Ningbo, Hangzhou, Wuzhen, Jiaxing Independent Travel in December 2023
In early December 2023, my spouse and I chose an independent trip to Zhejiang, visiting Ningbo, Hangzhou, Wuzhen, and Jiaxing, enjoying a relaxing and delightful 7-day journey.
We took a China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou to Ningbo. Today Ningbo was overcast with drizzle, dampening our mood, so we just strolled near the hotel. Accommodation: Hanting Hotel (Tianyi Square Branch).
China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou to Ningbo, Zhejiang.
Checked into Ningbo Hanting Hotel (Tianyi Square Branch).
The hotel is excellently located; from the airport, take Metro Line 2, and it's just across the road after exiting.
The banks of Ningbo's Three Rivers (Yuyao River, Yong River, Fenghua River). Ningbo is a national historical and cultural city, rich in cultural heritage and with a long history. It is a typical Jiangnan water town and a seaport city, serving as the southern sea outlet of China's Grand Canal and the eastern departure port of the Maritime Silk Road. Ningbo's most representative Ningbo Port was rated as one of the World's Top Five Ports by the authoritative British magazine Containerisation International.
The weather was gloomy and foggy.
A tangyuan (glutinous rice ball) sculpture on a Ningbo street. Tangyuan is one of Ningbo's famous snacks.
In the evening, we dined at this restaurant, which was having a 50% off promotion, a pretty good deal.
At this restaurant, you could order by looking at the displayed dishes.
Stir-fried rice cakes with shepherd's purse and bamboo shoots.
To reach the 200 yuan minimum (100 yuan after discount), we also ordered a plate of salt-boiled peanuts and edamame.
Day 2: Ningbo
Today the rain stopped in Ningbo and the sky cleared. We visited Tianyi Pavilion, Moon Lake Park, and Ningbo Old Bund. Accommodation: Hanting Hotel (Tianyi Square Branch).
Visited Ningbo's Tianyi Pavilion.
Tianyi Pavilion is the oldest existing private library in China and one of the world's three oldest family libraries. It was built between the 40th and 45th years of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1561–1566), originally as the book collection of Fan Qin, a right vice minister of the Ministry of War. It now houses nearly 300,000 volumes of ancient books, including more than 80,000 rare and valuable editions.
The Tianyi Pavilion Museum is a thematic museum centered on the Tianyi Pavilion library and its book-collecting culture, covering an area of about 34,000 square meters. It is now a National Key Cultural Relics Protection Unit, a National Key Ancient Books Protection Unit, a National First-Class Museum, and a National 5A Tourist Attraction.
The library building of Tianyi Pavilion.
Scenery of Moon Lake Park. Ningbo's Moon Lake was formed in the 10th year of the Zhenguan reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. Its wide section resembles a full moon and its narrow section a crescent moon, hence the name Moon Lake. It is now a famous park in Ningbo.
Moon Lake in Ningbo was excavated during the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty. In the Yuanyou period of the Song Dynasty, ten islets were created, planted with seasonal flowers and trees, forming the ten-islet scenic view on the lake.
Moon Lake boasts beautiful scenery.
Buddhist Lay Buddhist Grove (Jūshìlín). A lay Buddhist grove is a place where lay Buddhists study doctrines, develop wisdom, propagate teachings, and purify body and mind.
Ningbo Old Bund. Located on the north bank of the Jiangbei District at the confluence of the Three Rivers (Yong River, Fenghua River, and Yuyao River), it is the gateway to the ancient city of Ningbo. In the Tang Dynasty, it was one of China's four major ports and the starting point of Jianzhen's eastward voyages. In the Southern Song Dynasty, it was one of the three major ports, with a Shibosi (Maritime Trade Office) established to manage foreign trade. After the signing of the Treaty of Nanjing, Ningbo became one of the Five Treaty Ports and officially opened in 1844. The Ningbo Old Bund was developed as a commercial and tourism project after 1992 and has become a famous landmark in Ningbo.
