Travel Report: Tianfeng Pagoda, Ningbo.
August 2017. Any self-guided walking tour of downtown Ningbo should include a stop at this cool hexagonal tower. After all, this is the city’s tallest ancient structure at 167 feet. Built in 695 during The Tang Dynasty, Tianfeng Pagoda has a long history. Seemingly destroyed and rebuilt a thousand times over, its most recent renovation came back in 1989.
The garden at Tianfeng Pagoda.
Tianfeng Pagoda, Ningbo.
You can access Tianfeng pagoda through a red, stone archway, which leads to this scruffy but charming little garden. This old dude, with his daily newspaper, looked like he was part of the Tianfeng furniture. Apparently a number of ancient and priceless Chinese artefacts have been discovered here over the years.
Tianfeng Pagoda, Ningbo.
The garden is free to enter, but to go up the tower you’ll need a ticket (5 RMB). Depending on which entrance you take, you might not immediately see Tianfeng Pagoda’s little office. But fear not, the warden will certainly seek you out and make sure you pay your dues.
Tianfeng Pagoda, Ningbo.
Tianfeng Pagoda has seven floors to climb and the way is surprisingly tricky, thanks to its narrow and steep staircases. Meet another person along the way and there’ll be decisions to make for both parties. Don’t expect any of the locals to do the gentlemanly thing.
Views from the top!
Views over Ningbo from Tianfeng Pagoda.
While in no way spectacular, the views from the top of Tianfeng Pagoda are decent enough and good value for your hard earned 5RMB.
Views over Ningbo from Tianfeng Pagoda.
There are four arched vantage points atop Tianfeng Pagoda. All of which showcase Ningbo’s pleasing albeit understated mix of traditional and modern architecture. To see the pagoda for yourself, take bus, 6, 9, 364, 507, 518, 560, 812 or 815. Funnily enough, you get off at the stop called Tianfeng Pagoda.
For another blog perspective of Tianfeng Pagoda, have a read of this article from The Wandering Browns.
To read more about my time in the city, check out my other articles from Ningbo.
For more on the region, have a look at my travel reports from around Zhejiang Province.
Like these? Then why not leaf through my many other reports from across China.
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3 Comments
I always loved going up places like this even though I didn’t do this one. Thanks for giving me a look.
What a neat experience and a good way to get a birds eye view of the town. Gauging from the picture of the staircase, it does look like a tight space and many of the steps look worn. Safety standards might be thrown out the window, but you get a sense that it’s more of an authentic experience.
Exactly, I think you get a sense of why this was special. I really wish I’d taken more photos from my trip to Ningbo but it was prior to my launching of Leighton Travels. Nevertheless, it was fun to be able to add this little pagoda to the archives.