Get to know Cixi City
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Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
- Administrative area
- County-level city · 县级市
- Part of
- Ningbo
- Chinese name
- 慈溪市
- Local areas
- County-level city guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,360.63 km²
- Population · 2020 census
- 1,462,383
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
The lake and its kilns
Shanglin Lake’s Yue kiln remains (越窑遗址) are associated with the origins of secret-colour celadon. The archaeological park preserves that ceramic heritage in a setting where hillside and lakeside paths connect with Kaolao Mountain Ancient Path (栲栳山古道). Qiaotou Town (桥头镇), around the lake, is also the hometown of writer Yu Qiuyu (余秋雨).
Merchant houses and southern villages
Minghe retains Ming- and Qing-period houses linked to merchants in traditional Chinese medicine. A2016 culture-ministry account records the restoration of merchant courtyard properties including Chongjingtang (崇敬堂) and the Ye family’s Wufang residence (叶氏五房). Farther along Cixi’s southern village landscape, Fangjiahetou (方家河头) offers another encounter with older settlement culture.
Sources for this guide
“秘色瓷乡 秋雨故居” 慈溪桥头打造宜居适业乐游共富美丽城镇 · Zhejiang Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development
浙江慈溪立足“区域优势”创新引领文化产业快速发展 · Ministry of Culture and Tourism; Ningbo Culture Bureau
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-30.
Explore Cixi City
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Cixi City
Hehuaxin kiln remains at Shanglin Lake Yue Kiln Site · 上林湖越窑遗址荷花芯窑炉 Photograph date recorded by the source: 6 October 2018, 14:38:52.Shanglin Lake Kiln Site上林湖越窑遗址
The Shanglin Lake kilns connect Yue celadon with the places where it was fired. At Hehuaxin, the exposed dragon-kiln structure explains the firing process; Housi’ao preserves evidence of workshops and pottery waste associated…
Read the place guide →
A large dark-timber paifang spanning a paved square: layered upturned eaves with dragon ridge figures, the central plaque 鳴鶴古鎮 and side plaques 市繁華 / 名聞浙雨 in gold, stone piers on carved bases, a cyclist passing beneath and a yellow building behind.Minghe Ancient Town鸣鹤古镇
Tang-era town in Cixi between Du and Baiyang lakes, home of Chinese-medicine merchants and rice cakes; a China Historical and Cultural Town.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Cixi City is about 50 km in a straight line from central Ningbo. Search for 慈溪市 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Shanglin Lake Kiln Site and Minghe Ancient Town are both listed here. The linked place guides have entrance and visit details.
Continue with Ningbo →More in Ningbo
Sources & geographic information
Administrative names and parent areas: Official geographic directory · Reference date 2026-09-06.
Photo: Shanglin Lake Kiln Site · Siyuwj · Siyuwj — Yue-Kiln_sites_at_Shanglin_Lake,_2018-10-06_06.jpg — CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Photo: Minghe Ancient Town · Mir7ror · CC BY-SA 3.0. Full frame retained; proportionally resized and converted to WebP. No retouching or changes to the photographed subject. Card displays may crop the view.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.