Shaoxing (绍兴)

1. Introduction

Shaoxing City (Wu Chinese: Zau Shin), abbreviated as Yue, historically known as Yuezhou, Kuaiji, and Shanyin, is a prefecture-level city under the jurisdiction of Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China. It is located in East China, in the north-central part of Zhejiang Province, on the southern bank of Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang. The city borders Hangzhou to the northwest, faces Jiaxing across the Qiantang River to the north, neighbors Ningbo to the east, adjoins Jinhua to the southwest, and connects with Taizhou to the southeast. Situated in the northern part of the Eastern Zhejiang Basin Hills and the western part of the Ningshao Plain, its terrain is high in the south and low in the north. The Kuaiji Mountains run through the city, with the Zhuji Basin to the west and the Xinsheng Basin to the east. The Cao'e River flows through the northern part of the city into the Qiantang River, while the Puyang River and the Hangyong Canal are located in the western part. The plains on the southern bank of the Qiantang River feature a dense network of waterways and numerous lakes, making it a typical Jiangnan water town. The total area of the city is 8,274.79 square kilometers, and the Municipal People's Government is located at No. 589, Yangjiang West Road, Yuecheng District.

Shaoxing is a National Historical and Cultural City and the center of Yue culture, renowned for its production of yellow wine (also known as laojiu). Shaoxing has a well-developed textile industry, small electric motors, energy-saving lighting, and bio-brewing industries. Its textile export products account for 60% of the world's textile fabric trade volume, and the Shaoxing China Textile City is the world's largest textile trading market.

2. Etymology

The name "Shaoxing" of Shaoxing City originates from its geographical environment and historical background. According to historical records, the name of Shaoxing City can be traced back to the Southern Song Dynasty. During the Southern Song period, the Shaoxing area became a political, economic, and cultural center of the time due to its strategic geographical location. The name "Shaoxing" is composed of two characters: "Shao" and "Xing," which together convey the meaning of "inheritance and prosperity."

3. History

Shaoxing has a history of over 2,500 years, making it one of the oldest cities in China. During the Spring and Autumn period, it served as the capital of the Yue State (later moved to Gusu) and is one of the birthplaces of Wu-Yue culture.

In the early Qin dynasty, it was part of Kuaiji Commandery. In the 25th year of King Zheng of Qin (222 BC), the former Yue territory was established as Kuaiji Commandery, with its seat in Wu County (present-day Suzhou, Jiangsu). In the 37th year of Qin Shi Huang (210 BC), during his eastern tour, the southern part of Kuaiji Commandery was renamed from Dayue to Shanyin. During the Eastern Han dynasty, Kuaiji Commandery was divided, with the area east of the Qiantang River remaining under Kuaiji Commandery, administered from Shanyin. In the Eastern Jin and Southern dynasties, it became Dongyang Prefecture, with its seat in Shanyin. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Yuezhou Chief Command was established. By the late Tang dynasty, the Zhejiang East Circuit Military Commissioner was set up, governing eight prefectures: Yue, Mu, Qu, Wu, Tai, Ming, Kuo, and Wen.

From the Five Dynasties period to the Northern Song dynasty, Shaoxing belonged to the Liangzhe East Circuit, one of the thirteen circuits of Liangzhe, and served as its capital, overseeing Mingzhou, Yuezhou, Taizhou, Chuzhou, Wenzhou, and Wuzhou. Its jurisdiction roughly covered the area south of the Qiantang River in present-day Zhejiang Province. During the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song dynasty, Yuezhou was renamed Shaoxing, meaning "inheriting the legacy and reviving prosperity." It was later elevated to Shaoxing Prefecture, serving as the capital of the Liangzhe East Circuit and the secondary capital of the Southern Song dynasty. In the third year of the Xuantong reign, Shanyin and Kuaiji counties were abolished, with the merger postponed until August, when the seals and archives of the two counties were handed over to the prefecture.

