About Ningbo
What to see and do in Ningbo
Weather in Ningbo
Airport in Ningbo
Visa

Ningbo

Ningbo (Wade-Giles: Ning-po; literally "Tranquil Waves") is a seaport with sub-provincial administrative status. The city has a population of 2,182,000 and is situated in northeastern Zhejiang province, China. Lying south of the Hangzhou Bay, and facing the East China Sea to the east, Ningbo borders Shaoxing to the west and Taizhou to the south, and is separated from Zhoushan by a narrow body of water.

After one of the Opium Wars in the 19th century, China was forced to open five Treaty Ports for foreign trade, including Ningbo. The others were Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou and Shanghai. However, Shanghai dominated the foreign trade. Ningbo today is a pleasant city without much to offer a tourist, except as a stepping-off point to other areas in the region, in particular the tourist trap Putuoshan. There's hope that the recently-completed [Donghai Bridge], linking the municipalities of Ningpo and Shanghai, will increase foreign investment and economic integration with Shanghai.

What to see and do in Ningbo

Tian Yi Square. The city's main square and shopping mall.

Moon Lake. The main city park, originally built in 636.

Tian Yi Library. A garden pavilion built in the 16th century.

Lao Waitan. The "old bund", a popular nightlife district. Really a modern re-creation, in the line of Xintiandi in Shanghai, with a number of Shanghai's popular chain restaurants and clubs having a branch, in anticipation of a foreign investment boom. Indian, Vietnamese, and a spectrum of foreign cuisines is represented.

Tianyi Pavilion Museum, (Tian Yi Ge Bowuguan) Ningbo's best tourist attraction, the Tianyige Library (daily 8am-4.30pm; RMB 12), is comfortably tucked away in the vicinity of Moon Lake (Yuehu). Built in 1516 and said to be the oldest surviving library building in China, it was founded by Ming official Fan Qin, whose collection went back to the eleventh century and included woodblock and handwritten copies of the Confucian classics, rare local histories and lists of the candidates successful in imperial examinations. Nowadays you can visit the library's garden and outhouses, some of which contain small displays of old books and tablets. It's quite a charming place and the gold-plated, wood-paneled buildings, their bamboo groves, pool and rockery still preserve an atmosphere of seclusion, contemplation and study.

Baoguo Temple, the oldest intact wooden structure in Southern China, is located in Jiangbei District, 15km north of Ningbo city.

Tianfeng Tower

Ahyuwang Temple

Tiantong Temple

Tian Yi Square

Yushan Islands

Culture Relics
Ningbo is the birthplace of the Hemudu Civilization. The Hemudu Site is one of the earliest Neolithic Age sites discovered in China. It is situated in the Yuyao Town, just 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Ningbo City. The site covers an area of 40,000 square meters (9.8 acres), and contains four different layers, each representing a different cultural age - the deepest layer of which goes back around 7000 years. Over 7000 artifacts have been unearthed from the site. These include a number of implements and tools made from bones, jade, wood and clay. The remains of buildings, animals and even cultivated rice have also been discovered in the area.

Thousands of years' history left Ningbo with abundant cultural relics which reveal the great importance of this city in Chinese history, especially in terms of Buddhism. The Asoka Temple is one of the most prominent of the city's cultural relics. It is one of the 'Five Mountains' of Buddhism in China - the 'Five Mountains' referring to the five official temples with the highest status in Chinese history.The temple is famed for the dagoba which houses the Buddhist relics of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism. (Dagoba is similar to pagoda yet it usually refers to which houses the relics of the eminent monk.)

Ningbo is also home to a number of other prestigious temples: one of those is the Baoguo Temple ,a wooden-structured building first erected during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).

Another local Buddhist sanctuary is Tiantong Temple, which lies at the foot of Taibai Mountain. It covers an area of almost 60,000 square meters, one of the largest of its kind in China. It contains over 720 uniquely structured buildings, each subtlety decorated and finely designed.

The Tianying PavilionThe city's Tianyi Pavilion and Tianfeng Pagoda are also worth visiting. Tianyi Pavilion was built during the years 1561-1566. Today, it houses a collection of around 300,000 volumes. Most of them are block printed editions and hand copied books from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The pavilion itself is also surrounded by an elaborate landscape garden. Tianfeng Pagoda, located in the center of Ningbo City, is a seven-storey tower with another seven stories underground. It is renowned for its long history, architectural value and ancient artifacts.

