Ninghai, Zhejiang

Chinese Name: 宁海 (wēn lǐng)   
Population: 685,000
Area: land: 1,843 square kilometers (712 square miles), sea: 88 square kilometers (34 square miles)
Location: on the south coast of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, east China
Area Code: 0574
Zip Code: 315600
GDP (2018): CNY 60.36 billion (USD 9.12 billion)

Ninghai County, a county under the jurisdiction of Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province, is located in the middle of the coastline of mainland China. It is adjacent to Xiangshan  on the east, Taizhou on the south and west, Shaoxing on the west and Fenghua District on the north. Ninghai County was the first place in the Xu Xiake’s Travel Notes written by Xu Xiake, a famous China's ancient traveler in the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644). Hence, May 19th, the day when Xu Xiake started his travels, is designated as "China Tourism Day." As for Ninghai trave, Qiantong Ancient Town, Zhedong Grand Canyon, Tianming Mountain Spring, Wushan Grottoes, and Xujiashan Stone Village are worthy of visiting.

 Qiantong Ancient Town
Qiantong is one of the most ancient towns with Confucian culture in eastern Zhejiang. The ancient residences all feature unique tall horse-head walls, painted pillars and carved beams and people can access water from channels in front of houses. The academies, ancestral halls, pavilions and archways are also preserved well. The thousand-year-old trees, a magic medicinal spring, a folklore museum, and Lianghuang Mountain as the first place recorded in Xu Xiake’s novel, add more charm to this village.

 Zhedong Grand Canyon
Zhedong Grand Canyon provides beautiful and picturesque natural scenery. While visiting, tourists need to take a boat from Baixi Reservoir to the entrance of the canyon, which takes about half an hour. The footpath at the canyon is built along the river and visitors can see many grotesque rocks and strange trees along the way. In summer, the canyon becomes an excellent summer resort because its water is only 4℃ (39℉) all year round. And rafting in the lower reaches of the reservoir is a good way to relax in summer.  

 Tianming Mountain Spring
Tianming Mountain Spring, 25 km (16 mi) away from the urban Nanghai Zhejiang and 76 km (47 mi) away from Ningbo City, is commonly known as one of the three famous hot springs in China. The hot spring here is clear and transparent and rich in more than 20 kinds of minerals and trace elements beneficial to the human body. Surrounded by mountains, the scenic spot has a beautiful natural environment and is cool in summer. In addition to enjoying hot spring, visitors can also explore some scenic spots nearby such as the Puji Stone Bridge, Yanghu Cave, Sliver Snake Water and Houfeng Pavilion.

The best time to visit Ninghai is in autumn, from September to November when the weather is relatively pleasant and sunny with an average temperature of 20℃ (68℉). Ninghai has distinctive seasons. It is cold and dry in winter, from December to February. January is the coldest month when the temperature can drop to 3℃ (37℉). The weather is changeable as it is sometimes hot and sometimes cold in spring from February to April. In summer, from June to August, Ninghai is rainy and hot with the highest temperature of 37℃ (99℉) and typhoons are likely to occur.

Ninghai Zhejiang is 220 km (137 mi) away from Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, 75 km (47 mi) from Ningbo and 290 km (180 mi) from Shanghai. Visitors can take a flight to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport and then take a bullet train from Hangzhou East Railway Station to Ninghai Zhejiang. Visitors are also able to fly to Ningbo Lishe International Airport and then reach Ninghai by bullet train from Ningbo Railway Station in 30 minutes. There are also bullet trains from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station to Ninghai, taking about 3 hours. It takes about 2 hours by taking a coach from Fenghua Bus Station or Ningbo South Bus Station to Ninghai Zhejiang.

In Ninghai, the main transportation methods include buses and taxis. It takes CNY8 for the first 2 km of Ninghai taxi and CNY2 for the next distance. It charges CNY10-20 to Ninghai Railway Station and CNY10-20 to Ninghai Passenger Transportation Center from the downtown area by taxi.

When you travel to Ninghai Zhejiang, you cannot miss the delicious local snacks including Shrimp Soup, Qiantong Chow Mein, Ninghai Tangbao (Ninghai Dumpling), Wheat Cake, Roasted Potatoes and Seafood Noodles.  

  Qiantong Chow Mein
The Qiantong Chow Mein is made by the local hanging noodles, which looks white and thin and tastes pliable and smooth. Ninghai people like to fry the noodles with sliced fried bean curd, bamboo shoot, bean curd sheets, smoked bean curd, and cabbage.

  Ninghai Tangbao (Ninghai Dumpling)
Tangbao is a common dish in Ninghai. Generally, the stuffing is made of pork, shredded bamboo shoots, leeks, salted vegetables, bean sprouts and smoked bean curd. The steamed Tangbao look like human ears.