Water Village Evening Reflections: Ancient Bridges and Old Houses in Shaoxing

Author: Dong Jiancheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-03-01
Features: Shaoxing, located on the southern bank of the Qiantang River in the Hangzhou Bay area of Zhejiang Province, is situated in the western part of the Ning-Shao Plain. To the south, the magnificent Tiantai Mountains rise, while to the east, middle, and west, there are the picturesque Mount Siming, Mount Kuaiji, and Mount Longmen, forming a "mountain" shaped framework. The Cao'e and Puyang Rivers meander through the area, creating three basins—Xinsheng, Zhangzhen, and Zhuji—as well as the Shao-Yu Plain in the north. The name "Shaoxing" originated in the 1930s of the 11th century. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou, fleeing from the Jin army, sought refuge on a fishing boat in the East Sea. After the Jin army retreated, Zhao Gou returned by sea and temporarily stayed in Yuezhou. The officials of Yuezhou jointly submitted a request for Emperor Gaozong to inscribe the name of the prefecture. At the time, the Jin army had just been defeated, and the Song Dynasty had experienced a temporary revival. Following the meaning of "continuing the dynasty's revival," Zhao Gou renamed Yuezhou as "Shaoxing Prefecture." From then on, the name "Shaoxing" became widely known, while "Yuezhou" gradually faded into obscurity.