Qiantong Ancient Town in Ninghai｜A Hidden Gem of Timeless Jiangnan Charm

This journey brought me to Ninghai, an underrated treasure of a town. Pushing open its wooden gates, I encountered a 700-year-old ink-washed dream. If you're weary of Wuzhen's crowds and Xitang's bustle, Qiantong will be your ideal Jiangnan retreat.

Devoid of over-commercialization, this Southern Song dynasty town retains its original poetry with Ming-Qing era white-walled houses, babbling Bagua water channels winding through alleys, and the legacy of the film "The Music Box." Here, "every home has carved beams, every household has flowing water."

Qiantong Travel Guide:
🚗Transport:
Self-drive: ~1.5hrs from Ningbo.
🚄Public transport:
High-speed rail: Ningbo Station→Ninghai Station (30min, ¥28.5), transfer to Bus 102 to South Gate Bridge, then take Qiantong minibus (¥4.5, 30min).

🔸Deer Hill Dawn: This deer-shaped hill offers panoramic views at sunrise—mist-shrouded rooftops facing distant Pagoda Hill like an unfinished ink painting.

🔸Zhisi Qiju: A Qing dynasty scholar's residence with Confucian ideals carved in its gate plaque. The pebbled courtyard's coin patterns whisper literati elegance.

🔸Tong Clan Ancestral Hall: Designed by Ming philosopher Fang Xiaoru, its 32 chess-arranged pillars symbolize familial strategy. The Five-Phoenix Stage showcases rare Sui-Tang craftsmanship.

🔸Yifei Cinema: Preserved filming location of "The Music Box," playing continuously.

🔸Bagua Water Channels: The town's soul—follow against the flow to exit, with it to explore deeper.

Qiantong Flavors:
✅"Three Treasures": Crispy tofu pockets, golden hollow tofu, savory-sweet dried tofu. Try Xianbao Tofu Banquet's stone-pot tofu.
✅Xiake Bing: Xu Xiake's travel pancake—salted preserved veg or sweet seaweed-sesame.

Insider Tips:
👉Beat crowds: Visit at 7am or after 4pm when only water sounds remain.
👉Get lost: Follow water backward to exit—no maps needed.

Qiantong's beauty lies in its "unfinishedness"—weathered walls, creaking gates, sun-dried noodles by streams are life's footnotes. No performances here, just authentic living. Slow down, and it whispers tales of old.

Practical Info:
🎫Ticket: ¥70 (¥50 online), includes key sites
🕒Hours: 8:00-17:00 (summer until 17:30)
💚Ideal stay: 1 day+night for dawn/dusk moods