Due to its location in the coastal region, an area with a subtropical monsoon climate, Ningbo is subject to temperate and humid weather. The mean annual temperature is 16.2 C (61.16 F). The region has four distinct seasons which guarantee tourists a different holidaying experience depending on the time of year they visit.
Season-specific resorts such as the Tianhe Scenic Area in Tiantai Mountain and Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area in Xikou Town cater for the summer season, while resorts such as the Nanxi Hot Springs are suited more to winter visits.
However, to the north of Ningbo run a series of beautiful lakes, including the Dongqian Lake, the West Lake and the Tai Lake, which are perfect for year-round visits.
Lishe International Airport (NGB) lies to the southwest of Ningbo City, 11 kilometers (about 6.8 kilometers) away from the urban area. It was put into use in 1990. Now, the airport has opened up to Hong Kong, Seoul as well as dozens of large and medium cities in China like Shanghai, Beijing, Kunming and Shenzhen.
To get to the airport from the urban area, one could take the shuttle bus. It departs from the CAAC Ticket Office at No.91, Xingning Road and has few minutes' stopover by the passenger transport center. The first shuttle bus leaves at 07:20 and following buses depart with an interval of one hour. The last one heading for the airport leaves at 18:20. The bus from the airport to urban area stops at the South Ningbo Railway Station. The ticket for the shuttle bus is CNY 10. Alternatively, it costs about CNY 40 by taxi to go to the airport from the center area of the city (around Tianyi Square).
Nightlife in Ningbo in recent years has become much more colorful. Various bars, pubs, and cinemas provide perfect places for people to pass the evening. Night markets serving delicious local food satisfying any hunger pangs or thirst for a culinary adventure.
When the night falls, Ningbo takes on a charming atmosphere, enveloped in colorful neon lights. The night cruise ships on the Yong River slowly sail around this attractive city showing passengers a different image of the city. The night views of Lao Waitan in the Sanjiangkou area endow Ningbo with charms of a modern city but unlike the bustling big cities, the night scenery reveals a sense of peace and leisure.
Bars and clubs in Ningbo are springing up like mushrooms after rain all over the city. They wake up the nightlife of this peaceful city in the south of the Yangtze River.
Lying in the east of Zhejiang, Ningbo sits at the center of the Chinese coastline, towards the south of the Yangtze Delta. It covers an area of 3616 square miles, of which 399 square miles make up the city's busy city centre.
Ningbo is one China's oldest cities, and has witnessed the rise and fall ofseveral dynasties. It also represents the birthplace of Hemudu Culture, which itself has a history of over 7000 years. These early civilizations lived and thrived in the area, and have contributed greatly to make Ningbo what it is today; an economically-developed, modern city with a profound cultural foundation.
Ningbo is a city with strong Buddhist connections and has a number of visually-impressive, historical temples. The 1700 year-old Asoka Temple houses the rare Buddhist relics of Sakyamuni, who is the founder of Buddhism; the Tiantong Temple, with a history of over 1600 years, is renowned for its fantastic scenery and subtle architectural style; and the Baoguo Temple boasts one of the best-preserved wooden structures of its type in China. Other Buddhist temples in the city include the Qita Temple, the Tianfeng Pagoda and the Xiantong Pagoda.
Ningbo is an integration of traditional culture south of the Yangtze River and of fashionable elements of modern cities. Here, traditional handicrafts, passed down for hundreds of years, reveal special cultural connotations belonging only to this ancient coastal city. Shopping malls and department stores also satisfy people's need for modern goods.
With its thousand-year-long history, Ningbo boasts many traditional handicrafts. One of them is Gu Mu Xiangqian, which became a tribute offering early in the Sui Dynasty (581-618) for its delicacy and elegance. Ivory, sheet copper, boxwood or shells are processed into vivid flowers and birds, charming natural scenery or pretty girl, which are inlaid into rosewood. The mosaic rosewood is made into traditional Chinese handicrafts which are useful and can appreciate in value.
- Baoguo Temple
- Tianfeng Pagoda
- Tianyi Pavilion
- Yandang Mountain