Ningbo, a laid-back, green city in coastal Zhejiang province, was a strong candidate to become the nation’s east coast financial, commercial and shipping center back in the 1980s when China began opening up to the world. Instead, that accolade was given to Shanghai. Ningbo, meanwhile, settled into a thriving niche as one of China's most successful high-tech manufacturing and import/export cities. Trade, rather than tourism, was its thing.
But the government realized something was missing: tourism revenue. Ningbo’s seaport—ranked among the tops in the world—provides fast access to the Zhoushan archipelago of islands, including the Buddhist retreat and tourism magnet of Putuoshan. Many of the islands are being developed for tourism and watersports, and Ningbo is surrounded by pretty canal villages, ancient ruins, accessible mountains and beautiful Dongqian Lake.
In addition, links between Shanghai and Ningbo are set to increase. Beginning in 2008, the world’s longest sea bridge, measuring more than 22 mi/35 km, will span the Bay, cutting driving time to about 2.5 hours.
Ningbo’s wealth has always been related to the sea. The city’s original settlement was built at the confluence of three rivers: the Yong, Fenghua and Yuyao, which flow into the sea. This area, known as Sanjiang Kou (Mouth of Three Rivers), is the heart of modern Ningbo, with attractive gardens, riverside walkways, bridges, retail malls and the buzz of a city on the way up. Several new hotels, including Shangri-La, are being constructed there.
The grand riverfront Bund is said to predate its Shanghai counterpart by around two decades, though the area only began to develop after the British navy bludgeoned its way into Shanghai in 1842, forcing China to concede five treaty ports—Shanghai, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Guangzhou and Ningbo—to the British, French and Americans. Just as in Shanghai, many foreign companies, banks and consulates were built along the Bund in the late 19th century.
Though different in style, the buildings along Ningbo’s Bund have been similarly restyled, and the area is now a thriving district of bars, restaurants and galleries. It’s also a popular location for pre-wedding photo shoots: Visitors will often see local brides and grooms, dressed in white wedding dresses and dapper suits, posing against the scenic backdrop.
Two new Bund attractions also merit a visit. Facing the river, the Ningbo City Exhibition is a fascinating three-floored showcase of the history of the city and port of Ningbo, as well as its ambitious urban and tourism development projects. Two doors down is the post-modern hardwood exterior of the Ningbo Museum of Art. Designed in warehouse-chic style with high ceilings, raw concrete walls and oak paneling, this is one of China’s finest contemporary arts spaces, hosting a broad range of Chinese and Asian art and photography exhibitions.
Ningbo’s cultural pride and joy is the Tianyi Pavilion, one of China’s oldest private libraries. A series of photogenic temple-style pavilions is set in beautifully manicured gardens filled with rounded arches, lanterns and mini courtyards.
Zhongshan Lu, the city’s broad main boulevard, is flanked by large malls and filled with heaving traffic, much the same as its counterpart thoroughfares in cities across coastal "new" China. At the junction with Gongyuan Lu, the grand yellow Drum Tower is built atop an old city wall in traditional style—with slate roofs that turn upward like the bows on a ship at each end. However, grafted onto the top is a redbrick, western-style clock tower. Though certainly unorthodox, it stands as a hybrid landmark for a historic city whose modern development offers a tangible blend of “old” and “new” China.