Get to know Jiangbei District
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- Administrative area
- District · 市辖区
- Part of
- Ningbo
- Chinese name
- 江北区
- Local areas
- District guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 209.00 km²
- Population · 2002
- 230,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Setting and history
The land is mostly plain, with hills in the north and a dense network of waterways. The area's history reaches back to Gouzhang (句章), a town founded by King Goujian of Yue (勾践) in the Spring and Autumn period. From 738 the west belonged to Cixi County and the east to Mao County (鄮县), later Yin County. The district itself dates from May 1951; Cicheng joined the city's suburban district in 1960, and that district merged with Jiangbei in 1984.
What to see
Cicheng, on the Yao River, was founded in the Kaiyuan years of the Tang and served as the seat of Cixi County until 1949. Xinhua describes it as one of the more completely preserved thousand-year-old county towns in the Jiangnan region, restored on the principle of repairing old as old. It is a national historic and cultural town, and its old buildings are a national key protected site. The name of the old Cixi County recalls Dong An (董黯), remembered for fetching water for his mother.
On the north bank (江北岸), a group of Western-style buildings, with houses, churches and European-style arcades, survives from Ningbo's opening as one of the five treaty ports and marks the start of the city's modern shipping and foreign trade.
Baoguo Temple (保国寺) stands at the southern foot of Lingshan (灵山) in Hongtang (洪塘). The temple took its name in 880, and its main hall, completed in 1013 under the Northern Song, is a key surviving example of the building rules of the Song manual Yingzao Fashi (营造法式). It became a national key protected site in the first list of 1961. By 2017 it no longer held religious services and was run as the Baoguo Temple Ancient Architecture Museum, where visitors can look up at the thousand-year-old brackets and coffered ceiling and use augmented-reality and 3D displays.
Highlights
- Cicheng ancient town 慈城古县城: Tang-founded seat of Cixi County on the Yao River; its old buildings are a national key protected site.
- Baoguo Temple 保国寺: Main hall completed in 1013; national key protected site since 1961, now an architecture museum.
- Ningbo Old Bund 老外滩: Bears witness to Ningbo's opening as a port.
Sources for this guide
风起东海好扬帆——解码东方大港宁波的文化自信样本 · Xinhua News Agency (Zhejiang)
江北区 (宁波市) - 维基百科 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
保国寺 - 维基百科 · Wikipedia (Chinese) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-25.
Explore Jiangbei District
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Jiangbei District
Baoguo Temple roofs in their wooded setting, Ningbo · 宁波保国寺山林院景 Photograph date recorded by the source: 19 February 2015, 14:05:37.Baoguo Temple保国寺
Baoguo Temple is a study in timber construction on the southern slope of Lingshan. Its main hall retains a Northern Song core dated to 1013, enclosed by later alterations and expanded eaves. Fluted, assembled columns, bracket…
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Lingxing Gate of Cicheng Confucian Temple, Cicheng Ancient Town · 慈城古县城孔庙棂星门 Photograph date recorded by the source: 27 July 2013, 12:59:31.Cicheng ancient town慈城古县城
Cicheng retains the street pattern and buildings of a former county seat within present-day Ningbo. The Confucian Temple makes education and ritual visible in a formal compound, while traditional residences such as the Fuzi…
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The entrance gate to Ningbo Old Bund, lit up at night, in Jiangbei District · 宁波老外滩入口牌坊夜景，江北区 Source-recorded photograph date: 2021-10-30 19:12:49.Ningbo Old Bund老外滩
Ningbo's Old Bund is a historic waterfront district at the meeting of the Yong, Fenghua and Yao rivers.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Jiangbei District is about 7 km in a straight line from central Ningbo. Search for 江北区 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Baoguo Temple and Cicheng ancient town are about 7 km apart in a straight line. 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.
Some facts checked against 江北区 (宁波市) — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Some facts checked against 保国寺 — Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photo: Baoguo Temple · Siyuwj · Siyuwj — Ningbo_Baoguo_Temple,_2015-02-19_05.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: Cicheng ancient town · Zhangzhugang · Zhangzhugang — Cicheng_Kongmiao_2013.07.27_12-59-31.jpg — CC BY-SA 3.0 · 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.
Photo: Ningbo Old Bund · 西安兵马俑 · 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.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Pins mark approximate centres, not entrances or boundaries.