[2025 Shaoxing Attraction] Travel Guide for City Square (Updated Feb)

As the New Year bell rings, Shaoxing, a charming ancient city in Jiangnan, has put on a festive new look for the Year of the Snake. Whether you are strolling through the ancient streets or exploring ancient relics, you can feel the unique New Year atmosphere. Next, follow this guide and start your journey to Shaoxing in the Year of the Snake! 🚀 🏞️[Day 1: Encounter History and Nature] • Morning: Lu Xun's Hometown A visit to Shaoxing is incomplete without a visit to Lu Xun's Hometown! Step into this place that carries Lu Xun's childhood memories, with its bluestone roads and white walls with black tiles, and it feels like being transported back to a time full of stories. You can visit Lu Xun's ancestral home, former residence, and Sanwei Study, and experience the real Baicao Garden and Sanwei Study described in his works. Here, you can also see many New Year decorations for the Year of the Snake, and you might even find some creative elements related to Lu Xun's works. Take some photos, as it is very memorable. 📸 • Noon: Xianheng Hotel After a tiring walk, head to the famous Xianheng Hotel to taste authentic Shaoxing cuisine. Enjoy a bowl of steaming Shaoxing rice wine, paired with specialties like fennel beans, stinky tofu, and braised pork with preserved vegetables, and savor the taste of Shaoxing. During the Spring Festival, Xianheng Hotel will also have special decorations, and you might even encounter some "Kong Yiji" in ancient costumes! 🍷 • Afternoon: East Lake Scenic Area In the afternoon, head to East Lake Scenic Area. Here, you can enjoy the unique mountain and water scenery, take a boat tour, and admire the cliffs and clear lake water on both sides, as if you are in a landscape painting. During the New Year, the scenic area will also host some folk activities, such as dragon and lion dance performances, adding a lively atmosphere to the tranquil mountains and waters. 🎊 🏮[Day 2: Experience the Charm of Water Towns] • Morning: Anchang Ancient Town On the second morning, head to Anchang Ancient Town. This is an authentic water town, without too much commercialization. Stroll along the ancient streets, admire the ancient bridges and alleys, and feel the tranquility and simplicity of Jiangnan water towns. During the Spring Festival, the ancient town is filled with red lanterns, festive couplets, and the character "Fu" (fortune), creating a strong New Year atmosphere. You can also see traditional handicrafts such as making sausages and pulling white sugar, and taste various local snacks. 🍬 • Noon: Ancient Town Snack Street On the snack street in the ancient town, various delicacies await you. In addition to the aforementioned sausages and white sugar, there are also specialties like cream puffs and rice wine popsicles, each bite full of the taste of water towns. Find a riverside shop, sit down and slowly savor the food, enjoy the water town scenery outside the window, and have a leisurely time. 🍧 • Afternoon: Shiye Museum To learn about the history and culture of Shaoxing, Shiye Museum is a good choice. Here, you can learn about the unique profession of Shiye and their role and influence in history. The museum displays many artifacts and materials related to Shiye, and through vivid displays, you can gain a deeper understanding of Shaoxing's Shiye culture. 📚 🎆[Day 3: Explore Buddhist Culture and Leisure Time] • Morning: Lufeng Zen Temple For New Year blessings, Lufeng Zen Temple is a great place to visit. This thousand-year-old temple is located on Xianglu Peak in Kuaiji Mountain, with beautiful scenery. Climb to the top of the mountain, overlook the beautiful scenery of Shaoxing City, and feel the charm of nature. In the temple, you can burn incense and pray for peace and smoothness in the new year. During the Spring Festival, the temple will also host some Dharma assemblies, allowing you to experience the rich Buddhist cultural atmosphere. 🙏 • Noon: Nearby Farmhouse After descending from Lufeng Zen Temple, enjoy a farmhouse meal at a nearby farmhouse. Fresh ingredients and simple cooking methods allow you to taste the purest flavors. Dishes like chicken soup, braised pork with dried bamboo shoots, and stir-fried seasonal vegetables are all good choices. 🥗 • Afternoon: City Square In the afternoon, return to the city and visit City Square. This is a great place for Shaoxing residents to relax and entertain, with spacious squares, beautiful gardens, and modern buildings. During the Spring Festival, various cultural performances and exhibitions will be held in the square, allowing you to enjoy leisure time while experiencing the cultural vitality of Shaoxing. 🎭 💖The beauty of Shaoxing needs to be savored slowly. In this New Year of the Snake, come to Shaoxing to experience the charm of the ancient city and leave with beautiful memories! Remember to plan your itinerary in advance and book your hotel to make your trip smoother! 🎉

