City Guide: Ningbo

     Apart from economic achievements, Ningbo is also a cradle of Chinese culture.

    In this power-house of China with impressive natural landscapes and cultural density including more than 11 national historic reservations and 225 preservation units, all take a back seat to the relics of the world’s oldest culture – Hemudu.

     Ningbo is a cradle of Chinese civilization and you can explore it with Booked.net. Be it a room in cheap hotel in Ningbo to luxury offers all available with maps, photos and secure forms at Booked.net.

     Ningbo dates back 7000 years before the present being the first place of rice cultivation in the world. When the Qin forces took over the Yangtze Delta, the political situation in Ningbo stabilized and this attracted commercial exchanges with foreign countries to the city. By the 5^th century it became the most convenient port for exchanges with Nanjing and southern China that boosted trade activities in Ningbo.

     With the development of coastal trade came a building boom. By 821AD the small city of Ningbo was seeing the first features of a big city in the East China coast. A ban on overseas trade led to the decline of the city during the regency of the Ming dynasty. In addition, Japanese pirates terrorized the city till the situation changed for the better in the 16^th century. Western merchants flock to Ningbo for doing business in the area because of its profitable location.

     The city is south of Hangzhou Bay and is separated from Zhoushan by a stream. The city is a close neighbor to Shaoxing to the west and Taizhou to the south that makes it a perfect crossing for trade. Even though a place of the treaty port was taken by Shanghai, Ningo is known as the main sea port on China's east coast. Serving as the post for external trade from the 17^th century, Ningbo specializes on consumer goods, electrical products, food, industrial tools and textiles.

     Away from its industrial face, Ningbo is a very popular tourist destination thanks to its history and culture. The city is especially popular for its gold-silver thread embroidery, gilt wooden engravings and bamboo ware. In addition, the city is teeming with attractions to explore

- Ningbo Ocean World, the best large-sized aquarium in China

- Showsy Gallery, a beautiful art gallery with coffee shop

- Tiantong National Forest Park covers an area of 334 hectares with more than 1,000 species of plants

- Baoguo Temple, initially established in the Eastern Han Dynasty

     You can book a stay near any of these attractions at Booked.net.