natural wonder
West Lake, Hangzhou
A UNESCO scenic lake surrounded by temples, pagodas, gardens, and misty hills that has inspired Chinese poets and painters for centuries.
50 km · about 60 min drive
AsiaChinaZhejiang
Shaoxing
Zhejiang, China · Asia
About Shaoxing
Shaoxing sits on the route: 35 minutes from Shangyu, 50km from West Lake, Hangzhou.
Shaoxing is in Zhejiang, China, with about 2.3 million people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Shangyu, about 28 km away.
Shaoxing is a prefecture-level city on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. Located on the south bank of the Qiantang River estuary, it borders Ningbo to the east, Taizhou to the southeast, Jinhua to the southwest, and Hangzhou to the west. As of the 2020 census, its populationRead more
was 5,270,977 inhabitants, among which 2,958,643 (Keqiao, Yuecheng and Shangyu urban districts) lived in the built-up (or metro) area of Hangzhou–Shaoxing, with a total of 13,035,326 inhabitants.
Notable residents of Shaoxing include Wang Xizhi, the parents of Zhou Enlai, Lu Xun, and Cai Yuanpei. It is also noted for Shaoxing wine, meigan cai, and stinky tofu, and was featured on A Bite of China. Its local variety of Chinese opera sung in the local dialect and known as Yue opera is second in popularity only to Peking opera. In 2010, Shaoxing celebrated the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the city.
Economically, the city is driven by manufacturing of textiles, electronics, and energy-efficient lighting. Zhejiang has the fifth highest per capita GDP in the nation among all the provinces and provincial-level municipalities. The city itself ranks at 18th nationally by GDP per capita among all Chinese cities. According to Southern Weekly's Cities Comfort Index, Shaoxing ranked China’s most comfortable city for four consecutive years, due to its rare combination of high incomes, relatively affordable housing, and short commutes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Shaoxing?
Within an hour or so of Shaoxing: West Lake, Hangzhou (50 km).
Where is Shaoxing?
Shaoxing is in Zhejiang, China, about 28 km from Shangyu.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 2,300,000
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- China
- Region
- Zhejiang
- Timezone
- Asia/Shanghai
- Coordinates
- 30.0024, 120.5786
Emergency & Services
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Foreign driving licences and IDPs are not recognised: a temporary Chinese licence is required.
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