Zhejiang Province, 58km (36 miles) SE of Hangzhou, 128km (80 miles) W of Ningbo
Chairman Mao said, "Shaoxing is the home of celebrities," by which he meant a lineup of officially sanctified educators, writers, protorevolutionaries, and Communist cadres, some of whom had fame thrust upon them for propaganda reasons, but whose houses and mansions have as a result been preserved and opened to the public. A quiet, relaxed, waterside town, Shaoxing is the alternative to Zhejiang's capital, Hangzhou, with less reputation but with more to see. It's yet another "Venice of China," and one which you can actually explore by boat. It doesn't receive the volume of visitors it deserves.
Redevelopment has been far kinder here than in most towns, and the main north-south shopping street has been rebuilt with five-story buildings that retain traditional black-and-white tones and other hints of local style, while housing several Hong Kong-clothing names and a lot more besides. But behind all this, many of the older streets survive in areas of ramshackle (and occasionally restored) ancient housing that unexpectedly crop up squeezed between waterways and newer construction.
The gondolas of this "Venice" are the black-awning boats(hei peng chuan),narrow craft with arched, woven bamboo awnings (painted black), propelled by wiry boatmen acrobatically using hands and feet to work the oars.