Due to its long history and economic prosperity, Ningbo is a city with very rich tourist resources. The following is a list of the main tourist attractions authorized by the Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism in each subdivision of Ningbo city.
Haishu District •
Moon Lake Park (Yuehu Park): A
reservoir excavated in the Tang dynasty (636 CE) at the center of Haishu District. The park includes the lake itself, some small islands on the lake, and many ancient Chinese architectures and historical sites, such as: •
Tianyi Pavilion (or Tianyi Chamber): One of Ningbo's most popular and famous tourist attractions. Built in 1516 CE, it is the oldest library existent in Asia and is one of the 3 oldest private libraries in the world. The collection dates back to the 11th century and includes woodblock and handwritten copies of the
Confucian classics, rare local histories, and lists of the candidates successful in
imperial examinations. The currently Tianyi Pavilion refers to the whole museum complex that includes: • Tianyi Pavilion-related buildings such as: • The ancient Chinese mansion of the library's first owner, Fan Qing, built during the Ming dynasty (1516 CE) • A traditional
Chinese Garden as part of Fan's mansion • An ancient private theater of Chinese plays as part of Fan's mansion • A
Mahjong (麻將) museum, since Ningbo is regarded as the birthplace of Mahjong • He Ancestral Temple (賀祕監祠): A cultural built in honor of the Chinese poet
He Zhizhang (賀知章, 659 CE – 744 CE) during the Tang dynasty who called himself the "Siming Crazy Guest", where "Siming" is the name of a mountain in Ningbo. The building was completed during the Song dynasty (1144 CE) and repaired during the Qing dynasty (1865 CE). •
Ancient Korean Embassy: Built during the Northern Song dynasty to welcome Korean envoys and business groups. Destroyed by war in 1130 CE, the site was announced as a cultural relics protection unit in 1984. It is now a showroom for the history of relations between Ningbo and Korea. • Central Lake Temple, Central Lake East Bridge, Zhenming Ridge, and Xuanmiao Temple: A Ningbo-born novelist
Qu You wrote a fiction called
Peony Dengji (牡丹燈記,
Janpanese:
Botan Dōrō also known as 怪談牡丹燈籠
Tales of the Peony Lantern) (in the collection of
Jiandeng Xinhua). It describes a love story between ghost and a man during
Fang Guozhen period. The story took place at the Moon Lake. Japanese scholar Koyama Issei identified many of the locations, including Central Lake Temple, Central Lake East Bridge, Zhenming Ridge, and Xuanmiao temple, that would fit geographically and architecturally of the places mentioned in the story. The story was adapted as one of three
Kaidan tales in Japan. • Drum Tower Complex (Haishu Tower): The only remaining ruin of an old city gate tower constructed during the Tang dynasty. At the top, there is a six-meter-high Romanesque bell tower added in the Republic period. Around the base of the tower is a commercial area where all the buildings are reconstructed in the traditional style. •
Chenghuang Temple (Ningbo County Temple): An ancient temple of the City God at commercial center in downtown Ningbo. •
Tianfeng Pagoda: This national cultural relics protection site is a typical Song-style loft-style brickwood structure tower unique to Jiangnan. This hexagonal building is a landmark and the tallest ancient structure in the city. It appears as a seven-story tower with another seven stories underground, and is renowned for its long history, architectural value, and ancient artifacts. The tower was first built in 695 CE during the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE). •
Tianyi Square: Located in the bustling old downtown of Ningbo City with the nationwide famous shopping complex, named after the Tianyi Ge (Chamber), the oldest private library in Asia. • Nantang Old Street: An old commercial street by the river with many folk arts and crafts shops, souvenir stores, and small restaurants. Previously, Nantang Street was a place for local fairs and flea markets. In 2013, the street was renovated to become a tourist site. • Liangzhu Cultural Park: A theme park dedicated to the story of the
Butterfly Lovers, one of the four folklores in China. The Butterfly Lovers is reputed as the oriental version of
Romeo and Juliet. • Baiyun Manor: An ancient academy where
Huang Zongxi (黃宗羲) gave lectures. Huang, whose style name is Taichong, was a distinguished thinker, writer, and historian of the late Ming and early Qing. •
Tashan Weir: An ancient dam erected during the
Tang dynasty. • Ningbo Wulongtan Scenic Scenic Resort: Also called Five-dragon Pools Scenic Resort, it is one of the Ten New Sceneries in Ningbo, and a National AAAA rated scenic area.
