Geographical Location

The city of Shaoxing covers 8256 square kilometers. It has six administrative divisions, Yuecheng District, Keqiao District, Shangyu District, Shengzhou City, Xinchang County, and Zhuji City with a population of 433,000,000, including 620,000 citizens. It has a tropical and subtropical humid monsoon climate, it has a rainfall of 1300 millimeter annually. It is north of Qiantang river with meandering Chao'e river across it, and is a famous watery region in south China.

Shaoxing is situated in the south corner of Yangtze River delta, only 30 kilometers to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, 120 kilometers to famous Beilun Port, 230 kilometers to Shanghai.

Historical Evolution

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 gathered and awarded hundreds of officers in Kuaiji Mountain of Shaoxing and then set up the first dynasty Xia Dynasty in Chinese history. During the Age of Spring and Autumn, about 2500 years ago, Yue State located its capital in Shaoxing. Since then, Shaoxing has nourished a great many celebrities. Yu the Great, Ancestor of the Chinese Nation, Gou Jian, King 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, Qiu Jin, Xu Xilin, Tao Chengzhang, Zhou Enlai, Ma Yinchu, Zhu Kezhen etc. are all celebrities of Shaoxing, so Chairman Mao described it as the city of celebrities.

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 Orchid Pavilion, the Keyan Scenic Spot, the Great Buddhist temple, Five Waterfall in Zhuji, the ancient track road, 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 Jin Dynasty, described the featuring scenery of mountains and water of Shaoxing as: "hundreds of rocks compeling in elegance, while thousands of rivers run for flowing. The green trees and plants are shadowing the mountains, like rosy clouds rising. "

Products and Resources

There are plenty of flavor and specialty in Shaoxing, such as sugariness rice wine, Pingshui gunpowder tea, Shaoxing baked rice cake, Shaoxing fermented bean curd, Sun-dried vegetables, Aniseed flavored bean, freshwater fish, and crisp and fragrant Fengqiao Xiangfei what is only produced in China, Xinchang's Baishu, Xiaojingsheng peanut, tea of great Buddha dragon well, Erdu waxberry, Gaibei grape, Zhuji ginkgo, Shengzhou sweet orange, Shangyu crystal bayberry , Keqiao dried bean curd, Shaoxing sheldrake, Shaoxing Muzi soy sauce, celadon from Yue klin, Shengzhou bamboo handcraft, Kuaiji Yue ink stone, Shaoxing black terai, Shaoxing orchid, Songxia fermented pieces of bean curd, in here, you not only can feast your eyes on, but also feast your stomach on.

Shaoxing's Economic and Social Development Introduction

Shaoxing is located in the south wing of Yangtze River Delta, central-northern part of Zhejiang，and between Hangzhou and Ningbo. With Shaoxing County, Zhuji City, Shangyu City, Shengzhou City, Xinchang County and Yuecheng District under its administration, Shaoxing occupies an area of 8,256 square kilometers and has a population of 4,340,000, among that, downtown area is 362 square kilometers and has a population of 640,000. Shaoxing is one of National Famous Historic and Cultural Cities of the first group, one of Excellent Tourist Cities in China, one of National Sanitary Cities, one of National Model Cities of Environmental Protection, one of National Garden Cities, one of  40 best cities with hard environment for investment, and one of key developed and open cities of south wing of Yangtze River.