Ningbo Old Bund is an important witness to a century of Ningbo's history and the fifth city card carefully crafted by Ningbo (Ningbo's merchant group, Ningbo Port, Ningbo scenery, Ningbo fashion). The Old Bund blends the architectural beauty of East and West, integrating shopping, dining, entertainment, tourism, and residences into a distinctive area, making it a fashionable landmark of Ningbo.
The Old Bund opened as a port in 1844. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, it had been one of the busiest ports and the birthplace of the renowned Ningbo merchant group. It was the earliest foreign trade port among the Five Treaty Ports, predating Shanghai's Bund by 20 years.
The former police station, now converted into a café.
In 1844, when Ningbo opened as a treaty port, the north bank of the Jiangbei District was designated as the foreign commercial and residential area. Around 1860, foreign consuls, merchants, missionaries, and their families mostly lived along the river from Huaihua Tree to the French Catholic Church at Peach Blossom Ferry. The religions around Ningbo's Bund were largely imported, with monasteries, Protestant churches, and Catholic churches dotting the area. A surviving hallmark of this imported religion is the French Gothic-style Catholic church built in 1872, with a floor area of 4,380 square meters.
Confluence of the Three Rivers
We made a special trip to Ningbo's famous time-honored snack shop 'Gang Ya Gou' to try their treats.
After tasting, we felt the prices were high, portions small, and the taste just average — not worth it.
Ningbo Old City God Temple
The old City God Temple is no longer there; now a statue of the City God has been placed inside a commercial pedestrian street.
In the morning, we took a train from Ningbo to Hangzhou East Railway Station, then the metro to a hotel by West Lake. After checking in, we strolled along the lake. Accommodation: Grand Hyatt Hangzhou.
After breakfast, we took a taxi from the hotel to Ningbo Railway Station, then a high-speed train for about an hour to Hangzhou East Station, and the metro to the shores of West Lake.
Our son and daughter-in-law paid for us to stay two nights at the five-star Grand Hyatt Hangzhou. The hotel is right on the lakeside of West Lake, with an unbeatable location.
From the hotel room, we could enjoy views of West Lake.
Our son informed the hotel it was our wedding anniversary, and the hotel thoughtfully prepared champagne, a fruit plate, a small cake, and a greeting card.
We have visited Hangzhou many times, so it was a revisit to familiar places; the scenery remained just as beautiful.
The scenery was picturesque, and tourists were everywhere.
The Executive Lounge balcony at the hotel was a great spot for viewing West Lake.
Afternoon tea served in the Executive Lounge.
Tourists watching the sunset by West Lake.
Buffet dinner in the Executive Lounge.
West Lake's musical fountain show starts at 7:30 p.m. every evening and lasts about half an hour.
Day 4: Hangzhou
After hotel breakfast, we took the metro to Hangzhou's Hefang Street scenic area, Hu Xueyan's Former Residence, and the Southern Song Deshou Palace Site Museum, then continued exploring West Lake in the afternoon. Accommodation: Grand Hyatt Hangzhou.
Breakfast buffet at the Grand Hyatt Hangzhou Executive Lounge.
Although it was already December, Hangzhou's winter temperatures had remained high this year, so we were lucky to see beautiful yellow leaves.
We explored the Hefang Street scenic area in Hangzhou. Qinghefang has been a bustling area since ancient times, the political and cultural center of Hangzhou and a gathering place for merchants. Century-old shops in Hangzhou, such as Wang Xing Ji, Zhang Xiaoquan, Wanlong Ham Store, Hu Qing Yu Tang, Fang Hui Chun Tang, and Ye Zhong De Tang, are all concentrated here.
Strolling along Qinghefang Street on its bluestone pavement, with Ming and Qing-style buildings on both sides, upturned eaves, lattice windows, and shop assistants in period costumes, one feels as though stepping back in time. Qinghefang Street is the only fully preserved old street in Hangzhou, a microcosm of the city's long history.
