Dongqian Lake

Dongqian Lake, a state-level 3A tourist attraction, is situated in southeastern Ningbo and 15 kilometers off the heart of the city. The site covers a planned area of 234 square kilometers and enjoys a loud reputation for an intoxicating blend of its picturesque mountains and clear waters with rich cultural heritages. This is a multi-functional retreat incorpoarating tourist destinations, recreational spots, vacationing and entertainment.

The lake is known as the largest natural fresh-water lake in Zhejiang. Its water area occupies 19.89 square kilometers, four times that of the West Lake in Hangzhou. A vestige of a sea during the geological age, the lake is now 6.5 kilometers wide, 8.5 kilometers long and 45 kilometers in girth. According to historical records, the lake emerged during the Jin Dynasty and was re-canalled in 744 AD during the Tang Dynasty. Thus it is more than 1200 years old now. Strenuous work of labourers in the subsequent dynasties finally turned Dongqian Lake into a first-rate reservoir and irrigation source, particularly renovations and expansions during the Tang and Song Dynasties under the direction of three consecutive county governors of Lu Jinnan, Li Yigeng and Wang Anshi. The lake has long since guaranteed good crops under all types of weather and transformed the whole region into "a fertile land of fish and rice". Later local people built "Temple of Reverends Lu and Li" and "Temple of Wang Anshi" by the lake, as a dedication to these governors' outstanding contributions to the lake.

The major places of interest in at the lake are:

The Hanling Street: a thousand-year-old village used to be known as Hanling City.

The Museum Stone Carvings of the South Song Dynasty: the museum exhibits collections of stone sculptured images for tomb passages during the South Song Dynasty and some 120 rare stone crafts carved during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Shi Jian Tomb Passage: the passage to Shi Jian's tomb. Shi Jian was granted the title Rev. Qi and commissioned the highest officer of the military of the Song Dynasty.

Reverend Tao's Island: the island is named after Fan Li, also known as Reverend Tao. Fan Li was a minister of the Yue Kingdom during the Spring and Autumn Period.

Central Lake Area: the 1800 metre-long dyke in the center of the lake that connects the Dual-Soul Hill in the east with the Peninsula of Reverend Tao in the west.

Butuo Cave: also known as the Cave of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, it is a grotto constructed during the South Song Dynasty.

King Yue's Temple: built in 1234 AD during the South Song Dynasty, the temple is in memory of Yue Fei, a prestigious national hero.

Tianhe Ecological Scenic Area

Tianhe Ecological Scenic Area is located on the borders of Ningbo, Shaoxing and Taizhou, 29 km from Ninghai City and 9 km from the Tong-San Expressway. Covering an area of over 100 sq km, and with a typical topographic feature of volcanic rock, the Dasongxi Gorge is well known for its "Four Unique landscapes" of peaks, crags, caves and waterfalls.

"Green mountains like screens surround the lake of blue water like a mirror", this is what everyone can feel when he sits in the boat floating on the Baixi Reservoir.

The Baixi River, the source of the Baixi Reservoir, is the largest river of Ninghai County. The river rises at the northern foot of Huading Mountain of Tiantai Mountain, with its main current as long as 66.5 km and the drainage area of 627 sq km. In the middle reaches at Daguan Mountain, stands the dam of the reservoir, 416 meters long and 127.4 meters high, built in 1966. The reservoir, which cost 540 million yuan, has a capacity of 168.4 million cubic meters and it has multi functions of flood protection, water supply, power generation and irrigation. With a length of 13 km and an area of 3.42 sq km, the reservoir is the largest water conservancy project of Ningbo. For its magnificent green mountains lining along the banks, the reservoir is known as "the Three Gorges of Ningbo" and "the Grand Gorges of East Zhejiang".

