Newman Huo

TO learn more about China’s culture in literature and calligraphy, a place one should not miss is Shaoxing in Zhejiang Province. A one-day tour of Shaoxing is quite enough for visitors to get a glimpse of the best of Chinese calligraphy, the life story of one of China’s greatest writers in the 20th century and a taste of traditional Chinese architectures dating back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279).

Located in the northern part of Zhejiang Province and south of the Hangzhou Bay, Shaoxing is a historical and cultural city with beautiful rivers and lakes. About 70 kilometers from Hangzhou, the city is sheltered by the Kuaiji Mountain and nestles among Zhejiang Province’s abundant Yangtze-fed waterways.

The 4000-year-old city boasts 229 ancient bridges in various forms, which provide rich resources for man-made landscapes. With gray tiles, whitewashed brick walls and black wooden corridor poles, the simple and elegant traditional residential houses in Shaoxing are reminiscent of the architectural style of the Song Dynasty.

The most famous tourist site in the city pays tribute to Lu Xun (1881-1936), who has been considered one of the leading intellectuals during the May Fourth movement as well as one of the greatest Chinese writers of the 20th century.

Many of the places around Shaoxing mentioned in Lu Xun’s writings can still be found today. One such site is the Xianheng Restaurant, which Lu Xun used as a setting in his story “Kong Yiji.” Today, the restaurant is only a block from Lu Xun’s Memorial Hall. The family house, where Lu Xun was born and lived before he went to study abroad, has been restored to its original condition. To the east of the residence is the famous Sanweishuyu (Three Flavor Study), a private school Lu Xun attended as a child.

After we left Lu Xun’s Former Residence, we decided to go to Shen Garden in a wupeng (black-awning) boat. Peculiar to Shaoxing, the wupeng boats have black awnings. In the past, when waterways prevailed in Shaoxing, the boats were the primary means of transport. Today, they have become a tourist attraction.

Shen Garden, originally built as a private garden in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), attributes its reputation to a love tragedy about the famous poet Lu You (1125-1210) and his wife Tang Wan.

Although they loved each other, the couple had to separate because of interference by their families. Many years later, they met each other again in the private garden. The sentimental poet wrote a sad and moving poem for his beloved and Tang also wrote a poem in reply. Lu’s love for Tang lasted throughout the rest of his life after she passed away in loneliness. The two poems Lu and Tang wrote are engraved in a monument in the garden today.

Another site, the Orchid Pavilion, is connected with Wang Xizhi (321-379), a famed Chinese calligrapher of the East Jin Dynasty (318-420).

Shaoxing originated in the ancient Yue Kingdom and later became the kingdom’s capital. Towards the end of the Warring States Period (770-221 BC), Gou Jian, emperor of the Yue Kingdom, planted an orchid 15 kilometers southwest of Shaoxing, and the site was later called Orchid Hill.

Located at the foot of Orchid Hill, the Orchid Pavilion is considered a sacred site by both Chinese and overseas calligraphers.

Originally from Langya, Shandong Province, Wang Xizhi later settled in Zhejiang Province. He studied calligraphy under his teacher Zhong Yao, but finally created a new elegant and flowing style after absorbing the best of various calligraphers of his day. In 353, the famed calligrapher invited 41 of his close friends to Orchid Pavilion, where they sat along a creek and floated cups full of wine down the creek.

Wang collected 37 poems they made in the gathering and published them as an anthology. The preface Wang wrote for the anthology has been considered one of the classics of Chinese calligraphy. The original preface Wang Xizhi wrote was lost but visitors still can see many copies of imitations that were passed down from the Ming Dynasty in a museum of Chinese calligraphy in the Orchid Pavilion.

Tips

Transportation

Frequent trains run between Shaoxing and Hangzhou, Ningbo and Shanghai (passing through Shaoxing) every day. Buses running between Shanghai and Shaoxing leave every half hour(70 yuan.) Buses between Hangzhou and Shaoxing leave every 10 minutes ( 22 yuan).

Accommodation

The city has a host of hotels of different standards and budget accommodation is easy to find.

Food

Local food takes advantage of the wine called Shaoxing yellow rice wine. The main raw ingredients in Shaoxing food are freshwater fish, shrimp, poultry and bean products. A popular dish is Shaoxing chicken.