Yuyao

Yuyao (余姚) is a city in Zhejiang Province, China. Though off the beaten path for most tourists, the city is a prosperous economic center with a history that stretches back thousands of years.

Get in

By Train

Yuyao North Train Station (Yuyao Bei Chezhan) offers regular high speed service to and from Ningbo, Hangzhou, and other Chinese cities via CRH train. Tickets can be purchased in person or online, but must be picked up at the ticket office in person. The train station is about 25 minutes in a taxi from Yuyao city centre, halfway to the nearby town of Cixi, and should cost around ¥25. Tell the taxi driver that you want to go to Yuyao Bei. Alternatively and far more cheaply, take the 102/103/104 buses from Yuyao city centre to Yuyao Bei Train station. It costs ¥1 for the journey. (There are other bus routes that go to Yuyao Bei station if you ask around.)

There is another older train station in Yuyao, that caters for the slow trains. This is located beside Yuyao High Speed Bus Station (7 Chezhan Road in the city centre).

By Bus

Yuyao is accessible by bus from other neighbouring cities including Hangzhou (two hours), Shanghai, Shaoxing and Ningbo. There are two high-speed intercity bus stations in Yuyao. The North High-Speed bus station (at Yuyao Bei train station - also located here is the North regional bus station) serves Shanghai and Shaoxing and other north-bound destinations. The High Speed bus station in Yuyao city centre is beside the old train station and serves Ningbo and Hangzhou and other towns and cities.

There are four regional bus stations in Yuyao - North (at Yuyao Bei train station), East, West and South. Generally, you should go to the bus station that corresponds to the direction you want to travel in. The main regional bus station in the city centre is the South Bus Station. From here, you can take a multitude of regional buses to the rural outskirts of Yuyao and beyond.

Get around

Taxis and pedicabs (rickshaws) are available in the well-trafficked parts of town. Pedicab rates are negotiable whereas taxis typically are metered (though rates may be negotiated upfront in some cases). Taxis are generally better value than rickshaws. As a general rule of thumb, always go by the meter in China. Yuyao people are generally nice and fair to foreigners, but one should always be aware and practice common sense when using any mode of transportation.

There is a decent network of city buses in Yuyao to get around the city. They cost ¥1. There are also a multitude of regional buses that connect small rural villages with Yuyao.

Understand

Language

Like most Chinese cities, Yuyao has it's own dialect, a language similar to Shanghainese called Yuyaohua. Being able to speak a few words of Yuyao's dialect (something not even expected of Chinese from outside the city) will go a long way towards impressing the locals.

Below are a few useful Yuyaohua terms:

• nongho - hello
• zeiwei - goodbye
• yaya nong - thank you
• zao zong ho - good morning
• wo teng vi deng - I don't understand (what was said)

See

• Dragon Spring Hill (龙泉山) - a wooded hill in the center of Yuyao with parks, walking paths, and a view of the city from atop. Free entrance.
• Museum of Yuyao (余姚博物馆) - a museum at the foot of Dragon Spring Hill detailing the history of Yuyao and showcasing cultural relics recovered from the city and surrounding area. Free entrance.
• Wang Yangming's Residence (王阳明故居), West Yangming Road/阳明西路, ☎ 0574-62634028. Open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. from May to September. 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from October through April. Entrance stops a half hour before closing time. The refurbished residence of Ming Dynasty scholar Wang Yangming is located in the city center. Wang is famed for developing his own school of philosophy and his followers established schools across the Middle Kingdom after his death. Wang's home contains numerous halls with rooms, many of which have been restored and furbished with furniture and furnishings from the dynastic periods. Several of the halls have been converted into exhibition rooms, with occasional English signage, highlighting Wang Yangming's accomplishments and the history of Yuyao. An hour would be enough to wander the maze of rooms and buildings in Wang's home. free.  edit
• Hemudu Site Museum (河姆渡遗址博物馆), Located 25 kilometers outside of Yuyao. (Easiest to get to by private vehicle (40 minutes). Bus route 405 in Yuyao runs to the entrance of the museum several times a day (1 1/2 hours).), [1]. Over 6,000 cultural relics from the region's Neolithic Hemudu culture housed in an excellent museum exhibition (with English signage) and an outdoors exhibit that includes an above-ground path through part of the excavation site and several replica homes based on structures unearthed at Hemudu. Free entrance (as of April 2017).  edit
• Siminghu (四明湖). Located at four North Liang Nongzhen mountain in Yuyao City, be apart from the urban district 10kilometers, beautiful scenery, the rippling lake, the lake add radiance and beauty to each other, the lake area of nearly 20square kilometers.  edit
• Lei Chau Estate (梨洲村). Lizhou village is located in the southern city of Yuyao in the town of 4 bright hill, is a market town is located, the most popular advantage.  edit

Do

A foreigner can find reprise in and around the Grand Pacific Hotel area. While there are not that many foreigner bars, one can find many other foreigner comforts around this area.

Eat

• Nian Gao, a type of cake made from rice flower. It is normally made on, around, or even as far as four months before the Chinese Spring Festival. One can arrange a trip to a traditional house on the outskirts of town to partake in the traditional ways in making it. Inquire with the locals.
• Yangmei, also known as Chinese bayberries, are the region's signature fruit and are ubiquitous during their growing season of June and July. As the berries spoil quickly once picked, some of the freshest selections can be had in Yuyao. Yangmei picking tours can also be arranged locally.

Drink

The Tongji Bridge Area (通济桥区) serves as Yuyao's central bar district. Look for the row of traditional-looking wooden buildings along the south side of the Yaojiang River which contain numerous bars and tea houses.

• River Bar (音乐码头酒吧), (Just downstream from Tongji Bridge). Till 2am(ish). River Bar is a favorite of some of the local English Teachers and fellow expats. The music is generally a bit too loud and the inside can be a bit chaotic, but the atmosphere is distinctly Chinese. The inside is a crossover between a modern bar and a traditional wooden structure. The best part about the bar is the tables by the river outside. If the weather and temp. are cooperating, sit outside and enjoy a beautiful part of Yuyao. Most nights they will have some sort of special deal. Semi-reasonable.  edit

Sleep

• Yonghegong Hotel Yuyao (余姚雍和宫大酒店), :178 West Shengshan Road (Shengshan Xi Lu),Yuyao,, [2]. The Yuyao Yonghegong Hotel (Yuyao Yonghegong Dajiudian) stands in the vibrant downtown area, and is within easy reach of the Yuyao Railway Station.  edit

Splurge

• Grand Pacific Hotel(太平洋大酒店) - a five-star hotel in downtown Yuyao [3]

• Plaza Hotel Yuyao - another five-star hotel, also located in downtown Yuyao [4]

Stay safe

Like most Chinese cities, violent crime in Yuyao is almost nonexistent but theft and pickpocketing is fairly prevalent. Staying vigilant in crowded areas and keeping valuables out of exterior pockets will go a long ways towards protecting your belongings.

Contact

EF Yuyao is one of the numerous english-language schools located in Yuyao. It currently has 12 foreign teachers and english-speaking Chinese staff. It is located at 60-62 Xin Xi Men Road.

Gao Feng Zhong Xue (GaoFeng High School) always has at least one foreign teacher from an English speaking country on staff. Generally, the school is very friendly to foreigners and can help you if you ask.

Get out

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