Natural Sceneries
Ningbo is blessed with the beautiful natural scenery of the Siming and Tiantai Mountains. The Tianhe Scenic Area lies in the mid-section of Tiantai Mountain, and is actually made up of three separate scenic areas: Big Pine Creek Canyon, Double Peak Forest Park and the On-Water Visiting Area. Big Pine Creek Canyon stretches for 20 kilometers (12 miles), and is known as the 'No.1 Canyon in east Zhejiang Province'. The canyon contains numerous peaks, rock formations and waterfalls.

7 kilometers (4 miles) to the southeast of the city centre, Dongqian Lake adds much charm to the cityscape. It is four times larger than the West Lake and is the largest fresh water lake in Zhejiang Province. Surrounded by green mountains, the lake with its serpentine bank is one of the city's most attractive locations.

Another great place for relaxing is the Nanxi Hot Spring southeast of NingboCity. Various hot springs and a peaceful environment provide comfort and enjoyment to those that choose to visit.

Yandang Mountain
Located in Leqing County of Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Yandang Mountain is one of the China's top ten must-see mountains. Famous for its magnificent peaks, waterfalls and caves, Yandang Mountain was named a World Geopark by UNESCO in 2005. With an area of 450 sq kilometers (about 173.75 sq miles), Mount Yandang is composed of eight scenic areas, most famous of which are the Three Best Wonders: the Spiritual Peaks, the Big Dragon Waterfall and the Spiritual Rocks.

The Spiritual Peaks (Lingfeng Peaks)
The Spiritual Peaks is at the east gate of Yandang Mountain. Climbing up along the Puxi Stream, one can easily find the Old Monk Rock. Facing to the southeast, the 'old monk' salutes with the hands folded. It's so vivid that the rock has been considered one of the most significant scenic spots at Yandang Mountain. The sight of the peaks during the day is breath-taking and in the evening, is even more attractive. When night falls, with a little imagination, one can see many beautiful 'pictures' under the moonlight, such as 'an eagle retracting its wings', 'a wife-and-husband peak', 'a rhinoceros looking at the moon', 'a love-sick maiden' etc.

The Big Dragon Waterfall (Dalong Qiu)
Jumping down from Lianyun Peak, which is more than 190 meters (about 623 feet) high, the Big Dragon Waterfall runs into the Qingjiang River and finally into the sea. When there are heavy rains, The Big Dragon Waterfall conjures an image of a dragon flying swiftly upward and another one seething in the pond waters below. Thus, the name 'dragon' has been given to it. In fall and winter, the water flows down quietly and calmly. With the misty haze surrounding the falls, one can feel as if they are enjoying the marvels of heaven. No wonder the famous poet in Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Jiang Shi, exclaimed that 'the beauty of the Big Dragon Waterfall cannot be expressed in words.'

The Spiritual Rocks (Lingyan Rocks)
Among the Three Best Wonders of Yandang Mountain, the Spiritual Rocks is the most magnificent and forbidding. Like a three-storey building, the Spiritual Rocks Area can be divided into three 'floors'. In the first 'floor', there are Lingyan Temple and the Small Dragon Waterfall; in the second, the Cave of Dragon Nose (Longbidong Cave) and the Cave of Clerestory (Tianchuangdong Cave); and in the third, the Valley of Crouching Dragon (Wolonggu Valley) and the Valley of Double Pearls (Shuangzhugu Valley). The whole area is so sublime that one is relieved of all anxiety, sorrow and pain upon entering. Besides the beautiful and grandeur scenery, the marvelous 'flying person' performance of ferry in the air also shows everyday.

There are five other scenic areas also worth visiting. The Immortal Bridge (Xianqiao) is well-known as a setting in fairy tales. The Wild Goose Lake (Yan Lake) gives Yandang Moutain its name (Yandang means 'reed marsh for wild geese'). The Wonder-displaying Gate (Xiansheng Gate) is considered to be the steepest rock in Yandang Mountain. The Goat-horn Cave (Yangjiao Cave) embodies the Chinese traditional religion of Taoism. The Three-step Waterfall (Sanzhe pu) is among the most peculiar of all the waterfalls in Yandang Mountain because of the dead volcano found here.

Known for its unique character, Mount Yandang has been praised as 'a famous mountain in the sea', 'an unsurpassed wonder in the world'. Peaks and water, caves and volcano, nature is such a genius to create this wonderful scenery.

'Flying person' performance shows at 3 P.M., every afternoon. The Spiritual Peaks are even more dazzling at night.