Ying'en Gate
In the first year of the Republic of China (1912), Shaoxing Prefecture was abolished, and the former Shanyin and Kuaiji counties were merged into Shaoxing County, under the jurisdiction of the Zhejiang Military Government. In the third year, the Kuaiji Circuit was established between the province and the county, and Shaoxing County was placed under its jurisdiction. In the sixteenth year, the circuit system was abolished, and Shaoxing County came under direct provincial administration. In the twenty-fourth year, the Shaoxing Administrative Supervision District was established between the province and the county, and Shaoxing County was placed under its jurisdiction. The following year, the districts were numbered, and Shaoxing County was placed under the Third Administrative Supervision District.

In April of the thirtieth year, Japanese forces occupied Shaoxing. The county government relocated successively to Wangtan, Jiang Village, and Qiu Village, with its authority limited to Longhui and Jidong townships. In June, a puppet township association was established in Shaoxing's urban area. In June of the following year, the Wang Jingwei puppet regime established the Shaoxing County Government under the puppet Fifth Special Administrative Office. In August of the thirty-fourth year, the puppet regime collapsed. In the thirty-seventh year, the Third Administrative Supervision District was reorganized into the Second Administrative Supervision District, and Shaoxing County was placed under its jurisdiction.

On May 7, 1949, the People's Liberation Army entered Shaoxing. On June 6, the Shaoxing County People's Government was established, under the Tenth Special Administrative Office of Zhejiang Province. In October, Shaoxing County was divided, and Kuaiji County was established. The urban area was designated as Shaoxing City (county-level). In November, the Tenth Special Administrative Office was renamed the Shaoxing Commissioner's Office, and both counties and the city were placed under its jurisdiction. In 1950, the city was formally established. In February 1953, it was transferred to the Ningbo Regional Commissioner's Office. In January 1962, the urban area was separated to re-establish Shaoxing City, and Xiaoshan County was placed under the jurisdiction of Hangzhou. Later, it underwent changes as Shaoxing Special District and Shaoxing Region, and in July 1983, it was established as a provincial-level city.

In October 2013, the State Council approved the abolition of Shaoxing County and county-level Shangyu City, establishing the Keqiao District and Shangyu District of Shaoxing City. The former towns of Sunduan, Taoyan, and Fusheng in Shaoxing County were placed under the jurisdiction of Yuecheng District, Shaoxing City.

4. Geography

Located in the north-central part of Zhejiang Province, on the southern bank of the Qiantang River, along the Xiaoyong Railway Line and the Hangyong Expressway. It lies between Hangzhou and Ningbo, approximately 67 kilometers northwest of Hangzhou and 108 kilometers east of Ningbo. Situated in the northern part of the eastern Zhejiang hills and the central part of the Ningshao Plain, it is often described as "seven parts mountains, two parts water, and one part farmland." The area is crisscrossed with waterways, earning it the reputation of a water city, the "Capital of Yue," and the "Venice of the East." The urban area of Shaoxing is primarily composed of alluvial plain terrain formed from tidal flats, featuring a dense network of rivers and occasional small alluvial hills. Shangyu and Zhuji are dominated by hilly landscapes, while Xinchang and Shengzhou feature typical mountainous terrain of southeastern Zhejiang, known for their beautiful scenery. The region is extremely rich in natural, historical, and cultural tourism resources, making it a famous tourist destination and a land of renowned scholars. Since ancient times, it has been praised as "the finest landscapes in the southeast belong to Yue, and the most splendid scenery under heaven is found in Kuaiji."

4.1 Climate

Shaoxing has a subtropical monsoon climate characterized by hot summers, mild winters, distinct seasons, and ample sunshine. The annual average temperature ranges from 16-17°C, with the lowest in January at 4-5°C and the highest in July at 28-29°C. The extreme maximum temperature recorded was 42.5°C (on August 7, 2013), and the extreme minimum temperature was -10.2°C (on December 29, 1991). Annual precipitation averages 1400 mm, with about 1800 hours of sunshine per year.