Zhongyi Pavilion in the center of Hefang Street.
Hu Qing Yu Tang is famous nationwide thanks to the story of Hu Xueyan, a red-hatted merchant of the late Qing Dynasty.
The Jiangnan Copper House on Hangzhou's historic Hefang Street is the copper sculpture art museum of Chinese master craftsman Zhu Bingren.
This unique Jiangnan Copper House, a residential compound of about 3,000 square meters made entirely of copper, houses copper paintings, copper murals, melted copper art, copper architectural art, Buddhist culture, and more — each piece a rare, timeless treasure.
Hangzhou Drum Tower. In 2002, the Hangzhou Municipal Government reconstructed the Drum Tower, adopting a five-bay, double-eave hip-and-gable roof style typical of Ming Dynasty drum tower architecture. The rebuilt tower echoes with Chenghuang Pavilion on the western side of Wu Hill.
The former residence of Hu Xueyan, the famous red-hatted merchant of the late Qing Dynasty.
The Southern Song Deshou Palace rebuilt on the archaeologically excavated original site. It is now the Southern Song Deshou Palace Site Museum.
The Deshou Palace Site Museum, based on archaeological ruins, uses indoor exhibitions, digital displays, and site simulations to systematically present the full picture of Southern Song history and culture.
The Southern Song Deshou Palace was first built in the 32nd year of the Shaoxing reign as the residence of Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou after his abdication, echoing the Southern Song imperial city from afar; it was also known as the Northern Inner Palace. Since 2001, the Deshou Palace site has undergone four archaeological excavations, covering about 110,000 square meters.
West Lake, also known as Qiantang Lake, is surrounded by mountains on its south, west, and north sides, with the city to the east and the Qiantang River separated by hills to the south. Bai Causeway, Su Causeway, Yanggong Causeway, and Zhaogong Causeway divide the lake into several sections, and there are three islands in the lake. The mountains around West Lake center on the lake. West Lake is a national 5A tourist attraction and a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The lake and mountain scenery was breathtakingly beautiful.
Day 5: Hangzhou – Wuzhen
After hotel breakfast, we took the metro to the bus station at Hangzhou East Railway Station, then a direct coach to Wuzhen. Upon arriving at Wuzhen Bus Station, we took a taxi to the hotel. After check-in, we visited Wuzhen's West Scenic Zone by taxi. Accommodation: Alila Wuzhen.
After breakfast, we took the metro to Hangzhou East Station and then a bus to Wuzhen in Jiaxing.
Upon arriving in Wuzhen, we checked into Alila Wuzhen, the only Alila five-star luxury garden villa-style hotel in China, pre-paid by our eldest son and daughter-in-law.
We booked a Waterside King Room, which was very spacious and even had a small courtyard.
Alila Wuzhen is characterized by water, with guest rooms scattered across the water, creating beautiful scenery.
Wuzhen. A typical ancient water town in Jiangnan, China, it is a famous historical and cultural town known as the 'land of fish and rice and home of silk.' Wuzhen is a national 5A tourist attraction and is often hailed as the 'last resting-on-water settlement in China.' Since 2014, it has been the permanent venue of the World Internet Conference.
Wuzhen has two scenic zones: East Scenic Zone and West Scenic Zone. We chose to visit the West Scenic Zone. Upon entering, we first took a black-awning rowboat to tour the West Scenic Zone; the boat ticket was 60 yuan per person.
Hand-rowed black-awning boat
The West Scenic Zone is on Wuzhen's West Street, adjacent to the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It is mainly designed for business travel and leisure vacations. The West Scenic Zone consists of 12 small islands connected by over 70 bridges.
Tongji Bridge and Renji Bridge are adjacent at a right angle. No matter which bridge you stand beside, you can see the other bridge through the arch of the one you're on, earning the name 'Bridge within a Bridge.' It is the most beautiful ancient bridge scenery in Wuzhen and a unique sight.
