3 Best Sights in Eastern China, China

The city's quiet northern neighborhoods are great places to wander, with several historic homes and temples that are now preserved as museums. The largest is Cai Yuanpei's house. Once the president of Peking University, Cai was a famous democratic revolutionary and educator during the republic, and his family's large compound is decorated with period furniture.

As its name implies, Lu Xun Native Place is devoted to the literary giant and social critic Lu Xun. In this historic quarter, visit the Lu Xun Family Home (241 Luxun Zhong Lu, 0575/8513–2084; free entry, passport required), where the writer was born. His extended family lived around him in a series of courtyards, and today, you can tour this traditional Shaoxing home and see some beautiful antique furniture.

To avoid the crowds, visit in the morning or early evenings.

Down the street is the local school where Lu honed his writing skills, as well as a large square and a memorial that's dedicated to the famed writer.

The Zhou Enlai Family Home belonged to the first premier of Communist China, who came from a family of prosperous Shaoxing merchants. Zhou is credited with saving some of China's most important historic monuments from destruction at the hands of the Red Guards during the Cultural Revolution. The compound, a showcase of traditional architecture, houses exhibits on Zhou's life, ranging from his high-school essays to vacation snapshots with his wife.