Ningbo

Ningbo is a sub-provincial city in northeast Zhejiang province in China. It comprises the urban districts of Ningbo proper, three satellite cities, and a number of rural counties including islands in Hangzhou Bay and the East China Sea. Its port, spread across several locations, is among the busiest in the world and the municipality possesses a separate state-planning status. To the north, Hangzhou Bay separates Ningbo from Shanghai; to the east lies Zhoushan in the East China Sea; on the west and south, Ningbo borders Shaoxing and Taizhou respectively. Ningbo is one of China's oldest cities, with a history dating to the Hemudu culture in 4800 BC. Ningbo was known as a trade city on the silk road at least two thousand years ago, and then as a major port, along with Yangzhou and Guangzhou in the Tang Dynasty; thereafter, the major ports for foreign trade in the Song Dynasty.

Baoguo Temple, the oldest intact wooden structure in eastern China, is located in Jiangbei District, 15 km north of Ningbo city proper. Tianhou Temple, a former temple of Mazu as the "Empress of Heaven" once used by Fujianese merchants as their guild hall. Qita Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple complex first consecrated during the Tang Dynasty. Tianyi Pavilion (Tianyi Ge), one of Ningbo's most popular tourist attractions, is in the vicinity of Moon Lake (Yuehu). Built in 1516 and sa