Ningbo 宁波

1

China's oldest extant private library; a national key protected cultural site and a national 5A-level scenic area (the combined Tianyi Pavilion · Moon Lake area)

2

A riverside district of modern concession-era character on the Yong River, opened as a treaty port in 1844, about twenty years before Shanghai's Bund; surviving protected buildings include the Gothic Catholic church (built 1872), the former Zhejiang Customs House, and the Jiangbei police station; bars and restaurants coexist with historic buildings, and the night-view photo spot is in front of the Catholic church…

3

Site of the ruins of Ningbo's ancient inner city; Haishu Tower, repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt on the original site of the inner city's south gate from the first year of the Tang Changqing reign (821), combines a Western-style clock tower with a Chinese-style gate platform—an iconic hybrid landmark of Ningbo

4

A Jiangnan water-town district along the Nantang River; its one-river-one-street layout recreates the look of old Ningbo's wharf, with Ming- and Qing-style buildings split into north and south streets

5

A signature work by architect Wang Shu after winning the Pritzker Prize; its walls are built from hundreds of thousands of bricks and tiles salvaged from the old city, and its form resembles a mountain or a ship—the building itself is an exhibit

6

A Tianhou (Mazu) temple combined with a guild hall, built in 1853 (the third year of the Xianfeng reign) with funds raised by Ningbo's Northern-trade ship merchants; its brick, wood, and stone carvings are famed as the 'three wonders,' and the gilded coiling dragon in the opera-stage caisson is its crowning sight

7

A masterpiece of Northern Song timber architecture in the 'beamless hall' style; the main hall, built in 1013 (the sixth year of the Dazhong Xiangfu reign), is the oldest and best-preserved wooden structure standing south of the Yangtze, listed in 1961 among China's first batch of national key cultural heritage sites

8

A renowned Chan (Zen) temple famed for enshrining an authentic relic of Sakyamuni Buddha; legend holds that in 282 (the third year of the Taikang reign of the Western Jin) the monk Huida had a relic stupa miraculously emerge from the ground, and the temple takes its name from the 84,000 stupas built by King Ashoka

9

One of the Five Mountains of Chan (Zen), hailed as the 'Buddhist Kingdom of the Southeast'; legend says the monk Yixing built a hut to practice here in 300 (the first year of the Yongkang reign of the Western Jin), and the deity Taibai Jinxing (Venus) sent a boy to bring his meals—hence the name Tiantong ('Heavenly Boy')

10

The best-preserved ancient county town in the Jiangnan region; its street-and-lane layout has remained unchanged since Fang Guan relocated the county seat in the 26th year of the Kaiyuan era of the Tang dynasty (738), and a moat encircles the town.

11

Zhejiang's largest natural freshwater lake, with a water area of approx. 20 sq km and an approx. 45 km circuit around the lake, long famed for having 'the charm of West Lake and the grandeur of Lake Tai'.

12

A national 5A-level scenic area with two themes: the Maitreya Buddhist sanctuary and Republican-era history. Xuedou Temple enshrines a statue of Maitreya in the manifestation of the Budai (Cloth-Bag) monk, while Qianzhangyan Waterfall, the Sanyintan (Three Hidden Pools), Xufuyan Cliff and Miaogao Terrace make up the essence of eastern Zhejiang's landscape.