This trip to Zhejiang took place during the National Day holiday, but I procrastinated for so long that I only had time to organize these notes at the end of the year. The itinerary included Shaoxing, Xianju, and Ningbo, which counted as off-peak travel. Having visited Shaoxing so many times, I feel the quality of its scenic spots is actually quite mediocre; most of them essentially pick a story and then build a world around it. Nevertheless, it’s still very enjoyable to go out for a walk when the weather is nice.
Shaoxing Keyan is a 4A-rated scenic area that integrates Shaoxing’s water town charm, ancient quarry relics, and forest ecology into one destination, comprising four major zones: Keyan, Jianhu Lake, Lu Town, and Xianglin. During the Three Kingdoms period, Mount Ke was already an excellent quarry; due to its superior stone quality, people flocked here to extract stone for transport to various regions. Additionally, the Lu Town scenic area is a recreated cultural theme park built based on the “Lu Town” depicted in Lu Xun’s writings. Combined with Shaoxing’s traditional culture, it offers a more complete presentation of the region’s water streets and ancient towns.
We didn’t arrive at Keyan until after 12 o’clock. There are plenty of parking lots at Keyan, but if you arrive late, you’ll have to park quite far away. There’s a KFC and a Starbucks right at the entrance of the scenic area, which solved our lunch problem. Plus, if you spend 60 yuan or more at Starbucks, you get 3 hours of free parking—just remember not to use your Starbucks Stars to redeem this perk~~
The scenic area basically operates on a combo ticket system that includes two boat rides, allowing you to visit all the attractions without backtracking. There are two routes: either take a boat from Lu Town to the Jianhu Lake scenic area and then to Keyan, or do it in reverse. We started from Lu Town. Lu Town can be considered a modern-day ancient town, but unfortunately, its commercial scene isn’t very developed, and there aren’t any particularly attractive shops. The sights inside are mostly statues or memorial archways—all newly built and rather uninteresting.
You can take a boat from the Lu Town pier to reach the Jianhu Lake scenic area. From the boat, you can see a golf course on the opposite bank, and the surroundings are quite pleasant~ As for the Jianhu Lake scenic area itself, it basically feels like just a filler attraction. There’s also a glass walkway over the lake, but it looks very crudely constructed.
Afterward, we took another boat to the Keyan scenic area. The Keyan scenic area is actually quite impressive; for instance, this Water Village Folk Opera performance is very distinctive and makes for great photos.
The Seven Star Rocks area is also beautiful. It’s almost completely invisible from the outside, so it’s easy to miss. You first have to pass through a Seven Star Rocks exhibition hall before reaching the actual scenic spot.
By the water, there are not only inscriptions but also a sign reading “Water Depth: 35 Meters.”
Further along, we came across Keyan’s two most famous attractions: the “Heavenly Craft Buddha” and the “Strange Cloud Stone Bone.” The “Heavenly Craft Buddha” was carved during the Sui Dynasty, taking three generations of stonemasons to complete, and it possesses a truly majestic presence. Meanwhile, the “Strange Cloud Stone Bone” is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, resembling an upside-down pagoda.
As for these two routes, if you start with Keyan, you’ll see the best sights first, making the rest of the tour feel rather dull. On the other hand, if you start with Lu Town, the beginning is boring, but you might find some small surprises toward the end… I’d suggest avoiding the main crowds and choosing the less popular route. After all, if there are too many people, you’ll end up waiting in long lines just to get on a boat~~~
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