Get to know Ninghai County
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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 · 县
- Part of
- Ningbo
- Chinese name
- 宁海县
- Local areas
- County guide
Area & population
- Area in the source
- 1,861.20 km²
- Population · 2020
- 682,000
Source: cited geographic source, as of the dates shown.
Channels, bridges and courtyards
Qiantong was established in the Southern Song period. Small bridges and stone paths link homes, ancestral halls and former places of study. Water brought from Baixi Stream (白溪) runs through a channel system around the houses. The town lies between Tashan (塔山) and Lushan (鹿山), with hills enclosing its wider setting.
Learning and processions
The Tong family’s Shijing Jingshe (石镜精舍) invited the scholar Fang Xiaoru (方孝孺) to teach during the early Ming. The ancestral hall preserves this emphasis on education. Qiantong’s Lantern Festival procession features decorated drum pavilions, raised platforms, lions and dragons, connecting its village streets with a continuing folk tradition.
Sources for this guide
前童:耕读传家 崇廉重教 · Zhejiang Discipline Inspection and Supervision Commission
文化寻根·约会千年古村落⑥ ▏前童古镇：江南儒镇 遍藏艺文 · Zhejiang Federation of Social Sciences; Qianjiang Evening News
Original English written from the listed sources and checked sentence by sentence against quoted extracts by a separate reviewer. Updated 2026-09-30.
Explore Ninghai County
Core places to explore, with English and Chinese names.
Places to explore around Ninghai County
A stone-paved lane beside its water channel in Qiantong Ancient Town, Ninghai County · 宁海前童古镇石板路与水圳 Source-recorded photograph date: 2011-04-10 08:37:05.Qiantong Ancient Town前童古镇
Qiantong is a historic settlement in Ninghai County, in the Ningbo area of Zhejiang.
Read the place guide →
AI illustration · AI 示意图（仅供参考，非该地点实拍）Zhedong Grand Canyon浙东大峡谷
A gorge and lake landscape in the Tiantai Mountains of Ninghai, Ningbo, with a 20-km main gorge, Feilong Lake and Taoist legends.
Read the place guide →Plan your visit
Getting there
Ninghai County is about 65 km in a straight line from central Ningbo. Search for 宁海县 in a map app to find stations and your accommodation.
Where to stay →Build your route
Qiantong Ancient Town and Zhedong Grand Canyon 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: Qiantong Ancient Town · Siyuwj · 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.