Tiantong Temple

Tiantong Temple lies in the Taibai Mountains, 25 kilometers east of the city proper of Ningbo. The temple was built in 300 AD in the West Jin Dynasty. With its history of 1700 years, the temple is 90 years older than the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. As one of the ten sacred temples of the Buddhist Chan sect, Tiantong Temple is also known as "Buddha's Holy Land in Southeast China".

The ancient Tiantong Temple enjoys a loud prestige not only for its Buddhist significance, but also for its picturesque surroundings, cuddling against the soaring Taibai Mountain, in the neighborhood of luxuriant pines and bamboos, a beauty that could only be found here. For centuries the "Three Passes" and "Ten Highlights" of the temple are tantalizing romantic and poetic minds. It is due to the charming environment of mountains and water in the area that Yixing, a monk living 1700 years ago, decided to build a temple here. Legend says the Heavenly King sent God Taibai to the mortal world incarnated as a child, who assisted Venerable Master Yixing in building the temple. Thus the mountain is named Taibai and the temple Tiantong, which means "heavenly child".

Tiantong Temple is located on the ascending slope at the foot of the mountain. The whole place consists of structures like the Hall of the Four Guardian Gods, the Grand Hall, the Hall of Buddhist Rites, the Hall of Early Enlightenment, the Hall of Arhats, the Bell Tower, and the Imperial Library Tower. A stringy roofed veranda connects all these components and therefore shelters the visitors from the scorching sun and annoying rains. The veranda also helps visitors find access to any of the temple's components, an ingenuity of the architects indeed. Tiantong Temple was in its prime time during the Song Dynasty, having 999 halls, pavilions and towers altogether, a rarity across the empire in terms of its size. Unfortunately this nonpareil temple was not spared from cataclysms in the mortal world. On July 21, 1587 AD in the Ming Dynasty, a serious flood in Yinxian County wrecked all the halls of the temple. Nothing survived the flood. In the winter in the same year after the flood, Abbot Yinhuai had the halls rebuilt over the rubbles. In the following centuries, the temple came through a succession of warfare. Today, the temple has 730 houses of the architectural style formed during the Ming Dynasty, covering 58 thousand square meters.

Tiantong Temple not only serves as a leading site of Buddhist teachings for Linji Sect (whose root can be tracked to Jinshan, Hangzhou). It is also the fountainhead of the Japanese Caodong Sect. During the South Song Dynasty, the Japanese monk Daoyuan, left his home, Jianren Temple in Kyoto for China. After he traveled the renowned places in Zhejiang, he came to Ningbo in the hope of greater enlightenment and became a disciple of Venerable Master Rujing at Tiantong Temple studying the teachings of Caodong Sect. At last he returned to Japan, where he found Yongping Temple and started the Japanese sect of Caodong Buddhism. At present this denomination owns 15 thousand monasteries in Japan and 8 million adherents. In honour of Tiantong Temple as the father of the Japanese Caodong Sect, in 1980, the abbot of Yongping Temple led a team of monks to Tiantong Temple and dedicated the temple a tablet inscribed with
words to the effect of "Tablet in memory of Japan's Zen Master Daoyuan for his attainment of enlightenment in Tiantong Temple". 

Xuezhou, an important Japanese painter who was acclaimed as "Master of Painting" during mid-5th century, came to Tiantong Temple for enlightenment too. Emperor Xian of the Ming Dynasty conferred upon him the great honour "Number One Guest of Tiantong". Xuezhou was greatly inspired by the spectacular Siming and Tiantong Mountains. Many of his paintings were thus evidently characteristic of the "Zhejiang School of painting" and had a remarkable influence on other Japanese artists.

Tianyi Pavilion Library

Tianyi Pavilion Library is located downtown beside the beautiful Yuehu Lake. It was built by Mr. Fan Qin, a high-ranking official equivalent to today's national defense minister, during the reign of Emperor Jia Jing's in the Ming Dynasty. Tianyi Pavilion Library is the oldest well-preserved private library in China today. It is a combination of culture, social studies, history and art. Tianyi Pavilion Museum occupies over 26,000 square meters. The overall layout is Tianyi Pavilion, Eastern Garden, The Chens' Ancestral Hall, The Qings' Branch Ancestral Hall, Calligraphy and Painting Hall and Local Chronicles Hall.

