According to the process of formation and development in historical periods, the settlements of Shaoxing area are divided into several regional patterns: hill settlements, alluvial fan settlements, isolated hill settlements, settlements along the dyke of Jian-Hu, settlements along the seawall, and plain settlements. Different patterns of settlements have different functions. They are expressed by their particular names, such as "hill", "ridge" (in hill settlements); "dyke", "dam" (in settlements along the dyke of Jian-Hu); "river", "lake" (in plain settlements), etc.Different settlement patterns have been formed in different natural environments. Settlement pattern has never been a fixed thing. It has been formed gradually accord-ing to the gradual transforming of natural environment. The ancient people deve-loped their settlements without any plan. Now, under the socialist system, we develop our settlements by regional planning and agricultural planning.