Coastal province located south of Shanghai. The southern terminus of the Grand Canal and many charming water and canal towns can be found here. The southern part of the province is more mountainous and contains several religiously-important mountains. Han Chinese make up the vast majority of the population of Zhejiang province. The Hui and She are the two largest minorities. Zhejiang and Jiangsu Provinces are known as yu mi zhi xiang (“land of fish and rice”) after their good soil, water, and climate.

Zhejiang Province is one of the smallest but most densely-packed provinces in China. The word Zhejiang means zigzagging river and was the old name of the Qiantang River, which passes through Hangzhou, the capital city.

It used to be China's richest province, with both its rural residents and urban residents having the highest per capita income of any province in China. There are specific areas in Zhejiang province that specialize in certain products such as electric plugs, hinges, electric switches, faucets, and fluorescent light bulbs.

The people of Zhejiang have long been known for their entrepreneurship and resourcefulness. Contrary to traditional Confucian ideas, intellectuals in Zhejiang, such as Shi Ye of the Yongjia School, promoted commercial activity. Because it is surrounded by mountains it has traditionally been neglected by the central government. The coastal areas in particular were neglected because the government thought they might be attacked so why waste money on them? This left the people of Zhejiang with little choice but to take care of themselves and become self-reliant, which they did by pooling money in their families and community organizations known as meng and starting businesses.