Ningbo Cixi Minghe Ancient Town｜Travel Through a Millennium of Medicinal Fragrance for Free!

🌿 Ningbo Cixi Minghe Ancient Town｜Travel Through a Millennium of Medicinal Fragrance for Free! Exclusive "Dragon-shaped Ancient Street + Baiyang Lake Seven Pagodas" Insider Guide
— Includes Free Tips + Parent-Child Handmade Surprises (2025 Tested Version)

📍 Specific Address
No. 999 Yuhuang Road, Guanhaiwei Town, Cixi City, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province (Navigate to 📍 "Minghe Ancient Town Parking Lot")
Hidden Entrance: Enter the ancient street for free along the Baiyang Lake trail! Capture the empty bluestone path at 7 AM, the scene of blue printed cloth drying instantly transports you to the "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" painting.

🚶♀️ Lazy Route (1-2 Day Highlights)
📌 One-Day Medicinal Fragrance Journey
07:30 Arrive by car → Breakfast at Lakeside Square (tea cake + smoked bean tea) → Medicinal Herb Museum → Twenty-Four-Rooms Horse-Riding Tower → Jinxian Zen Temple → Photographs at Doutang Bridge → Lunch of Shen’s Lamb Noodles → Ancient Bridge Tour → Return

- 8:00 AM: Head straight to Jinxian Temple to catch the morning mist 📸! The reflection of Baiyang Lake’s Seven Pagodas looks like fairies dancing; wear plain-colored Hanfu for zen-style shots (no loud noises inside the temple)
- 10:00 AM: Explore the Twenty-Four-Rooms Horse-Riding Tower 🏯! Shoot the circular corridor from the second floor, touch the Qing Dynasty medicinal merchant Ye family’s architectural fantasy of "riding horses around the building"
- 12:00 PM: Shop for intangible cultural heritage handmade crafts on the ancient street! Buy oil-paper umbrellas (35 RMB each), try freshly made rice cake dumplings (bamboo shoot and meat filling bursting with juice)

📌 Two-Day Mindfulness and Zen Retreat
Day 1: Hanfu travel photography → Duzhou Academy ancient book restoration → Night tour of AR light and shadow market (stay at Zhenshuiju carved bed)
Day 2: Morning run at Baiyang Lake → Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic pulse diagnosis → Handmade celadon pottery making → Sketching at Shatan Bridge

🎫 Tickets & Hours
- Tickets: Free admission! Some exhibitions require combined tickets (optional)
- Opening Hours:
- Outer ancient street: Open 24 hours
- Exhibitions: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM (Jinxian Temple/Medicinal Herb Museum limited hours)
- Hidden Perk: Local market every Wednesday for handmade silk quilt cores

🌟 Must-Visit Reasons
- Living Fossil of Traditional Chinese Medicine Culture: 90% of residents are descendants of medicinal merchants! Birthplace of over 150 old brands including Beijing Tongrentang and Wenzhou Ye Tongrentang, the Medicinal Herb Museum walls are covered with golden plaques
- Fourfold Impact Experience:
- Photo enthusiasts: Baiyang Lake Seven Pagodas reflection + ancient bridge bluestone mirror surface + horse-riding tower carved windows, three legendary photo spots
- Culture lovers: Touch Ming Dynasty salt merchant account books / listen to the legend of Yu Shinan drawing water and grinding ink
- Families: Lobster fishing + stamp collection for lantern stickers + celadon pottery making (30 RMB per item)
- Budget travelers: Authentic local snacks for about 20 RMB per person

📸 Featured Attractions & Photo Guide
1️⃣ Baiyang Lake + Jinxian Temple (Zen Centerpiece)
- Pro tip: After rain, crouch on the lakeside trail! Shoot the "sky mirror" with your phone close to the ground, wear a red dress and carry an oil-paper umbrella for a contrasting ink-wash background
- Secret spot: Use a telephoto lens from the temple’s lake-view tower to capture "deep floral zen rooms," ISO 400 + catch flying birds in the frame

2️⃣ Twenty-Four-Rooms Horse-Riding Tower (Architectural Aesthetic Peak)
- Atmosphere: Wear Hanfu and stand in the second-floor corridor! Shoot the seven connected corridors from above, wait for sunlight to shine through carved window lattices

3️⃣ Ancient Bridge Tour (Frozen Epic)
- Doutang Bridge: The place described in Qing Dynasty poetry as "near the sunset glow," with closed railings carved with lotus patterns
- Shatan Bridge: Built with pink plum garden stones, wear a qipao and lean on the railing for a Republic of China era elegant vibe

🚗 Transportation Tips
- Best by car (1.5 hours from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Suzhou):
- From Hangzhou: Hangyong Expressway → Shenhai Expressway → Guanhaiwei exit
- Parking: 10 RMB per time at the scenic area entrance | Reserve spots before 9 AM on weekends
- For non-drivers:
- Take high-speed rail to Yuyao North Station → Bus 206 direct (6 RMB)
- Warning: Return bus service stops at 6 PM! Recommend carpooling or arranging guesthouse pick-up

🍜 Foodie Alerts
- Must-try intangible cultural heritage trio:
- ✅ Handmade rice cake dumplings: freshly pounded glutinous rice wrapped with bamboo shoot and meat filling | Old brand on Middle Street, 5 RMB each
- ✅ Qingma Mochi: dyed with mugwort juice + crushed peanuts | A must for sticky rice lovers
- ✅ Mouse-shaped sugar balls: maltose sugar pulled and wrapped with sesame | Childhood memory shaped like little mice
- Dark cuisine: Minghe stinky tofu (traditional fermentation) paired with yellow wine coffee

⚠️ Hard-Learned Tips
1️⃣ Avoid Pitfalls:
- Bottled water inside the scenic area costs 6 RMB/bottle! Bring your own cup to use free water fountains
- Be cautious buying "antique" bamboo bags | Same styles on Taobao cost half the price

2️⃣ Off-Peak Wisdom:
- Fewest visitors on Tuesdays and Thursdays | For empty shots, rush to Baiyang Lake before 7 AM
- After heavy rain, stay 24 hours in the ancient street! Bluestone reflects like a cyber mirror

3️⃣ Family Tips:
- Collect 5 stamps to exchange for lantern stickers (at the visitor center) | Rent Hanfu props without deposit
- Wear non-slip socks for lobster fishing! Muddy field paths are slippery

4️⃣ Photography Rules:
- No flash photography inside Jinxian Temple | Don’t get too close to elderly people (smile first)
- Traditional Chinese Medicine clinic closed at midnight | Legend says Ming Dynasty night watchman’s drum sounds

"Deep in the bluestone alley locks the medicinal fragrance, seven pagodas’ reflection cleanses the heart."
Steal a day of leisure, come to Minghe and be a "disciple of the Yu family" for half a day! 🏮
📢 Related Guide: Search "Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai" on homepage to get Dongqian Lake cycling / Siming Mountain red maple full map!