Shaoxing is situated in the south corner of Yangtze River Delta, between Hangzhou and Ningbo. It is only 30 km to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, 120 km to the famous Beilun Port, and 230 km to Shanghai.

Shaoxing has a tropical and subtropical humid monsoon climate; it has a rainfall of 1,300 mm annually. It is a famous watery region in south China.

The city of Shaoxing is one of the first 24 famous historic-cultural cities of China announced by the State Council of China. In 2070 B.C., Yu the Great set up the first dynasty in Chinese history—Xia Dynasty in Kuaiji Mountain of Shaoxing. During the Spring and Autumn Period, about 2500 years ago, Yue State also located its capital in Shaoxing.

Since then, Shaoxing has nourished a great many celebrities. Yu the Great, Ancestor of the Chinese Nation, Gou Jian, Emperor of the Yue State, Lu You, a great patriotic poet, painters—Xu Wei, Zhao Zhiqian and Ren Bonian; in late history, Cai Yuanpei, Lu Xun, Xu Xilin, Zhou Enlai,

Ma Yinchu, Zhu Kezhen, etc. are all celebrities of Shaoxing, so Chairman Mao described it as the City of Elites.

The famous scenic spots in Shaoxing show the integration of a 4000-year-history and civilization of China, classic architectural culture and landscape of the water country of southern China, and depict a splendid historic picture. There are countless beautiful landscapes and rich cultural relics, such as Kuaiji Mountain, The Mausoleum of Yu the Great, the former residence of Lu Xun, East Lake, the Lanting Pavilion (Orchid Pavilion), the Keyan Scenic Spot, the Dafo Temple (the Great Buddhist Temple), Five Waterfall in Zhuji, the ancient track road, the circling river around the city, the Shen Family Garden, the ancestral residence of Zhou Enlai, etc.

Shaoxing has been long renowned for being the town of canals, bridges, Yellow Wine, and orchids. It is calculated that Shaoxing received 100 million visitors in 2003. Gu Kaizhi, the great painter of the Jin Dynasty, described the featuring scenery of mountains and water of Shaoxing as

“hundreds of rocks competing in elegance, while thousands of rivers run for flowing. The green trees and plants are shadowing the mountains like rosy clouds rising".

The city of Shaoxing is one of the first historic-cultural cities of China announced by the State Council of China possessing 2500 years of architectural history. Shaoxing has long been renowned for being the Town of Canals, Bridges, Yellow Wine, Culture, and Penmanship.

There are many kinds of operas in Shaoxing which are very famous in China. So it plays an important role in Shaoxing culture history which includes Yue Opera and Shaoxing Opera. Yue Opera is the second largest one in China. These operas are very popular among local residents.

(Edited by Ye Ke)