Sheraton Ningbo Hotel

A well-mixed complex of entertainment, shopping, nightlife and sightseeing, Tianyi Square is currently the largest one-stop square market in China and probably the first place any foreigner would visit when coming to Ningbo. It is doubtlessly the most popular place star-studded by numerous shops (optical, clothes, gifts) as well as 2 appliances stores (Suning) and a superstore (Legou).

World famous chains like Pizza Hut, Starbucks and Kentucky Fried Chicken, and designer stores such as Dunhill, Trussardi, Hugo Boss and Burberry, all have a place here.

Co-designed by a US agency and Ningbo Architectural Institute, it features a trendy composition of 22 modernized buildings circling the round square in center, where green belts, fishponds, dynamic musical fountains and elegant street lamps create a scenic and romantic venue for visitors and lovers.

Located on the bank of the Yong river and next to Ningbo's beautiful Yongjiang Bridge, also known as the "Old Bund", Laowaitan is now Ningbo's trendiest and most frequented dining, drinking and nightlife center. After being in oblivion for a hundred years, it has taken a new look after a recent renovation inspired by Shanghai Xintiandi. A smaller version of the Bund in Shanghai, the multi-style old-time structures here, with their elaborate porticos and verandahs, add sparkle to the ever changing vogue, turning this oriental port and fashionable waterfront city more attractive when night falls.

Ningbo's best tourist attraction, the Tianyige Library (opening hours 8.00 am -4.30pm)entrance fees RMB 12, is comfortably tucked away in the vicinity of Moon Lake (Yuehu). Built in 1516 and said to be the oldest surviving library building in China, it was founded by Ming official Fan Qin, whose collection went back to the eleventh century and included woodblock and handwritten copies of the Confucian classics, rare local histories and lists of the candidates successful in imperial examinations. Nowadays you can visit the library's garden and outhouses, some of which contain small displays of old books and tablets. It's quite a charming place and the gold-plated, wood-paneled buildings, their bamboo groves, pool and rockery still preserve an atmosphere of seclusion, contemplation and study.

It’s the junction of three rivers: the Yuyao River, the Fenghua River and the Yongjiang River, and definitely the center of the Ningbo City. For its inborn advantage in shipping and communication, it grew into the heart of Ningbo a long time ago. Back in 821 of the Tang Dynasty, Governor Han Cha of Mingzhou (Ningbo), at the approval of Imperial Government, had the prefecture government relocated to this area. City walls and moats were then constructed and government offices established which marked the initial shaping of Ningbo City. Therefore, the Sanjiangkou Area can be viewed as the cradle for this town’s civilization.

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