Ningbo Five Dragon Pool

Xikou Xuedou Mount Scenic Spot located in the outer district of Fenghua, labeled as the abode for immortals on the sea, is 35 km (22 mi) away from the downtown area. It is made up of Xikou town, Xuedou Mountain and Tingxia Lake. It covers an area of 85 km² and has over 60 scenic spots. To enable a better appreciation of the natural beauty of the Xuedou Mountain of Xikou, Fenghua, a sightseeing train that costs ¥60 million has been built and will be put to use soon. The train has six cars, being able to accommodate 36 people.

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.

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.

Ningbo Museum designed by Wang Shu of Amateur Architecture Studio, is a massive sculptural form, referencing the nearby mountains, with a facade formed of salvaged bricks from demolished buildings. The building has been cut through with large voids and chasms, creating a roof-scape with the scale of a traditional village, in contemporary architectural language. The exhibits are nothing special, but the architecture of the museum is outstanding.

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.

Tianyi Pavilion is the oldest private library in existence in China. A complex of gardens and small buildings, Tianyi Pavilion was built in 1561 in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). The Tianyi Pavilion is not only world famous for its wide collection of books, but also for its unique architecture and elegant landscape. The Tianyi Pavilion has a flush gable roof, and is six bays wide and deep, with a corridor extending from the front to the back. In front of the pavilion is a pond that stores water for fireproof. Fan Wenguang, Fan Qin's great-grandson, rebuilt the pavilion by laying rockery around the lake, building kiosks and bridges, planting flowers and grass in the fourth year (1665) of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty. The whole pavilion and the milieu feature the style of private gardens south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. During its rebuilding in 1933, the Zunjing Pavilion of Confucian Temple in Ningbo was moved to the backyard. Steles from the Song (960-1279) to Qing Dynasties in Ningbo City were also put there. These steles and the Zunjing Pavilion are called the Stele Forest in Mingzhou.