Average Meteorological Data for Shaoxing City, 1981–2010 | Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year | |--------------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------|----------| | Avg High °C (°F) | 8.3 | 10.4 | 14.8 | 21.1 | 26.3 | 28.9 | 33.6 | 32.4 | 27.7 | 22.9 | 17.4 | 11.2 | 21.3 | | | (46.9) | (50.7) | (58.6) | (70.0) | (79.3) | (84.0) | (92.5) | (90.3) | (81.9) | (73.2) | (63.3) | (52.2) | (70.2) | | Daily Mean °C (°F) | 4.5 | 6.4 | 10.3 | 16.3 | 21.6 | 24.9 | 29.1 | 28.3 | 23.8 | 18.5 | 12.7 | 6.7 | 16.9 | | | (40.1) | (43.5) | (50.5) | (61.3) | (70.9) | (76.8) | (84.4) | (82.9) | (74.8) | (65.3) | (54.9) | (44.1) | (62.5) | | Avg Low °C (°F) | 1.7 | 3.4 | 6.9 | 12.4 | 17.7 | 21.6 | 25.5 | 25.1 | 20.9 | 15.1 | 9.1 | 3.3 | 13.6 | | | (35.1) | (38.1) | (44.4) | (54.3) | (63.9) | (70.9) | (77.9) | (77.2) | (69.6) | (59.2) | (48.4) | (37.9) | (56.4) | | Avg Precipitation mm (in) | 85.9 | 86.6 | 144 | 125 | 136.6 | 199.6 | 146.6 | 176 | 150.7 | 79.5 | 80.7 | 58.7 | 1,469.9 | | | (3.38) | (3.41) | (5.67) | (4.92) | (5.38) | (7.86) | (5.77) | (6.93) | (5.93) | (3.13) | (3.18) | (2.31) | (57.87) | | Avg Relative Humidity (%) | 79 | 79 | 78 | 76 | 75 | 81 | 76 | 80 | 84 | 82 | 79 | 77 | 79 |

Data Source: China Meteorological Data Network

5. Administrative Divisions

Shaoxing City currently administers 3 municipal districts, 1 county, and oversees 2 county-level cities on behalf of the province.

• Municipal Districts: Yuecheng District, Keqiao District, Shangyu District
• County-level Cities: Zhuji City, Shengzhou City
• County: Xinchang County

In addition to the formal administrative divisions, Shaoxing City has also established the following economic management zones: Jinghu New Area, National-level Shaoxing Paojiang Economic and Technological Development Zone, and National-level Shaoxing High-tech Industrial Development Zone.

| Division Code | Division Name | Pinyin | Area (km²) | Resident Population (2020 Census) | Government Seat | Postal Code | Subdistricts | Towns | Townships | |-------------------|-------------------|---------------------|----------------|---------------------------------------|---------------------|-----------------|------------------|-----------|---------------| | 330600 | Shaoxing City | Shàoxīng Shì | 8,274.79 | 5,270,977 | Yuecheng District | 312000 | 47 | 49 | 7 | | 330602 | Yuecheng District | Yuèchéng Qū | 532.89 | 1,020,037 | Tashan Subdistrict | 312000 | 16 | 1 | | | 330603 | Keqiao District | Kēqiáo Qū | 1,067.69 | 1,098,859 | Keqiao Subdistrict | 312000 | 11 | 5 | | | 330604 | Shangyu District | Shàngyú Qū | 1,361.06 | 839,747 | Baiguan Subdistrict | 312300 | 7 | 10 | 3 | | 330624 | Xinchang County | Xīnchāng Xiàn | 1,212.70 | 419,036 | Nanming Subdistrict | 312500 | 4 | 6 | 2 | | 330681 | Zhuji City | Zhūjì Shì | 2,311.26 | 1,218,072 | Jiyang Subdistrict | 311800 | 5 | 17 | 1 | | 330683 | Shengzhou City | Shèngzhōu Shì | 1,789.19 | 675,226 | Shanhu Subdistrict | 312400 | 4 | 10 | 1 |

6. Economy

Shaoxing's textile industry, small electric motors, energy-efficient lighting, and biological brewing industry are highly developed. The export products of its textile industry account for 60% of the world's textile fabric transactions. The China Textile City in Shaoxing is the world's largest textile trading market. The city is home to 260 high-tech enterprises supported by the state and is the only "National Technological Innovation Engineering Demonstration City" in Zhejiang Province. Currently, Shaoxing is shifting its focus to emerging industries, emphasizing economic restructuring.

