Ningbo part one

This is definitely a great place to kill a Sunday afternoon. There are three rivers flowing in and out of Ningbo, they are Yaojiang, Fenghua Jiang, and YongJiang.

Maybe that explains why Ningbo is so full of vitality.

Along the river delta scattered some colonial style buildings that witnessed the transformation of the city over the last century.

Nowadays, the area is the hottest real estate property and a favorite spot for newly weds and visitors to take some snapshots.

The convenient water transportation made Ningbo a famous port in China since Ming Dynasty some six hundred years ago. It is also a major starting port of the Oriental Maritime silkroad back then.

Because of its coastal location, Ningbo has always been one of the first places to be visited by outsiders, friends or foes. That鈥檚 why you can find a lot of such kind of military defense systems here. This one was built over 100 years ago. Right here at the center is where they put the huge cannon. It was aiming at the mouth of Yong River.

What鈥檚 special about this place is the material. It鈥檚 a mixture of glutinous rice, mud and limestone. Even after 100 years, it鈥檚 still standing strong.

The earth wall of Anyuan Fortress built in 1885 is about two meters thick and almost seven meters high. The cannon fortress is part of the Zhenhai kou ancient military defense system located at Zhaobao Shan scenic zone northeast of Ningbo downtown.

Check out the huge cannons. This one has got some clear inscriptions on it. It was made locally in Zhejiang Province, in early 19th century. It weighs 1000 kilograms. And looks like it鈥檚 about six feet long, and the cannon ball, about the size of a melon, will come out of here and fire at the enemy boats.