Nestled on the southern shore of Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang province, Ningbo (meaning 'Calm Wave') has long been known for its world-class deep water port, electronics manufacturing plants and commercial trade shows. But once the world's longest sea bridge, spanning 36 kilometers, opens late next year, Ningbo will be just two-and-a-half hours drive from Shanghai-and its underrated tourism attractions will be more accessible than ever.

 

7:30am: Kick-start the day with repeated visits to the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel's excellent buffet breakfast spread. Then grab a city map from the concierge to plot your sightseeing route.

 

8am: Catch a cab to Zhongshan Park and watch the city's early risers as they welcome a new day with calisthenics (and copious yawns). Stroll the neat pathways meandering among the rockeries, pagodas, ponds and mini-temples. Here, surrounded by trees and overlooked by the new office towers of Ningbo, early-morning tai chi is de rigueur.

 

9am: Head along Gongyuan Lu, a bustling pedestrian street where low-slung whitewashed houses with gray slate roofs have been converted into shops and open-fronted cafes. The central market stalls sell everything from rucksacks to porcelain vases. Continue towards Zhongshan Lu and you'll pass through a giant archway, atop which sits the grand yellow Drum Tower, now sporting an additional clocktower.

 

10am: Walk west along Zhongshan Xi Lu and then left onto Changchun Lu. Two blocks down on the left is Tianyi Jie, home to Ningbo's historic pride and joy: Tianyi Ge. This spacious pavilion, set in beautifully manicured gardens filled with rounded arches, lanterns and mini-courtyards, houses one of China's oldest private libraries. The Ning Hui Hall has a fine collection of stone tablets and calligraphy works.

 

12pm: Stroll east along Liuting Jie, passing the much-revered Moon Lake on each side of the street. Stop and relieve those growing hunger pains at Vegetarian Lifestyle, the Ningbo branch of Shanghai's finest veggie restaurant.

 

1pm: Pass through Tianyi Square. Myriad shops, an open piazza and a giant HDTV screen showing cartoons form Ningbo's unmistakable heartbeat. Weekend evenings see the square host an outdoor movie fountain show, created by shooting laser beams at a giant moving screen made of running water.

 

1:30pm: Exit the square and head east along Zhongshan Dong Lu. This broad boulevard features Ningbo’s smartest brand malls and countless bank branches. At the junction of Zhongshan Lu and Linqiao Lu is the 'Mouth of the Three Rivers' (Sanjiang Kou). Here, at the confluence of the Yong, Fenghua and Yuyao rivers, is where the city's original settlement was founded.

 

2pm: Skip across the Xinjiang Bridge to the magnificent Catholic Church, first built in the 17th-century. Standing isolated on a small green, this is perhaps Ningbo's most photogenic attraction.

 

2:30pm: Adjacent to the church is Laowaitan, Ningbo's Bund, which claims to predate Shanghai's more celebrated river-front strip. The old consulate buildings have been well restored and are complemented by some fine modern architecture to create a labyrinth of lanes crammed with bars, restaurants and galleries.

 

3:15pm: Facing the river, Ningbo City Exhibition offers a fascinating three-floored showcase of the history of Ningbo and its port, plus ambitious ongoing city redevelopment projects.

 

4pm: Just along the Bund is the eye-catching hardwood exterior of the Ningbo Museum of Art. Designed in industrial-chic style with cavernous concrete rooms and high wood-panelled ceilings, this is a world-class space for Chinese and Asian art and photography.

 

7pm: Ningbo is famed for its yong cuisine, best exemplified by the braised, stewed, fried and steamed seafood dishes. Head to the Shipu Grand Restaurant for white shrimp soup, deep fried river eel and yellow croaker in soy sauce.

 

9pm: Catch a cab to Sanjiang Kou to view the city's impressive neon-lit riverside and skyline, before heading to a Bund bar for a nightcap-or two.

 

TRAVEL PACK

 

Howard Johnson Plaza

Location: 230 Liuting Jie

Tel: 574 2786 6666

 

Vegetarian Lifestyle

Location: 2/F, 16 Liuting Jie

Tel: 574 8730 1333

 

Shipu Great Restaurant

Location: 1118 Baizhang Dong Lu

Tel: 574 8783 8888

 

Ningbo Museum of Art

Location: 122 Renmin Lu, Laowaitan (The Bund)

Tel: 574 8764 322

 

Ningbo City Exhibition

Location: 195 Renmin Lu, Laowaitan (The Bund)

Tel: 574 8766 8586

 

(That's Shanghai by Gary Bowerman December 27, 2007)