Yinzhou District •
Ningbo Museum (Yinzhou Museum, or Ningbo Historic Museum): A museum focused on Ningbo area history and traditional customs, considered the masterwork of
Wang Shu, the first Chinese citizen to win the
Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2012. The Ningbo Museum is also the main filming location for the 2023 TV series adaptation of scifi author Liu Cixin's novel of the same name,
Three Bodies. •
Romon U-Park: One of the largest urban indoor theme parks in the world. • Ningbo Eastern New Town: A newly developed area of Ningbo City, with a well-designed CBD (including two 400m skyscrapers and other headquarters of many listed company and government offices), several museums, galleries, and shopping centers, including: • Ningbo Urban Planning Exhibition Center • Ningbo Hankyu Commercial Complex: Opened in 2021, it is the first overseas outlet of Hankyu, the famous Japanese department store. • Ningbo New Library • Yinzhou Park and Ningbo Southern CBD •
Dongqian Lake: The largest natural freshwater lake in
Zhejiang Province. The earliest historical record of the lake dates back to the
West Jin dynasty, and there are several natural sceneries and historical attractions around the lake: • Little Putuo: An island on the lake with several temples built during the
Song dynasty by a prime minister called
Shihao. • Yuefei Temple: A temple built during the
Song dynasty in memory of
Yuefei. • Taogong Island: The place where
Fanli and
Xishi once lived according to folklore. •
Southern Song Dynasty Rock Carving Park: won the "National Cultural Relics Conservation Best Project Award" awarded by the China National Architecture Research Association and the China Cultural Relics Conservation Foundation • Fuquan Mountain: a mountain with a Chinese tea theme park • Ningbo Hanling Old Street: an ancient street with a history thousands of years. It was once called Hanling City. The 'city' here means bazaar. •
Qita Temple: A Zen Buddhist temple complex first consecrated during the Tang dynasty in the downtown area of Ningbo city. •
Tianhou Temple: A former temple of
Mazu as the "Empress of Heaven" once used by Fujianese merchants as their guild hall (''Qing'an Huiguan''). In the 19th century, it was accounted by
S. Wells Williams as the most beautiful place in Ningbo and by
John Thomson as one of the most beautiful temples in China, but that structure was destroyed during the Chinese Civil War. It has been reconstructed with many of its original works of art, however, to form the
East Zhejiang Maritime Affairs and Folk Customs Museum. •
Temple of King Ashoka: a
Buddhist temple first established during the
Western Jin dynasty (282 AD). •
Tiantong Temple: One of the "Five
Chan Buddhism Temples". Tiantong Temple is the cradle of the Sōtō school (曹洞宗,
Sōtō-shū) of
Japanese Buddhism. • Ningbo Ocean World: An aquarium with an ocean theater • Ningbo Youngor Zoo • Ningbo Sakura Park (Zhongxing Sakura Park): A sakura park built to commemorate the friendship city between Ningbo City and Nagaoka City, Japan
Jiangbei District •
Sanjiangkou: The place where the Yong River, Yaojiang River, and Fenghua River meet, and the heart of old Ningbo city where the borders of 3 urban districts of Ningbo city meet. • Old Bund (Old Waitan): A waterfront area and protected historical district in the center of Ningbo, built earlier than the
Bund of Shanghai, with lots of early 19th century architectures, stores and restaurants. •
Baoguo Temple: The oldest intact wooden structure in eastern China. It is in the first batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Sites in China. Currently, it is the Baoguo Temple Ancient Architecture Museum, and has become a teaching and research base for many top architectural universities. •
Ningbo Museum of Art • Ningbo Museum of Garden (寧波園林博物館) •
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Ningbo •
Cicheng Ancient Town: A very well-maintained ancient Chinese ancient walled city built in the 8th century, including ancient-time schools, courts, temples, houses, commercial areas. In December 2009, the ancient buildings in Cicheng received the honorary award of the
UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation by UNESCO. • Yaojiang Park
Zhenhai District ) •
Jiulong Lake •
Zhaobao Mountain • The Seventeen Houses of Zheng's: The seventeen Houses of Zheng exemplify the classical style of residences during the Ming and Qing dynasties in the south part of Yangtze River Basin. • Ningbo Bang Museum and Culture Park : Displays exhibits related to the Ningbo Gang (Ningbo Merchants Group), and the development history of the business gang. It was one of the ten largest commercial groups during the
Ming and
Qing dynasties, and became the biggest commercial regional group of China in the late Qing dynasty. •
Yugang Bao's Old House
Beilun District • Port Museum of China
Fenghua District •
Xuedou Temple Xiangshan County •
Yushan Islands • Nantian Island •
Xiangshan Global Studios Ninghai County • The Zhedong Grand Canyon • Nanxi Hot Spring • Qiantong Old Town
Yuyao City (County) •
Hemudu Culture Relics Site and Museum: The relic site and museum of a
Neolithic culture that flourished just south of
Hangzhou Bay.
Cixi City (County) • Dapeng Mountain ==Notable people==