Shaoxing is one of the places full of vitality in economic development. Shaoxing generated a gross product of 108.84 billion yuan in 2003, an increase of 15% over the previous year, and per capita gross product on average hit more than 3,000 dollars. Shaoxing economic aggregate was the 29th among national big and medium-sized, per capita gross product was the 24th, and gross financial income reached 10.73 billion yuan, including local financial income of 5.05 billion yuan, rose by 26.3% and 34 % respectively. Fixed assets investment of the whole society hit 53.5 billion yuan, up 45.6%, the total amount of social consumable retail reached 29.2 billion yuan, increased by 12.6%, urban per capita disposable income hit 13,152 yuan, and per capita net income of rural resident reached 6,143, up 12% and 8% respectively. The main features of Shaoxing's economic development are as follows. The first is to give priority to private economy in ownership. Private economy accounts for about 95% of Shaoxing's economic aggregate. The second is the second industry is well developed particularly. The second industry accounts for some 60% of Shaoxing's economic aggregate. In 2003, 31 industrial enterprises realized sales income of more than 1 billion yuan, 5 enterprises hit more than 3 billion yuan's sales income, and Yuandong Chemical Fibre Group reached 5.2 billion yuan's sales income. Light textile industry accounts for more than half industrial aggregate. In the year of 2003, textile enterprises of scale and beyond realized 90.6 billion yuan's sales income, 4.45 billion yuan's profit, which occupied 7% and 12% of the national textile industry respectively. Shaoxing is also a Municipality with strong construction industry. Construction production value of Shaoxing hit 59.9 billion yuan in 2003, standing the leading place in nationwide prefecture-level cities. The third is special markets spreading all over the Municipality. There are 357 commodity trade markets in the whole Municipality, and trade value hit 79.8 billion yuan in 2003, including 42 markets of annual sales exceeding 0.1 billion yuan and 13 markets of annual sales exceeding 1 billion yuan. China Textile Market is the nationwide biggest textile products specialty market and the biggest Asia piece goods distributing center with annual trade value of 24.6 billion yuan. The fourth is block economy has visible characteristics. Based on ordinary folk's economy, with visible regional features in industrial composition, Shaoxing has formed 35 blocks specialty economies with certain scales, such as textile, printing and dyeing industries of Shaoxing County, socks, shirt, pearl, hardware industries of Zhuji City, umbrella, chemical, mechanical and electrical industries of Shangyu City, necktie industry of Shengzhou City, medicine and axletree industries of Xinchang County, and furniture industry of Yuecheng District. The fifth is balancing urban and rural development. Rural industrialization has begun early, counties, cities and district have developed evenly, and urbanization level is comparatively high. Shaoxing County, Zhuji City, Shangyu City and Xinchang County are listed in the nationwide top 100 Counties (Cities), and Shaoxing County ranks the 8th.

Cultural relies and attractive sites are available in many urban and rural locations in Shaoxing due to the municipality's long history and cultural sediment for several thousand years. As the people of Yue have lived here for about 7000 years, Shaoxing is one of birthplace of the Chinese Nation. More than 4000 years ago, after his success of flood control, Yu the Great called a gathering of dukes to measure their merits and dispense rewards to them. Thus, Shaoxing had its ancient name---Guiji (Gui means a gathering and Ji means measuring). In the Spring & Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the King Goujian founded the Kingdom of Yue with its capital of Guiji (current Shaoxing City) as center, and underwent self-imposed hardships so as to strengthen his resolve to bring about a great rejuvenation of Yue. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, Guiji County was set up in the former territory of Yue Kingdom. From Sui Dynasty to late Tang Dynasty, it was called Yue Prefecture. In the Southern Song Dynasty, Yue Prefecture was become temporary Capital twice. In A.D. 1130 of the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Zhao Gou upgraded Yue Prefecture to Shaoxing Superior Prefecture, and in the next year was called the first Shaoxing year. Shaoxing has fostered a galaxy of people with lofty ideals with its beautiful hills and mountains, like Emperor Yu in the Spring & Autumn Period, Gou Jian, King of the ancient Yue Kingdom, Wang Chong, a philosopher in East Han Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, a calligraphy master in Jin Dynasty, politician Xie An, He Zhizhang, a poet of Tang Dynasty, Lu You, a poet in Southern Song Dynasty, Wang Mian, a painter in Yuan Dynasty, Yang Weizhen, a poet in Yuan Dynasty, Wang Yangming, a philosopher in Ming Dynasty, Xu Wei, a painter in Ming Dynasty, Chen Hongshou, Ren Bonian, two painters in Qing Dynasty, Zhang Xuecheng, a historian in Qing Dynasty, Xu Xilin, Qiu Jin, and Tao Chengzhang, three martyrs of Xinhai Revolution in latter-day times, Cai Yuanpei, a great academic master, Lu Xun, a contemporary writer, late Premier Zhou Enlai, as well as current academic authorities like Fan Wenlan, Ma Yingchu and Zhu Kezhen. Chairman Mao Zedong highly praised Shaoxing as "the home of celebrities ". Shaoxing is well known as a state of culture, provided with rich and colorful local dramas and operas such as Yueju Opera, Shaoju Opera, Xinchang Tiaoqiang and Shaoxing Lianhualao, among which Yueju Opera is the nationwide second largest drama. Shaoxing has a number of high-grade cultural establishments such as Shaoxing Grand Theater and Shaoxing Opera Art Center. In recent years, Shaoxing has been chosen as one of National Advanced Cities of Invigorating Municipality through Science, Technology and Education, and one of National Advanced Cities of Establishing Civilization Municipality successively. Shaoxing successfully conducted the First China Shaoxing Luxun Culture & Art Festival last year, and will undertake Shaoxing session and the closing ceremony of the Seventh China Art Festival in the autumn of this year.