The community of Shaoxing businessmen deeply understands the principle that "under a great reputation, it is difficult to remain for long," forming a stark contrast with the long-renowned Wenzhou merchants. Since ancient times, people from Shaoxing have adhered to the tradition of "no publicity, no exaggeration, no ostentation." In a sense, it is precisely because Shaoxing businessmen avoid empty fame that the collective strength of Shaoxing enterprises has been built. Shaoxing City boasts 26 "China Well-known Trademarks," 51 "China Famous Brand Products," and 5 "China Industry Symbolic Brands." Currently, only six cities in China have received this honor (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wenzhou, Shaoxing, Hangzhou, and Beijing). Correspondingly, Shaoxing, which has always maintained a very low profile, also shows strong momentum in other rankings. Among China's Top 500 Private Enterprises, Shaoxing has 41 listed companies, ranking first in the province. In the 2007 provincial top 100 private enterprises, Shaoxing had 39 companies listed, also ranking first in Zhejiang. The number of listed companies in Shaoxing ranks first among all prefecture-level cities in China (the top five are Shaoxing, Dongguan, Wenzhou, Suzhou, and Jinhua). The low-key approach of Shaoxing businessmen avoids distraction and mental fatigue, and in the long run, it is also safer. Moreover, downplaying the equivalence between the legal entity and its representative is conducive to the sustainable development and succession of Shaoxing enterprises.

On a macro level, Shaoxing's economy is dominated by private industry, with some state-owned telecommunications, chemical, and machinery manufacturing. In the years following 2002, Shaoxing's industrial restructuring made gradual progress. The ratio of the three industries adjusted from 10.5:58.8:30.7 in 2000 to 6.6:61:32.4 in 2005. Grain production remained stable, and the pace of new high-tech agricultural industrialization accelerated. There are over 1,000 leading enterprises in high-tech ecological agriculture and export-oriented economic agriculture. Eighty-nine "ten-thousand-mu" characteristic export agricultural product bases were established. Provincial and municipal investments built 6.5 million mu of agricultural industrialization bases, making it a model for exporting high-profit, high-tech agricultural products. The construction of advanced manufacturing bases progressed steadily, with industrial investment growing at an average annual rate of 41.6%, cumulatively reaching 196.6 billion yuan (2006), which is 3.5 times that of the Ninth Five-Year Plan period. The number of high-tech enterprises at the provincial level and above reached 255. Forty-two new China Well-known Trademarks and China Famous Brand Products were added, earning Shaoxing the title of "China Brand Economy City." The service industry developed well, with the total retail sales of consumer goods increasing from 21.5 billion yuan at the end of the Ninth Five-Year Plan period to 46.2 billion yuan, and total tourism revenue increasing from 5.6 billion yuan to 20.8 billion yuan. The construction of specialized markets continued to advance, the real estate industry developed rapidly, and transportation, communications, information, and logistics industries continued to grow.

In 2010, Shaoxing's GDP ranked 4th in Zhejiang Province, second only to Hangzhou and Ningbo, and close to Wenzhou. Its GDP ranked 37th among domestic cities and 15th among prefecture-level cities (the top five were Suzhou, Wuxi, Foshan, Yantai, and Dongguan). The annual per capita income of urban residents reached 30,164 yuan, ranking first in Zhejiang Province (second was Ningbo with 29,977 yuan). The comprehensive strength of the central city ranked 42nd nationwide (first among medium-sized cities, with Foshan and Taizhou ranking second and third, respectively). Four counties (cities) became national top 100 counties (Shaoxing County (now Keqiao District), Zhuji City, Shangyu City (now Shangyu District), and Shengzhou City). The achievement level of comprehensive well-being in rural areas ranked second in the province (first and third were Ningbo and Huzhou, respectively). Among the national top 1,000 towns, Yangxunqiao Town in Keqiao District ranked fifth nationwide and second in Zhejiang, second only to Liushi Town in Yueqing City, Wenzhou.

