Happy TravellerWelcome to Yuyao, a county-level city located in the northeast of Zhejiang province, China. Yuyao is under the jurisdiction of the sub-provincial city of Ningbo and offers a wide variety of landscapes from the wide open ocean in Hangzhou Bay to rice fields in fertile plains and high spires in Siming Mountains. The city covers an area of 1,527 km2 (590 sq mi) and has a population of 1.6 million people. However, the official census only records 1,254,032 inhabitants, not including migrated workers and their families.
Yuyao lies in a subtropical monsoon zone, rich in sunshine and rainfall, warm and humid, distinct in the four seasons. The mean annual sunshine is 2,061 hours, and the annual rate of sunshine is 47%. The mean annual temperature is 16 degrees Celsius, and the coldest months perennially are January and February, while the hottest are July and August. The mean annual precipitation is around 1,300 millimeters and changes greatly from year to year. The hyetal distribution is also uneven during a year, and the rainfall centers on the East Asian rainy season from April to June and typhoon period from July to December.
Yuyao has a rich heritage of civilization, and the Neolithic Hemudu culture formed in Yuyao about 5,000 B.C. is one of the earliest sites of human civilization on earth. The city also produced many famous scholars in history—for example, Yan Zi-Ling during the Han dynasty; Yu Fan during the Three Kingdoms period; Yu Xi during the Jin dynasty; Yu Shinan during the Sui and Tang dynasties; and Wang Yangming, Zhu Shunshui, and Huang Zongxi during the Ming dynasty. Yuyao was then named as the Most Famous County and the Famous State on Literature. During the Anti-Japanese War, Yuyao was one of China’s 19 bases against Japanese invaders and was the center of anti-Japanese bases of eastern Zhejiang province.
Yuyao’s economy has been booming as private enterprises dominate after the economic reform began in late 1970s. In 2007, GDP reached RMB 34 billion, with double-digit annual growth rates over the past 20 years. It ranked as one of the top-20 counties in terms of comprehensive economic strength out of all the 2100 counties in China. The industry products are mainly electric appliances, plastic molding, machinery, and textiles. High-tech industries such as materials, optical, electro-mechanical integration, and fine chemical industry are developing rapidly. The main agriculture, forestry, and animal husbandry products of Yuyao are tea, fruits like waxberry and mandarin orange, bamboo, silkworm, fowl, livestock, and fish. Fresh produce is available in all seasons.
Yuyao is easily accessible via the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway and China National Highway 329 and Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Railway. The world’s longest trans-oceanic bridge – the 36 km (22 mi) Hangzhou Bay Bridge – was recently completed construction near the northern border of Yuyao. It reduced the cross-bay traffic to only 80 km (50 mi) from the current 420 km (260 mi) section of Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway around Hangzhou Bay.
In conclusion, Yuyao is a hidden gem in China that boasts rich history, breathtaking landscapes, and delicious local cuisine. It is a perfect destination for travelers who want to explore China’s lesser-known but equally stunning cities.
