Brief Intro to Shaoxing

Editor's Notes

• #2: This is a brief introduction to Shaoxing, including some general information, the history, unique characteristics, the modern society, and Education. It also introduces Shaoxing University and its academic year & point mixed system.
• #3: This map shows where I come from. I took it on the airplane.
• #4: This is China, almost as big as USA. My hometown, Shaoxing, is on middle-east of China, very close to the famous Chinese Metropolis, Shanghai. In fact, they are both on Yangtze River Delta Economic Belt, which is one of the most advanced areas in China.
• #5: In China, we have provinces vs. states in USA. And Shaoxing is in northern Zhejiang Province. When we say Shaoxing, it can mean the Shaoxing District, similar to a county in USA. It can also mean the Shaoxing Town, the capital of Shaoxing District. But people in Shaoxing usually call it “City Yue.” This map shows the Shaoxing Town. You can tell there are lots of rivers. That’s why we sometimes introduce it as “the city of rivers”.
• #6: In China, people like to live in downtown, because life there is more convenient. So, people go out of town for work in the morning and return to downtown in the evening. This creates a lot of traffic jams during the rush-hours. For example, normally, I can drive to my University in about 10 minutes, but at least 30 minutes during the rush hours.
• #7: The climate in Shaoxing is subtropical monsoon. It has four distinctive seasons. In general, it is mild and humid and has many rainy days. Summer is hot and winter is cold. Though the temperature in winter is normally above zero degree (Celsius), I feel more comfortable in Sault Ste. Marie than In Shaoxing now.
• #9: This is not the real palace of Yue. People built this to commemorate Goujian. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times. The last time it was destroyed was in World War II, and rebuilt in 1981. The bricks used to build the base are the same used in Song Dynasty, about 1000 years ago. There are a lot of places named after Yue. For example, Village Shangzhao means forge, which was Goujian’s secret weapon factory.
• #10: Shaoxing was also called “A City of Rice and Fish”. But about 1900 years ago, it suffered from flood. The mayor of Shaoxing, MaZhen decided to conquer the flood. Finally, he built the Lake Mirror. The lake guaranteed the bloom of agriculture, but affected rich people’s benefits. They tricked the Emperor to kill Ma Zhen. Now Lake Mirror is only 10% as big as the original (50,000 acres), but it’s still very beautiful and important.
• #11: My father told me that almost every street in downtown Shaoxing was a river, like the photo on top. Now the main streets in Shaoxing look like the photo at the bottom. What a difference! Still, there are lots of places named after bridges, but no sight of bridges at all. How sad!
• #12: The “八字” Bridge (Ba Zi Bridge): The bridge crosses three streets and three rivers.
• #13: 2,000 years ago, the East Lake was a quarry. One of the kings of Yue mined stones from here to build the city Yue. They cut half the mountain and dug so deep that it became a lake.
• #14: If you really want to experience the traditional Shaoxing, you can go to Anchang. It’s a small town and only about a 20-minute drive way from downtown.
• #15: People in Shaoxing like to prepare food from chicken, river Fish, river shrimp and soya beans. When cooking, we tend to keep the original taste of the ingredients. So we will not use too much oil or spice, and stew is the main cooking method.
• #16: Shaoxing wine, also called yellow rice wine, is made from cooked rice or wheat. The color of Shaoxing wine is brown and lucid, because of the natural pigment of rice, and a little caramel (焦糖）that is added. One secret of the delicious Shaoxing cuisine is the addition of a small portion of Shaoxing wine. It makes the dish smell and taste so good!
• #17: Average family‘s income and expenses
• #18: As I said earlier, there are only few segments of traditional scenes left in downtown. This is how the old downtown looks like.
• #19: I used to live here with my parents.
• #20: Now, I lives here, very close to the old downtown. There is a new central business block named Di Dang New City, where there are biggest Shopping malls and highest buildings in Shaoxing, and I enjoy my apartment very much. In China, only rich people can afford a house in cities. The majority people live in apartments.
• #21: This Di Dang New City. Do you see a KFC?
• #23: I often go to this park for a walk in the evening. In summer, many children play with the musical fountain. Water comes from small holes on the floor with different color lights, no one can stop these naughty children from stepping on it and getting wet all over.
• #24: In fact, people believe working hard is the only way to live better. So there are almost no severe criminal activities in Shaoxing.
• #28: Standard tuition at higher learning in China starting at $600 a year depending on the degree programs Housing cost: about $200 year
• #31: If you would like to know more about China, you may watch “China From Above.”