Compared with provincial competitors Jinhua and Wenzhou, Shaoxing is characterized by large enterprise scale and sound management systems. Contrary to the situation in most Zhejiang cities where there are many production enterprises but few innovative ones, most of the enterprises that have risen in Shaoxing in recent years are involved in high-tech fields such as optoelectronics, biomedicine, precision instruments, and telecommunications. Compared with Hangzhou and Ningbo, Shaoxing enterprises have a greater advantage in relying on their own strength for independent innovation.

The main problem currently facing Shaoxing enterprises is poor brand awareness. Many capable Shaoxing enterprises have little social influence and are not good at promoting their public image, leading to the perception among the general public that Shaoxing is not an industrially and economically developed area.

Industry is mainly based on three categories: textiles, machinery, and food. Shaoxing's textile industry is particularly developed. Keqiao and Zhuji both have the largest China Textile City trading markets in the country, and exported goods monopolize over 75% of the international textile raw material market, creating huge wealth for Shaoxing County and Zhuji City. Shaoxing County (now Keqiao District), where Keqiao Town is located, also ranks fourth among China's top 100 counties (the top three are Kunshan City in Jiangsu, Cixi City in Zhejiang, and Changshu City in Jiangsu).

A total of 15 Fortune Global 500 companies have established a presence in Shaoxing. Unlike in Jiangsu, most of the Fortune 500 companies in Shaoxing choose to invest by establishing joint ventures with local enterprises and setting up factories elsewhere, ensuring sustainable and viable investment.

6.1 Commercial Banks

Bank of China Bank of Communications Agricultural Bank of China Industrial and Commercial Bank of China China Construction Bank Postal Savings Bank of China Agricultural Development Bank of China China Merchants Bank Shaoxing Bank Shaoxing Hengxin Rural Commercial Bank Ruifeng Bank Shangyu Rural Commercial Bank Zhuji Rural Commercial Bank Industrial Bank China Minsheng Bank China Zheshang Bank Shanghai Pudong Development Bank Bohai Bank Bank of Hangzhou Bank of Shanghai China Everbright Bank China CITIC Bank Huaxia Bank Hengfeng Bank Bank of Beijing China Guangfa Bank Ping An Bank OCBC (China) Bank of Jiaxing Zhejiang Mintai Commercial Bank

6.2 Shaoxing Model

Historically, Shaoxing belonged to Zhedong (Eastern Zhejiang), which had many mountains and hills, unlike Zhexi (Western Zhejiang) on the other side of the Qiantang River, which included Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Huzhou. The Zhedong region had many mountains and little land, forcing many residents to go out for business. The administrative center of Zhedong, Kuaiji, was extremely prosperous during the Tang and Song dynasties. Merchants from Ningbo, Wenzhou, and Taizhou had numerous shops in Shaoxing, and Yuezhou Prefecture became the largest city in Zhedong at that time.

Starting from the Opium War with the opening of Ningbo as a treaty port, Shaoxing's status as the commercial center of Zhedong was gradually replaced by Ningbo. In the 1980s, cities in Zhenan (Southern Zhejiang) represented by Wenzhou and Taizhou also began to become active. By the late 1980s, Shaoxing had become the area with the slowest economic development in Zhedong. After entering the mid-1990s, the extensive economic model of the Zhenan region began to encounter bottlenecks. After learning from the experiences and lessons of Zhenan and Sunan (Southern Jiangsu), Shaoxing began to become the birthplace of the third economic model in the Yangtze River Delta, following Wenzhou and the Su-Xi-Chang region. Its most notable feature is that the wealth gap is smaller than in the Zhenan region, which adopted the Wenzhou model, while the proportion of high-income groups is larger than in the Su-Xi-Chang region, which adopted the Sunan model. It gained fame for being the first city in China to propose the concept of "sustainable development."

Contrary to the Wenzhou method of individual family workshops developing independently and the Sunan method of collective economic development, Shaoxing's new private economy, mainly based on domestic private joint-stock companies, transformed state-owned enterprise joint-stock companies, and foreign private ownership, began to develop quietly in the mid-1990s. After 2005, its GDP rose rapidly domestically, and its economic output approached that of Wenzhou, which has a developed private economy in Zhejiang Province. Because its model differs significantly from the Wenzhou model prevalent in southeastern Zhejiang and the Yiwu area of western Zhejiang, it was called the "Shaoxing Model" in the article "The Miracle of Shaoxing" in the American professional economic review magazine Forbes.

