Shaoxing

Shaoxing is one of the most culturally storied cities of Zhejiang, a classic 'water town' of stone bridges, canals and black-awning boats east of Hangzhou. Founded over 2,500 years ago as the capital of the ancient Yue kingdom, it is the hometown of writer Lu Xun, calligrapher Wang Xizhi and premier Zhou Enlai. The city gives its name to Shaoxing rice wine, China's most famous yellow wine, still brewed here in traditional cellars. Its old quarters, gardens like Shen Garden and canal-side lanes preserve a distinctly Jiangnan atmosphere. Today Shaoxing is also a textile-industry powerhouse, home to the vast China Textile City market and served by high-speed rail and a growing metro.