Ningbo

For the last 2 years, I lived in a small city in Zhejiang Province, China named Ningbo. I was quite peeved when people frowned and asked where that place it is. Well, you can check on Google Maps about its location. The fact that I know, it takes 2 hours by fast train to Shanghai. Despite its 'unknown' area, the city is quite beautiful. It is a small city compared to Jakarta. my hometown, but it has a huge shopping mall, beautiful gardens, museums, and MRT! Well, you are starting to think that it is a cool city, right? 

So, I will introduce you some cool tourism places.

1. Liangzhu Garden

Yes, this is in China! If you are lucky enough, you can find colorful tulip when spring comes. There are many European style buildings where you are able to take selfies there. 

Liangzhu Garden is dedicated to a Chinese legend of butterflies. Even, there is a tomb of legendary couples. 

2. Dongqian Lake

Dongqian Lake is a huge lake with some islands. You can rent a boat to those islands. For your information, there is an island where CJ7 movie was taken. Also, you can try some traditional snacks with unique flavors. I even found a snack with grass flavor. 

3. Nantang Laojie

This is my favorite China's chinatown. This place is quite far from mass transportation but it's worth visiting. There are hundreds stores of traditional food, toys, accessories, books, and so on. I also found my favorite tea house in there. This place is also famous for its Ningbo Tangyuan. Tangyuan is like mochi or 'ronde' in Indonesia. However, Ningbo's tangyuan has different texture and flavor. You should try it. 

4. Tianyi Library

You might think of a huge library where contains your favorite novels or books. Well, you are totally wrong! This is a library of a Chinese librarian. He had thousands of books which are kept in his house. Then, the house was transformed into a museum. You can still see his books. They are really very old books. Also, you can find various versions of mahjong and paintings. 

5. Tianyi Shopping Mall

 

Yes, this is the huge shopping mall which I mentioned before. You can find almost everything here, from clothes, coffee shops, to hypermart. It is also linked to other mall, like Chenghuamiao Mall. There is also a Catholic church which become a main tourist attraction.

Well, they are only 5 of dozens tourism sites of Ningbo. Although it takes a longer time to reach this city than other big cities of China, it is a fun place to be explored.