Moon Lake (Yuehu)
月湖
A city lake dug in the Tang dynasty, where the "Four Scholars of the Chunxi Era" taught in the Southern Song, and the hometown of He Zhizhang. Along its shores are Tianyi Pavilion, the site of the Goryeo Embassy and Yanyu Tower, making it the cultural center of old Ningbo.
Yuehu sits in the heart of Haishu, Ningbo's old town. It was dug in the tenth year of the Zhenguan era of the Tang dynasty (636 CE) and takes its name from its crescent shape. In the Southern Song it was Ningbo's cultural center, where Yang Jian, Yuan Xie and other "Four Scholars of the Chunxi Era" taught. Former residences and ancestral halls of notable figures such as He Zhizhang, Shi Hao and Zhang Cangshui are scattered around the lake, earning it the nickname "Zou and Lu of Eastern Zhejiang." The lake covers about 9 hectares, and within it are ten islets and scenic spots, including Liuting, Zhuyu and Juhuazhou. Sights on the shore include: Tianyi Pavilion (on the west side); the Goryeo Embassy site (where Northern Song officials received Goryeo envoys, now a museum on exchanges between Ningbo and the Korean Peninsula); Yanyu Tower (a Qing-dynasty library); the He Mishu Shrine (honoring He Zhizhang); Zhang Cangshui's former residence; the Jushilin Buddhist hall and the Guandi Temple. On the west shore, Yuehu Sheng is a dining and leisure district in renovated old houses. Yuehu Park is free to enter. A loop around the lake takes about 40 minutes, and it is good for morning and evening strolls, watching locals dance and practice martial arts, and photographing Ningbo's everyday street life. Suggested route: visit Tianyi Pavilion in the morning, walk around the lake in the afternoon to see the shrines and old houses, dine at Yuehu Sheng or along Gulou Street in the evening, then walk to Nantang Old Street or the Old Bund. Getting there: Metro Line 1 to Ximenkou or Dongmenkou station, then a 10-minute walk. Notes: some historic buildings by the lake are work-unit offices and are not open to the public; mosquitoes are common in summer; Yuehu Sheng is busier on weekends.
Opening hours
All day
Nearby sights
- Tianyi Pavilion (Tianyi Ge Library)
- Ningbo City God Temple
- Ningbo Drum Tower (Haishu Tower)
- Tianfeng Pagoda
- Nantang Old Street
- Qing'an Guild Hall
- Ningbo Old Bund
- Ningbo Museum of Art