Shaoxing City has 21 national-level industrial bases:

National-level Brewing Industry Research Base – Shaoxing City National-level Textile Industry Base – Keqiao District National-level Textile Equipment Manufacturing Base – Keqiao District National-level LED Light Source Production Base – Shangyu District National-level Low-voltage Lighting Fixture Production Base – Shangyu District Capital of Composite Polyester – Shangyu District National Range Hood Production Base – Xinchang County National-level Longjing Tea Production Base – Xinchang County National-level Metal Pipe Fitting Production Base – Xinchang County Capital of National Light Textile Pattern Research – Keqiao District Capital of National Garment Chemical Dye Research – Yangxunqiao Town Capital of National Steel Structure Enterprises – Qianqing Town National Clothing and Hat Industry Base – Zhuji City National Sock Industry Base – Zhuji City National Necktie Industry Base – Shengzhou City National Freshwater Fish Farming Industrialization Experimental Base – Keqiao District Zhejiang Province LCD Independent Industry Research Base – Shaoxing City National Largest Kitchen Utensil Production Base – Shengzhou City World's Largest Vitamin Production Base – Xinchang County World's Largest Chain Gear Production Base – Shengzhou City National-level Poultry Product Export Fine Processing Base – Keqiao District National-level Biomedicine Research Base – Xinchang County As of the first half of 2008, Shaoxing also had 47 China Well-known Trademarks, 33 China Famous Brands, and 224 National Exemption-from-Inspection Products, ranking among China's six major brand cities.

6.3 Well-known Enterprises

List of the Top 15 Well-known Enterprises in Shaoxing City:Zongheng Holding Group Co., Ltd.
Hailiang Group Co., Ltd. (Ranked first among listed enterprises in Zhejiang)
Yuezhou Construction Group
Zhejiang Far Eastern Chemical Fiber Group Co., Ltd.
Xinhecheng Group (The first stock listed on the SME board in China)
Jinggong Steel Building Group
Zhejiang Dadongnan Group Co., Ltd.
Zhejiang Zhancheng Construction Group Co., Ltd.
Datang Hosiery Co., Ltd.
Guyuelongshan Group Co., Ltd.
Xilinmen Furniture Co., Ltd.
Aonuo Lighting Group
Zhejiang Dongshun Electric Appliance Group Co., Ltd.
Zhejiang Furun Group Co., Ltd.
COFCO Shaoxing Wine Co., Ltd.

7. Transportation

7.1 Highways

Expressways

Possesses 6 expressways.

• G92 Hangzhou Bay Ring Expressway (Hangyong Expressway) traverses the Keqiao District, Yuecheng District, and Shangyu District, connecting to Ningbo, Hangzhou, Shanghai, and Nanjing.
• G1522 Changtai Expressway (Shangshan Expressway) traverses Shangyu District, Shengzhou City, and Xinchang County, connecting to Taizhou, Wenzhou, and Fujian.
• G1512 Yongjin Expressway traverses Zhuji City, Shengzhou City, and Xinchang County, connecting to Ningbo, Yiwu, Jinhua, and Quzhou.
• G60 Hukun Expressway (Hangjinqu Expressway) first has the Yangxunqiao exit in the western part of Keqiao District, then enters Xiaoshan District, and subsequently traverses Zhuji City, connecting southward to Jinhua.
• S24 Shaozhu Expressway starts from the Guzhu Junction on the G1522 Changtai Expressway in Shangyu District and ends at Huandong Subdistrict in Zhuji City on the Zhuyong Expressway, traversing Keqiao District and Yuecheng District.
• S26 Zhuyong Expressway starts north at the Zhibu Junction on the G60 Hukun Expressway, connects east to the Shaozhu Expressway, traverses Zhuji City and connects to Dongyang, with its terminus in Yongjia, Wenzhou.

7.2 National Highways

Within Shaoxing, there are National Highway 104 and National Highway 329.

