Qiantong Ancient Town

Qiantong Ancient Town

Qiantong Ancient Town is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Qiantong Ancient Town:

Away from the city noise

The town is located 14 kilometers southwest of Ninghai County in Ningbo, and is the most well-preserved ancient town in eastern Zhejiang with a strong Confucian cultural heritage. Established in the late Song Dynasty and flourishing during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, it still retains over 1,300 various types of ancient residential buildings. Stepping into the town, one can say “every household has carved beams, …

Entering the town, it’s truly peaceful — “every home has carved beams, every household has flowing water.” Around 2,000 families live here, the majority (about 80%) surnamed Tong, and because the town is situated in front of the Bai Stream, it is called Qiantong (meaning “Front Tong”). The ancestors of the Tong family designed the water system according to the principles of the Bagua (Eight Trigrams), bringing the waters of the Bai Stream into the village to form a “Water Bagua.” The stream flows around each household in the shape of the Water Bagua, winding through homes and along the alleys, with murmuring water running past doorways and backyards.

Many of the ancient residences in the town have been preserved almost intact, maintaining their appearance from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The old street is lined with shops featuring traditional long-board facades. Adjacent to the old street lies a cluster of exquisitely crafted and well-preserved ancient buildings, richly decorated with carvings on beams, windows, and doors. The intricate fish-leaping horsehead walls and ridge ornaments showcase a unique local architectural style. With green vines, white walls, black tiles, stone lattice windows, and elaborately carved gateways, the area within a 2-kilometer radius features cobblestone paths, traditional houses, old streets, and ancestral halls, all forming their own distinct layout.

This group of ancient buildings mainly consists of ancestral halls, old residences, and the historic street. The most notable is the Tong Family Ancestral Hall, built in the 18th year of the Hongwu era in the early Ming Dynasty. It is said to have been designed by Fang Xiaoru and incorporates architectural elements from the Ming imperial palace, remaining remarkably well-preserved to this day.

When visiting Qiantong, it’s best to first climb to the top of Lushan Mountain. From there, you can get a panoramic view of the entire town. Lushan isn’t high but gets its name from its resemblance to a reclining deer. Locals regard it as an auspicious sacred mountain and have carefully protected it for generations.

To the north of Lushan lies Lianghuang Mountain, a mysterious and majestic range of layered peaks that served as the first campsite in Xu Xiake’s Travel Diaries. Since ancient times, it has held the title of a famous mountain in eastern Zhejiang. In any version of historical maps featuring Ninghai, Lianghuang is always present.

Address: Town Center, Qiantong Town, Ninghai County, Ningbo City

Type: Ancient Town/Village

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: About 2 hours

Phone: 0574-65370300

Opening Hours:

8:00-16:30