Numerous historical sites, and a beautiful landscape with typical characteristics of the south Yangtze River offer abundance tourism resources in Shaoxing. "If one wants enjoy amorous feelings of the south Yangtze River, Shaoxing is the best destination. If one wants to visit an ancient municipality of the south Yangtze River, Shaoxing is also the best destination. If one wants to know the culture of the south Yangtze River, Shaoxing is still the best destination." More than 400 famous poets like Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi and Men Haoran left behind ornate poems praising Shaoxing's hills and waters in history. Shaoxing has eight State-level and Provincial-level landscape and historical spots, including East Lake, which is one of the top famous lakes of Zhejiang Province, and Zhuji's Wuxie waterfall, which is one of the top ten famous waterfalls of Zhejiang Province. Beauty spots like Jianhu Lake, Nanshan Lake, Cao'e River, Nineteen apexes thrilling through cliffs, Yue royal mausoleum in Yin mountain, Orchid Pavilion, Shen's Garden, The Mausoleum of Yu the Great, Xishi's Palace, Cao'e Temple, Cloud Bone of Keyan, Incomplete Rock of Hou Mountain, Great Buddha of Xinchang, Crags of Ease Lake, Track Roads and ancient bridges, and folk houses along rivers are famed far and near. Shaoxing, with its long history and culture and strong amorous feelings of Yue, honored as hometown of water, bridge, rice wine, calligraphy, and celebrity, attracts tourists from local and overseas. The main citywide festivals include China Water City Amorous Feelings Festival, Orchid Pavilion International Calligraphy Festival, and International Textile Expo. Despite the effects of SARS in the year of 2003, Shaoxing's tourism industry realized increase amid stability, receiving 10.28 million person-times of local visitors while gross income of tourism hit 8 billion Yuan.

In recent years, Shaoxing has maintained well trend of sustained, high-rate growth, coordinated, and sound development of economy and society. We have been doing six aspects' work substantially.

First, grasping reform to promote development. In the process of enterprises reform, we adhere to the reform thinking of retreating one step and advancing three steps, namely, retreating one step is to accelerate assets reorganization, making State-owned and collective assets retreating from common competitive industries, advancing three steps is to further develop standardized shareholding economy, further transform enterprises operation mechanism, and further develop non-public economy. The whole Municipality has completed urban and rural reform of State-owned and collective enterprises attaching most importance to property right system, and established new type of labor relationship of employee. The building of modern-enterprise system has continuously advanced. There are 19 listed companies in Shaoxing, forming a Shaoxing board with outstanding achievements and comparatively strong influence. Shaoxing's social security system has established and perfected step by step, and insurance rate of urban and rural pension reached 89% while basic medical insurance number hit 300 thousand. Rural pension system for farmers whose land had been levied has fully established with more than 200 thousand farmers joining the system. Market-oriented employment mechanism has basically formed. In recent six years, nearly 110 thousand unemployed workers have been re-employed. Urban registered jobless rate was 3.8% in 2003. Public institution reform has been advanced in depth, and the property right system reform of production and management type public institutions has primarily completed.

Second, grasping restructuring to promote development. Giving priority to injecting new and high technologies into traditional industries, the competitiveness of industrial economy has been boosting up continuously. In recent three years, accumulative total industrial input of the whole Municipality hit 65 billion Yuan. Shaoxing Municipal Committee and Government worked out the important decision of building advanced manufacturing base last year, according to the decision, through about ten years efforts, Shaoxing will be built into one great center, two great bases, and ten great major producing areas while accelerating to develop high-tech industry. One great center is the international textile center with characteristic of chemical fibre, two great bases are the international fine chemical products manufacturing base giving priority to dispersive dyestuff and the national new type medicine producing base giving priority to chemical materials medicines, and ten great major producing areas are the national major producing areas of ten competitive, characteristic, new and high technological products such as fluorescence display screen. Shaoxing realized total industrial output value of 293.2 billion Yuan in 2003, an increase of 22.7% over the previous year. Attached most importance to develop profitable agriculture, Shaoxing's industrialization level of agriculture has been upgrading constantly. Based on stabilizing overall grain production capability, agricultural configuration adjustment has been further developed in the direction of large scale, characteristic, standardization, and export-oriented. Attached most importance to tourism business and trade, emerging service industry is flourishing increasingly. Many well-known business and trade chain enterprises such as Hoyodo, Yongle Household Electric Appliances, and Lotus have invested in Shaoxing. Service industry of fair and exhibition, real estate, finance, modern logistics, and community has well developed.