Tianyi Pavilion keeps a large collection of about 300,000 ancient books, among which 80,000 are rare copies including the woodcut copies and handwritten copies of the Song and Ming Dynasties. They are rich sources of local chronicles and imperial examinations and are precious materials for the study of history, people, social customs and habits. Tianyi Pavilion Library is called the "Book City of South China". Tianyi Pavilion is not only world famous for its wide collection of books, but also for its unique architecture and elegant landscape.

Tianyi Pavilion Library is a major historical and cultural site under state protection, and is also one of the major symbols of Ningbo.

Xuedou Mountain

Xikou,in Fenhua City,is a 4-star national-grade scenic spot,well-known home and abroad for its integrity of Buddhist culture,humane culture,and scenic beauty.It is the place where Maitreya Buddha practiced his Buddhist rites and also the home town of Mr. Chiang Kai-Shek and his son Chiang Ching-Kuo,two important historical figures in the modem history of China.As a famous scenic spot,it consists of three areas of interest:Xikou Town,Xuedou hill and Tingxia Lake

Xuedon Mountain is located at the east Siming Mountain,,always calledThe highest Mountain in Siming¡±,has an altitude of 600 meters famous for beautiful mountains strange rocks,gorgeous water falls,profound woods and spring.Xikou Town below the Xuedou Mountain is the hometown of Mr.Chiang Kai-Shek, Xuedou temple is one of the ten Chan Buddhist temples.

Fenggao House lies on the Xia street of Wuling Road of Xikou Town,is the former residence of ChiangKai-Shek.The whole building comprises traditional fromt lobby and back hall,two courtyards and four corridors.The whole yard is embraced by flourishing trees and sweet flowers.

Song LanShan Seaside Resort

Songlanshan Seaside Resort is a provincial-level tourist spot 5 kilometers from Dancheng Town of Xiangshan County. Covering an area of 25 square kilometers, the Resort is well known for its vast bay, and abundance of fantastic reefs, capes, sand beaches, abrasion coast, and coast caves. Over the blue sea, the nine isles are scattered like a string of pearl necklace.

The Songlan Mountain Beach derives its name from the Songlan Mountain, which is related to some interesting folklores and legends. A legend about Songlan Mountain goes like this. Long long ago, along the vast sea around there was no mountain and therefore no harbor here. As a result, when the sea turned rough, the fishermen did not have a safe harbor to pull in to shore and many fishing boats were engulfed in the waves and many fishermen were killed. Later on, the Dragon King of the Sea, to show his mercy to the local people, decided that the seaside should have a mountain and he set a mountain on the seaside. With the appearance of this peninsula mountain, many gulfs came into being along the meandering coastal line. Thus, the place got its name "Songlan", meaning "a gift" in Chinese. In folklore it is believed that the name of the place originates from the pine trees and wild orchids on the mountain. The place is named Songlan for in Chinese "pine" and "orchid" are respectively pronounced "Song" and "Lan". However, some people insist that the name of the mountain is related to a moving story. It goes like this. Songlan Mountain was once the private estate of a rich and influential family in Shangyu Village. One day Mr. Yu, the head of the family, met a mishap on the sea and got saved by a young man named Mei Songshu from Meisongshu Village. Having escaped death, the thankful Mr. Yu married his daughter Miss Yu Lanhua to the young man and dowered the mountain to the Mei family. Thus the mountain was named after the couple "Song" and "Lan".

The major places of interest are: Relics of Youxian Fort, South Sand Beach, East Sand Beach, Sand Beach of the Twelve Earthly Branches, Taiji Sand Beach, Amitabha Buddha Temple, and others.