Gujian Lake in Shaoxing (Photo/Yuan Yun)

Shaoxing, known as "Huaiji" in ancient China, under the jurisdiction of Yuezhou, was once the capital of Yue State during the Spring and Autumn Period in China. With a history of more than 2,500 years, Shaoxing boasts to be one of the famous historical cities in China.

There are lakes and rivers scattering all over, where crow-top boats shuttling around, and the stone bridges are spanned across them, creating the unique scenery of this beautiful watertown. Known as one of China’s most  famous watertowns, Shaoxing enjoys the poetic scenery characterized as "white walls, black tiles, deep lanes, riverside houses, soft sculling and flat boats" and haunts millions of people who are confined to the hustle and bustle of city life. Through all the ages, countless literati have made depictions of the breathtaking scenery, and today, many photographers used their cameras to capture her beauty.

Village Opera in Water Town Shaoxing (Photo/Yuan Yun)

Village Opera is the household folklore activities in Shaoxing, displaying the unique flavor of Yue culture. 

Mr. Lu Xun, a famous writer in Shaoxing, elaborated the festival as follows: "Our eyes were drawn to the stage standing in a plot of empty ground by the river outside the village, hazy in the distant moonlight, barely distinguishable from its surroundings. It seemed that the fairyland I had seen in pictures had come alive here. The boat was moving faster now, and now we could make out figures on the stage and a blaze of bright colors, and the river close to the stage was black with the boat awnings of people who had come to watch the play" (Village Opera by Lu Xun).

Canal pearl East Lake (Photo/Yuan Yun)

Translator: Huang Yan

Editor: Huang Yan