7.3 Sea-Crossing Bridges

The Jiaxing-Shaoxing Bridge starts north in Haining, Jiaxing and connects south to Shangyu, Shaoxing. It is another bridge spanning the Hangzhou Bay, following the Hangzhou Bay Bridge. The Jiaxing-Shaoxing Bridge is the world's longest and widest multi-pylon cable-stayed bridge.

By the end of 2013, the total road mileage in the city was 9,785.5 kilometers, including 419.57 kilometers of expressways, 472.2 kilometers of national highways, 459.06 kilometers of provincial highways, and 8,829.8 kilometers of rural roads. The road density in the city was 116.12 kilometers per hundred square kilometers, with a 100% road accessibility rate to townships and villages. There were 3,963 bridges, with a total length of 2,170,268.8 meters. The city had 1,885 scheduled route buses with 46,541 seats and 575 chartered buses with 24,250 seats. Road freight vehicles developed from small-tonnage to large-tonnage, from light-duty to heavy-duty and box trucks. Simultaneously, the logistics industry grew rapidly. By the end of 2013, the annual freight volume completed was 85.6 million tons, with a freight turnover of 877.218 billion ton-kilometers, representing year-on-year increases of 6.3% and 7.1%, respectively.

7.4 Aviation

The city shares Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport with Hangzhou, located only 45 kilometers away (the travel time to the urban area is even shorter than from Xiaoshan Airport to Hangzhou). Flights connect to 67 domestic and international destinations. The airport can be reached within half an hour via the Hangyong Expressway and the Airport Expressway.

7.5 Railway

Railways include the Xiaoyong Railway, Hukun Railway, and Hangyong Passenger Dedicated Line. There are five passenger stations: Shaoxing, Shaoxing North, Shangyu, Shaoxing East, and Zhuji, as well as large and medium-sized freight stations such as Qianqing, Gaobu, Shangyu, and Zhuji. Additionally, the Hangyong Passenger Dedicated Line also has Shaoxing North Station. Travel times are approximately 25 minutes to Ningbo, 16 minutes to Hangzhou, 1 hour to Shanghai, and 1.5 hours to Wenzhou from Shaoxing.

7.6 Public Transportation

Shaoxing currently has hundreds of bus routes and BRT lines, as well as the Shaoxing Rail Transit connected to the Hangzhou Metro. The public bicycle system was fully implemented in the urban area in July 2011.

8. Education

Shaoxing has long been known for producing literary figures, and education was highly developed even in ancient times. In modern history, figures like Cai Yuanpei emerged as pioneers of China's modern education.

In contemporary Shaoxing, influenced by objective conditions, the development of education has been relatively slower compared to the Ming and Qing dynasties and even the Republican era, especially in terms of the quantitative growth of higher education, which has faced significant constraints. However, Shaoxing's secondary education still maintains a high standard, and some distinctive higher education institutions have emerged.

8.1 Undergraduate Institutions:

• Shaoxing University
• Zhejiang Yuexiu University of Foreign Languages

8.2 Vocational Colleges:

• Zhejiang Industrial Polytechnic College
• Zhejiang Post and Telecommunication College
• Zhejiang Vocational College of Agriculture and Business
• Shaoxing Vocational & Technical College

8.3 Provincial First-Level Key High Schools:

• Shaoxing No.1 High School
• Xinchang High School
• Shaoxing Jishan High School
• Zhejiang Chunhui High School
• Shangyu High School
• Shaoxing Lu Xun High School
• Shengzhou No.1 High School
• Zhejiang Zhuji High School
• Zhejiang Keqiao High School
• Yueqi High School
• Zhuji Paitou High School
• Zhuji Meichi High School
• Zhuji No.2 High School

8.4 Provincial Second-Level Key High Schools:

• Shaoxing Senior High School, Yuezhou High School

9. Population

According to the Seventh National Population Census in 2020, the city's permanent resident population was 5,270,977. Compared with the 4,912,239 people from the Sixth National Population Census, there was an increase of 358,738 people over the past ten years, representing a growth of 7.3% and an average annual growth rate of 0.71%. Among them, the male population was 2,696,152, accounting for 51.15% of the total population; the female population was 2,574,825, accounting for 48.85% of the total population. The overall sex ratio (with females as 100) was 104.71. The population aged 0–14 was 626,699, accounting for 11.89% of the total population; the population aged 15–59 was 3,453,347, accounting for 65.52% of the total population; the population aged 60 and above was 1,190,931, accounting for 22.59% of the total population, of which the population aged 65 and above was 854,178, accounting for 16.21% of the total population. The urban population was 3,743,366, accounting for 71.02% of the total population; the rural population was 1,527,611, accounting for 28.98% of the total population.