How to Get There: You can take a bus at Ningbo South Station and get off at Yandang Town (Baixi) (Estimated time: four hours). Take a travel bus at Wenzhou New South Staion is also a good choice (Ticket: RMB 27). If you are in Hangzhou, you can also take a bus at East Station 07:00 or 14:00 (Ticket: RMB 85; Time: 5 hours) Once you are in Shanghai, you can take a train to Wenzhou first, or take a bus at Zhiqing Bus Station at 2 P.M. directly (Bus ticket price: RMB 130 in low season, RMB 150 in peak season).

Admission Fee The Spiritual Peaks: RMB 30 (you should buy tickets separately if you want to visit it both in day and night)
The Spiritual Rocks: RMB 30
The Big Dragon Waterfall: RMB 30
The Wild Goose Lake: RMB 10
The Wonder-displaying Gate: RMB 10
The Goat-horn Gate: RMB 10
The Three-step Waterfall: RMB 10
Recommended Time for a Visit Two days

Weather in Ningbo

Airport in Ningbo

Ningbo Lishe International Airport (IATA: NGB, ICAO: ZSNB) is the principal airport serving Ningbo, a major city in the Yangtze River Delta region and the 2nd largest city in the province of Zhejiang.

In 2008, the airport handled 3,574,352 passengers, ranking 30th in China. Ningbo airport was also the 26th busiest airport in China in terms of cargo traffic.

Lishe International Airport (NGB) lies to the southwest of Ningbo City, 11 kilometers (about 6.8 kilometers) away from the urban area. It was put into use in 1990. Now, the airport has opened up to Hong Kong, Seoul as well as dozens of large and medium cities in China like Shanghai, Beijing, Kunming and Shenzhen.

To get to the airport from the urban area, one could take the shuttle bus. It departs from the CAAC Ticket Office at No.91, Xingning Road and has few minutes' stopover by the passenger transport center. The first shuttle bus leaves at 07:20 and following buses depart with an interval of one hour. The last one heading for the airport leaves at 18:20. The bus from the airport to urban area stops at the South Ningbo Railway Station. The ticket for the shuttle bus is RMB 10. Alternatively, it costs about RMB 40 by taxi to go to the airport from the center area of the city (around Tianyi Square).

Generally speaking, the check-in starts 90 minutes to 30 minutes ahead of the plane's departure. Please reach the airport in time or you may miss the plane. CAAC Ticket Office: No.91, Xingning Road.

Airlines and other destination of Ningbo

Air China (Beijing-Capital)

China Eastern Airlines (Beijing-Capital, Guangzhou, Haikou, Hong Kong, Kunming, Shanghai-Hongqiao, Shanghai-Pudong, Shenzhen, Wuhan)

China Southern Airlines (Dalian, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Sanya, Shantou, Shenyang, Wuhan)

Dragonair (Hong Kong)

Hainan Airlines (Beijing-Capital, Changsha, Guangzhou, Kunming, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Xuzhou, Zhengzhou)

Hong Kong Express (Hong Kong)

Shandong Airlines (Qingdao, Xiamen)

Sichuan Airlines (Nanchang)

Xiamen Airlines (Changsha, Fuzhou, Qingdao, Xiamen)

International destinations

Seoul

Visa

To be able to travel to Ningbo you need to have a valid China Visa, issue from your local government at the China Embassy, Chinese visa fall into four types: diplomatic visa, courtesy visa, service visa and ordinary visa. Ordinary visa is further divided into the following 8 categories each marked with a letter: (1) Tourist and family visit visa (L-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for tourist purpose, family visit or other personal affairs.

(2) Business Visa (F-visa ) is issued to a foreign citizen who is invited to China for visit, research, lecture, business, exchanges in the fields of science, technology, education, culture and sports, or attending various kinds of trade fairs or exhibitions, or short-term study, intern practice for a period of no more than 6 months.

(3) Student Visa (X-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China for the purpose of study or advanced study for a period of six or more months.

(4) Work Visa (Z-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who comes to China to work and his or her accompanying family members, or to give commercial performances in China.

(5) Transit Visa (G-visa) is issued to a foreign citizen who is to transit through China on his or her way to a third country (or region).

(6) Crew Visa(C-visa)is issued to crew member performing his/her duties on board an international train, or on an international airliner, to a sailor on board an international ocean-liner or freighter, and also to their accompanying family members..

(7) Journalist Visa (J-visa)is issued to foreign journalists. J-visa has two categories: J-1 visa and J-2 visa. J-1 visa is issued to resident foreign journalists in China and their accompanying spouses and under-age children, J-2 visa to foreign journalists who visit China for temporary news coverage.

(8) Permanent Residence Visa(D-visa)is issued to a foreign citizen who has been approved by China's public security authority to reside in China permanently.

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