Third, grasping open-up to promote development. In terms of attracting foreign investments, the leading role of all levels governments, principal part role of all types of enterprises, and main battlefield role of all zones and gardens have been recognized while trying to live up to having personnel to attract investments, having capital to invite investments, having land to attract investments, having ideas to attract investments, and having fine environment to attract investments. Citywide contract foreign investments hit 1.5 billion dollars, and actual foreign investments reached 0.74 billion dollars in 2003, exceeding 1/3 of accumulative total of past years since the beginning of reform and open-up without exception, up 87.2% and 94.6% on the annual basis respectively. As to foreign trade export, Shaoxing adheres to the exploiting diversification markets, emphasizes to boost main bodies of export, export commodities, and the diversification of export markets, and actively fosters export brands, keeping the continuously fifth year's high increasing rate of more than 40% on self-supported gross export. Total amount of self-supported import and export of Shaoxing hit 5.96 billion dollars in 2003, including self-supported export of 4.53 billion dollars, up 54% and 56.3% respectively. As to foreign cooperation, Shaoxing takes initiative to join the big economic circle of Yangtze River Delta, actively participates in annuls Hangzhou Bay industrial belt construction of Zhejiang Province, deeply implements the strategy of joining Shanghai, and ranks the leading row in the whole Province on foreign projects contracting, export of labor services, and setting up service agencies abroad.

Fourth, grasping urbanization to promote development. In terms of central city planning, Shaoxing has constituted the strategic compendium on Shaoxing's big development, established the big City framework combining four groups of Yuecheng District, Keqiao Town, Paojiang Area and Jiangbin Area with Jinhu New District, and formed the programming system with three urban clusters of Shaoxing-Shangyu, Shengzhou-Xinchang, and Zhuji. As to the protection of ancient municipality, Shaoxing adheres to the principal of overall protection, and decided five historical and cultural protection streets of Bazi Bridge, Yuezi Municipality, Calligraphy Saint's native place, Luxun Road, and West Creek, bringing out the best in each other of protecting f historically and culturally famous city and revealing style and features of the modern city. In terms of the city's infrastructure construction, Shaoxing has invested 16.5 billion Yuan to downtown construction, completing a batch of key projects early or late such as water supply project of Xiaoshun River, City Square, Railway Station Square, general renovation project of moat, sewage treatment project, highway of Shangsan Road, Shaoxing section of Hangzhou-Jinhua-Quzhou highway, electric power and communications projects, realizing smooth highway between county to county, completing one-hour traffic circle liking Shaoxing's downtown area with each county and city's downtown area. The flood-prevention projects of Shaoxing's downtown area and each country and city reached the fifty years and above standard, electric net automatization met national advanced level, and urban garbage realized non-harmful treatment through setting on fire. Shaoxing is one of three experimental units of national ecological municipality construction.

Fifth, grasping comprehensive arrangement to promote development. Shaoxing actively implements the industrialization of agriculture, the industrialization of rural areas the urbanization of rural areas, non-agricultural jobs for farmers, democracy and governing under the rule of law at the grassroots level, and improves urban and rural integration level constantly. Up to the end of last year, Shaoxing had established accumulative total special agricultural base of 1.8 million units of area, and developed agricultural base of 2.26 million units of area outside Shaoxing. All kinds of agricultural giant enterprises hit 1,158. According to the thought of reducing farmers' number and enriching farmers, Shaoxing has actively advanced the work of transferring rural labor and increasing farmers' income, and 60% citywide farmers have been transferred to the second and third industry. In the future five years, Shaoxing will unfold free vocational and technological training for 500 thousand farmers, transfer about 400 thousand surplus rural laborers, enhance villages and towns system planning of country area, and perfect infrastructure distribution of urban and rural integration step by step. Shaoxing has been carrying out the project of one thousand villages' renovation and rebuilding, one thousand river ways' cleaning, and one thousand li's green channels, and strengthening the renovation of rural environment, villages in the municipality, villages of outskirts of the municipality, and villages in the garden. The citywide rural environment has changed greatly.