By the end of 2021, Shaoxing's permanent resident population was 5.337 million, an increase of 46,000 from the end of the previous year. The urbanization rate was 71.5%, an increase of 0.5 percentage points from the previous year. The birth rate was 5.9‰, and the death rate was 6.4‰. The total number of registered households was 1.6558 million, an increase of 15,700 households from the previous year. The registered population was 4.4685 million, a decrease of 7,900 from the previous year. Among them, the male population was 2.2191 million, and the female population was 2.2494 million.

9.1. Ethnic Groups

Among the city's permanent resident population, the Han Chinese population was 5,114,289, accounting for 97.03%; the ethnic minority population was 156,688, accounting for 2.97%. Compared with the 2010 Sixth National Population Census, the Han Chinese population increased by 292,925, a growth of 6.08%, with its proportion of the total population decreasing by 1.12 percentage points; the ethnic minority population increased by 65,813, a growth of 72.42%, with its proportion of the total population increasing by 1.12 percentage points.

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10. Culture

Language

The Shaoxing dialect belongs to the Lin-Shao subgroup of the Taihu Lake region within the Wu language family of the Chinese language group. Located only 70 kilometers from Hangzhou, although the dialectal differences are not substantial, they are distinct and can lead to communication barriers (it is difficult for people in the Hangzhou area to understand the Shaoxing dialect, whereas it is relatively easier for those in Shaoxing to understand the Hangzhou dialect). Shaoxing dialect, along with Shanghai, Suzhou, Huzhou, Hangzhou, and Ningbo dialects, belongs to the Northern Wu language group, with a relatively high degree of mutual intelligibility, allowing for basic communication. However, it is essentially impossible to communicate with Southern Wu dialects such as the Taizhou dialect from the nearby Taizhou region and the Wenzhou dialect.

Like most Wu dialects, Shaoxing dialect features voiced initials and lacks retroflex sounds. It does not distinguish between alveolar and palatal consonants and does not use rhotacization. It has the nasal final "n," but this does not serve to distinguish characters. The tones preserve the four tones of Middle Chinese, each divided into yin and yang categories. These characteristics give Shaoxing dialect its distinct features: clear and resonant pronunciation, simple and solid articulation, harmonious and rhythmic connected speech, and a strict arrangement of initials, finals, and tones. The literary and colloquial readings in Shaoxing dialect align with the characteristics of Wu dialects, with significant differences between literary and colloquial pronunciations, while many ancient Central Plains sounds are preserved in the colloquial pronunciation.

Shaoxing Wu dialect is one of the four traditional dialectal reference points in modern linguistics for the Wu language: Suzhou (the standard point for the Su-Hu-Jia region north of Taihu Lake), Wenzhou (the standard point for the Wen-Chu-Tai region), Shaoxing (the standard point for the Lin-Shao region south of Taihu Lake), and Jinhua (the standard point for the Jin-Qu-Wu-Chu region).

Within Shaoxing, the geographical conditions feature mountains in the south and sea in the north, leading to the saying "different accents every ten miles," with significant differences between urban and rural areas. Upon first arriving in Shaoxing, listening to people speak is like "listening to a song," with the pleasant sound of "Yue opera melodies" filling the ears.

11. Sister Cities

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Royan, France
Blois, France
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Lübeck, Germany (2016)
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Naples, Italy
Dong District, Busan, South Korea
Changwon City, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea

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Taking the meaning of "reviving the legacy and rejuvenating the nation."

Yuecheng District

Yuecheng District

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Torreya grandis

Orchid