Located south of China Hangzhou Bay in the midst of a flat plain crisscrossed by waterways and surrounded by low hills, SHAOXING is one of the oldest cities in Zhejiang, having established itself as a regional centre in the fifth century BC. During the intervening centuries - especially under the Song, when the imperial court was based in neighbouring Hangzhou - Shaoxing remained a flourishing city, though the lack of direct access to the sea has always kept it out of the front line of events.

For the visitor, Shaoxing is a quieter and more intimate version of Suzhou, combining some attractive little sights with great opportunities for boating round classic Chinese countryside. It's a small city that seems to have played a disproportionately large role in Chinese legend and culture - some of China's more colourful characters came from here, including the mythical tamer of floods Yu the Great, the wife-murdering Ming painter Xin Wei, the female revolutionary hero Qiu Jin, and the great twentieth-century writer Lu Xun, all of whom have left their mark on the city.

Shaoxing lies near Jian Hu , whose water's unusual clarity have made the city known throughout China for its alcohol. Most famous are the city's sweet yellow rice wine , a favourite of so many Chinese recipe books worldwide, and its ruby-coloured nu'er hong wine , traditionally the wine brides sipped to toast their new husbands, bought when the daughter was born and buried in the backyard to age. Although sometimes recommended as a day trip from Hangzhou, a single day is definitely not enough to do justice to the town and its surroundings. And, if any added incentive is needed, hotel accommodation in Shaoxing is cheap.