🌈 After reading the recommendations from Shaoxing Travel, I decided to visit this underrated gem of a city! The Lunar New Year atmosphere in Shaoxing Ancient City is really strong this year! There are lanterns everywhere, traditional folk performances, a New Year market, and free tourist buses! 📍Location: Shaoxing City Square, Ying'en Gate 🚗Transportation: Take a high-speed train to "Shaoxing North" and then take a taxi for about 20 minutes, or take Metro Line 1 from Shaoxing Railway Station. If you drive, you can park directly at the City Square parking lot (parking spaces are limited, and there are many people on Cangqiao Straight Street nearby). 🍀Tickets: Free! 🕓Lantern Festival: January 22–February 12, 2025 (there is an event schedule on site) ✅Lighting time: 17:30–21:30 🏠City Square There are dragon and lion dances, carp lanterns, Hanfu parades, stilt walking, opera, and Song Dynasty art performances. There are also traditional New Year customs such as rolling New Year paintings, making rice cakes, and pulling white sugar, as well as a New Year market! There are also events to welcome the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the first lunar month and a lantern riddle guessing event on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month (see the event schedule on site). 🌸Tips: You can also visit the 30° North Latitude Exhibition Hall and Cangqiao Straight Street next to City Square! 🏠Ying'en Gate: There is a 3D city wall light show, a drum beating and blessing event, and opera performances! 🌸There are also special snack stalls and small shops in the Water Street area. 🔥Tips: It is recommended to visit at night when there are more people and it is more lively. The lights are also beautiful, but remember to keep warm in the cold weather!

☀️After leaving Donghu, I took a bus back to Jiefang North Road, the central axis of Shaoxing Ancient City, and prepared to go to the City Square Station to take the subway back to Hangzhou to catch a flight. Going north along Jiefang North Road, I saw a white marble statue of the martyr Qiu Jin on the side of the road, and there was a monument in the middle of the road. ✔️This place is called Xuantingkou, and the monument is located where Qiu Jin was executed. Qiu Jin is one of the "Three Heroes of the 1911 Revolution". In 1907, she and Xu Xilin and others organized the Restoration Army, planned to rebel on July 6, and was arrested and executed calmly at Xuantingkou on July 16. The monument was completed in November 1933, and the body of the monument was engraved with seven golden characters "Qiu Jin Martyr Monument". ✔️Not far ahead is the subway station. There is a pagoda on the square across the road, which is antique and has a charm. ✔️In the middle of the square is an octagonal building called the 30 Degrees North Latitude Exhibition Hall, which is also a large sports venue. The south side of the square is Shaoxing Grand Theater. When I came to the pagoda, there was a Shaoxing Ancient City Map Garden built here, and the map of Shaoxing Ancient City was engraved on the ground. ✔️Standing in the Map Garden, you can see the whole view of the pagoda. This is a hexagonal seven-story pagoda, which is thin and tall. ✔️The pagoda is called Dashan Pagoda, which was built in the third year of Tianjian in the Liang Dynasty (504). At that time, there was a woman from the Qian family who unfortunately died before she got married. She left a will to build a temple with her dowry. Later, Huang Yuanbao gave up the land, and the monk Chengguan was in charge of the construction of Dashan Temple, and a seven-story stupa was built next to the main hall. ✔️After the completion of Dashan Temple, it became a famous ancient temple in Yuezhong. During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed Kaiyuan Temple. Many high monks stayed here to preach, and it was prosperous for a while. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, another Kaiyuan Temple was built in Yuezhou, and Dashan Temple was renamed. In the third year of Qingyuan in the Southern Song Dynasty (1197), the temple was destroyed by fire, and it was rebuilt during the Shaoding period of the Southern Song Dynasty. After that, there were many repairs, until the Republic of China, Buddhism gradually declined, and the temple was damaged. After the liberation, the government allocated funds to rebuild Dashan Pagoda, and the temple foundation was gradually used for other purposes, leaving only this pagoda.