Sixth, grasping environment construction to promote development. While Shaoxing enhances infrastructure construction and improves hard investment environment constantly, Shaoxing strengthens soft environment construction for sake of service. Since the year of 2000, Shaoxing has carried out the system reform of administrative examinations and approval for three times, reducing Municipal-level examinations and approval proceedings from 1296 to 477, a decrease of 63%. On the base of reduction, Shaoxing has established centralized working institution of administrative examinations and approval, and lived up to successfully done by entering one door, stamping one seal, paying stipulated fees and within promised days. The average promised working days of Municipal-level examinations and approval proceedings are 7.7 days. In May of this year, Shaoxing took the leading in beginning the fourth round the system reform of administrative examinations and approval in Zhejiang Province. In addition, Shaoxing has set up the Mayor's Open Phone Acceptance Center to further receive opinions and proposals from the masses as another channel to help citizens out, established Municipal Bidding Center combing four transactions of construction projects, property rights transactions, land-use rights transactions and government procurement to perfect the market environment of opening, transparency, and fair competition, set up the service center for foreign investment and the environment complaining center of economic development to protect legitimate rights and interests of investors according to law, accelerated the transformation of the government functions, broadly developed organizations efficiency building, and constantly improved government services.

In the near future, the general thought of Shaoxing's economic and social development is to surround One Theme, achieve Two Leads, adhere to Three Policies, and implement Four Strategies.

One Theme is trying hard to achieve great-leap-forward development of Shaoxing's economy and society. That is to enhance regional competitiveness inside, strengthen international competitiveness outside, try all out to upgrade economic construction, try to boost high-rate and sound development, and try for reaching a higher stage of development after an interval of several years.

Two Leads are taking the leads in building a well-off society in an all-round way and basically achieving modernizations. The first step is to take the lead in building a well-off society in an all-round way by the year of 2007, and the second step is to take the lead in basically achieving modernizations by the year of 2015.

Adhering to Three Policies is to insist on grasping comprehensive arrangement inside, integration outside, and upgrading in an all-round way. Grasping comprehensive arrangement inside is to balance urban and rural development, to comprehensively arrange coordinated development of the first, second and tertiary industries, to plan coordinated development of economy and society as a whole, and to balance efficient configuration and integration of all kinds of resources. Grasping integration outside is to integrate into Shanghai, the world economy, surrounding areas, and market economy in terms of space, industry, market, system, and factor. Upgrading in an all-round way is to stick to people oriented, build up the scientific all-round coordinated sustained development outlook, and to upgrade economic and social development level and living standard of the people in an all-round way.

Implementing Four Strategies is to implement the strategies of establishing Municipality by industry, revitalizing Municipality by opening, strengthening Municipality by culture and building Municipality jointly. Establishing Municipality by industry is to make industrialization as an important foundation and qualification of achieving modernization. Revitalizing Municipality by opening is to make opening up to the outside world as an important approach and instrument to achieve great-leap-forward development. Strengthening Municipality by culture is to make culture as a spirit drive and intellectual support of economic and social development. Building Municipality jointly is to make urbanization as an important carrier to fulfill establishing Municipality by industry, revitalizing Municipality by opening, and strengthening Municipality by culture.

According to the thought and current macro-economy circumstances, under the direction of the important thoughts of Deng Xiaoping Theory and "Three Represents", Shaoxing will thoroughly carry out the guiding principles of the Sixteenth National Congress, closely surround the general goal of taking the lead in building well-off society and basically achieving modernizations, firmly build up scientific development outlook, protect, induct and exert enthusiasm of accelerating development in all aspects, advance despite difficulties, seize opportunities, comprehensively arrange and coordinate work, seek rapid development based on high quality, plan scientifically, give prominence to emphases, bend our heads over hard work, raise another new round wave of construction and development, and try hard to create a new situation of Shaoxing's great-leap-forward development of economy and society.

The main expectation goal of Shaoxing's economic and social development in this year is to realize a 12.5% increase of gross citywide production value, a 13.5% increase of local fiscal revenue, a 15% increase of social investment in the fixed assets, a 12% increase of total retail volume of social consumer goods, a 25% increase of total self-supported export value, a 7% increase of urban per capita disposable income, and a 6% increase of rural per capita net income.