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Photo: Zhangzhugang, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Cicheng used to be an administration center of Cixi County. As administrative division changes in middle 20th century, the town is now part of Jiangbei District, and the layout and historic details of the town is well preserved. The preservation of the town is honored Asia-Pacific Heritage Awards for Culture Heritage Conservation by UNESCO in December 2009. The most convenient way to take a tour around the town is to take a manpower tricycle. In the town you can see a well-preserved Confucian Temple and many traditional residences, mostly built more than 100 years ago.
Cicheng is a town in the Jiangbei District of Ningbo in Zhejiang. It is an ancient walled city dating from the 8th century when it was renowned for its handicrafts. As of 2012 the town and its ancient traditions were being revived by the government of Ningbo through the Cicheng Development Company and the Cicheng Innovation Cultural Park where demonstrations of traditional handicrafts by skilled craftsmen are presented. Traditional craftsmen are encouraged to settle in the town and establish workshops.
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保国寺
Baoguo Temple is seated on the mountainside of Lingshan Mountain, about 15 km (9 mi) away from downtown. As a cultural relic spot under state-level protection, it was established in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) and rebuilt and expanded in later dynasties. Now a museum, the present Baoguo Temple is a mixture of constructions made by various dynasties. It's wooden main hall is over 1000 years old, and is one of the oldest wooden buildings in China south of the Yangtze River.
河姆渡遗址, Hémǔdù Yízhǐ
In the outer district of Yuyao about 90 minutes by road from down own Ningbo in the flourishing countryside. At Hemudu, archeologists discovered artifacts dating back thousands of years to prehistoric China, and there is a small but good museum with signs in English. Displayed are still playable 6-7,000-year-old bone flute, rice, plough shares, weaving, inlaid-bone and wood carvings, and jade ornaments. A replica of the archeological site itself is nearby.
白云庄
A home from the 1300s, which the family turned into an exclusive school in the 1600s. Wooden plaques provide details on family members and students in Chinese and English. It's in a quiet area, behind a park, ringed by a garden, with canals on two sides, and gets 5-10 visitors per day so it can be a tranquil escape from the city, but is otherwise unremarkable if you don't recognize the names.
天宁寺塔
Ancient brick pagoda from a former temple, marooned between a sidewalk and the road