6 Best Sights in Eastern China, China

This park is named for an ancient well whose water is considered ideal for brewing the famous local longjing (Dragon Well) tea. Distinguishing between varieties and grades of tea can be confusing for novices, especially under high pressure from the eager hawkers. It's worth a preliminary trip to the nearby tea museum to bone up on what's what. The highest quality varieties are very expensive, but once you take a sip you will taste the difference. Prices are intentionally high, so be sure to bargain.

Built into a hillside, Hongshan Park has a small Buddhist temple, a lovely waterfall, and beautiful views of the city and the harbor. The steep park shoots straight up from a busy street, so wear comfortable shoes if you're eager to explore.

The lovely park that surrounds this 1,400-year-old lake is dotted with quaint teahouses and pavilions with upturned eaves. Weeping willows line crooked paths that wrap around bamboo groves. In addition to being a peaceful place for a leisurely stroll, the park is centrally located in the city center and a useful point of reference.

Along the eastern bank of West Lake is Orioles Singing in the Willows, a nice park from which to watch boats traverse the water. The park comes alive during Lantern Festival, which falls on the 15th day of the first lunar month, usually in February or March. Paper lanterns are set to float on the river under the willow boughs.

In one of Ningbo's most delightful parks, winding stone paths snake over arched bridges, and slender canals flow past pavilions and teahouses. During the humid summer months, the city's senior citizens fan themselves with oversized paper fans, crack sunflower seeds, gossip, and drink tea. Impromptu groups of musicians huddle together; old men play traditional Chinese instruments as women belt out ear-piercing renditions of Chinese opera. This is a wonderful place to relax and soak up the atmosphere.

Commemorating Dr. Sun Yat-sen—who is known in Chinese as Sun Zhongshan—Zhongshan Park was built in 1927 and is centered on a bronze statue of the great man. It has a small zoo, pretty lakes, and canals you can explore by paddleboat. The annual Lantern Festival is held here.