Shaoxing lies in northern Zhejiang Province on the southern shore of the Hangzhou Bay. A famous ancient city south of the Yangtze River and the hometown of Lu Xun (1881-1936), China's great twentieth century writer, it was the capital of the State of Yue of the Spring and Autumn Period some two thousand years ago. Shaoxing is a town of rivers and canals, arch bridges and boats. Tourists will find a number of interesting places to visit in the city and its vicinity.
King Yu Temple and Tomb
This site is located four kilometers southeast of Shaoxing. King Yu or the Great Yu was believed to be the King of Xia, the legendary first Chinese dynasty of the twenty-second to sixteenth century B.C. He was remembered for his extraordinary efforts in flood control. The temple which was first built in the sixth century and has since been rebuilt on many occasions is composed of Meridian Gate (Wumen), Memorial Hall, and the Main Hall, all built on the same axis. Da Yu's statue stands inside the magnificent twenty-four-meter-high Main Hall, which is double-eaved with painted ridge poles and engraved beams. The Goulou Pavilion in front of meridian Gate houses a monument, also named Goulou, which is said to have been erected by King yu when he was taming the flood. In the Burial Stone Pavilion (Bianshiting) east of the temple is a two-meter-high cone-shaped stone believed to have been used at King Yu's funeral. King Yu's tomb sits to the left of the temple.
Lanting Pavilion
Located at the foot of Lanzhou Hill fourteen kilometers southwest of Shaoxing, this pavilion is where the master calligrapher Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) wrote a famous essay about his meeting with some friends here in 353. The existing garden and buildings were rebuilt in 1548. A small stream, called Curved Stream (Qushui), runs through the secluded garden, with Liushang Pavilion on its bank. Nearby, at Goose Pond (Echi), there is another pavilion which houses a stone tablet engraved with two Chinese characters: "E, Chi," said to be in Wang Xizhi's brush writing.
Lu Xun's Former Residence
The residence, a two-storied wooden structure in traditional style, is found at 208 Lu Xun Road in Shaoxing. Lu Xun lived here until he went to study abroad. He received revolutionary soldiers and young students here from 1910 to 1912 when he returned home to teach in a local school, and it was here that he wrote his first novel. To the east of the residence is the Three Flavor Study (Sanweishuyu), a private school that Lu Xun attended during his childhood.
