhejiang province, bordering Ningbo in the east and adjacent to Hangzhou in the west

Neighboring Areas: Fujian, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces; Shanghai Municipality

Population: 4.3 million
Urban Population: 324,000
Area: 7,901 sq km

Nationalities: Han

History: an administrative centre and an important agricultural market town since early times; from 770-211 B.C., the capital of the Yue Kingdom

Climatic Features: subtropical zone and monsoon climate featured with wildness and moisture; four distinct seasons

Average Temperature: 16.4C
Rainfall: annual average rainfall of 1300 mm

Products: rice, grain, tea, silk-worm cocoon, cotton and fruitsF

There are a few restaurants around Jiefang Lu, including a small food street, on the intersection of Dong Jie. The Xianheng Restaurant in Xianheng Hotel is one of the most famous restaurants in town, offering decent Shaoxing cuisine as well as western food. Shaoxing food tends to be highly palatable, crisp and glutinous. Dried freshwater fish and Shaoxing Chicken cooked with yellow rice wine are two of the local delicacies.

Locals claim to have been making yellow rice wine round here for over two thousand years. Made from polished glutinous rice, wheat and the water from the local Jian Hu Lake, it is said to be beneficial to the health, though most people use it for cooking rather than drinking.

Another local specialty that you may not be so keen to try is smelly tofu (choudoufu), fermented, deep fried bean curd served with chili sauce on the side. If you have the will to get past its unique aroma, you will find that the taste is not bad.

Since the age of the Hemudu Culture, the people of Yue have lived here for about 7000 years. After his success of flood control, Yu the Great called a gathering of dukes to measure their merits and dispense rewards to them. Thus, Shaoxing had its ancient name - Guiji (Gui means a gathering and Ji means measuring). In the Spring & Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the nation of Yuyue founded the Kingdom OF Yue with its capital of Guiji (current Shaoxing City) as center, becoming one of the various stats during the Spring & Autumn Period. After unifying China, Emperor Qin Shihuang set up Guiji Prefecture (221B.C.) in the former territory of Yue Kingdom. In the first Shaoxing year (1131) of the Southern Song Dynasty, Yoo-hoo Prefecture was upgraded to Shoxing Superior Prefecture. Later in the Yuan Dynasty, it was called Shaoxing Lu (stably defined territory), and in the Ming and Qing Dynasty, it was recovered to be Shaoxing Superior Prefecture. Shaoxing Municipality was set up in 1949, which has Yuecheng District, Shaoxing and Xinchang Counties, and Shangyu, Shengzhou and Zhuji Cities under its jurisdiction at present, with an area of 7901 kilometers and a population of 4.35 million persons.

Related information:

1. China History
   
2. Shaoxing Tours