11:30am
It's time for lunch and you have plenty of choices. There are lots of snack stalls on Wuling Street. Three must-eats in Xikou Town are thousand-layered cake, grilled taro and juicy peaches. Renowned for more than 100 years, the thousand-layered cake is made of flour, sugar, sesame and peanuts and prepared in 12 steps. The cake, only two centimeters thick, has nearly 30 layers. The Xikou grilled taro - a starchy tuber - is famous for its large size, thin skin, delicate smell and smooth texture. It weighs from 1 kilogram to 2.5 kilograms and is rich in calcium and protein. Xikou is also known as the hometown of Chinese juicy peaches, which have a thin skin, sweetness and a pleasant fragrance, and are at their peak in summer. The town has an annual juicy peaches festival in August.
You also can try some of Chiang's favorite dishes, including taro stewed with chicken soup, pork braised with salted dried mustard cabbage, soup of yellow croaker and salted cabbage on an Eight-immortal Table, which was typical of a well-off rural family in eastern Zhejiang Province.
12:30pm
Revived from the rest and refreshment of good local food, go to Xuedou Mountain to see the 186-meter Xuedou Waterfall, also known as the Qianzhang Crag Waterfall, and other spectacular waterfalls and scenery nearby.
The 800-meter Xuedou ("milky white") Mountain, located northwest of Xikou town, is the highest peak of the Siming Mountain range. The mountain gets its name from the milky white water spilling from a spring. The spring is called Milky Spring.
1:30pm
Walking along the steep road, you can see Sanyin Pool in an area that encompasses a 1,600-meter-long series of waterfalls that can be divided into the upper, middle and the lower falls. The upper one is like a sky ladder with 216 stone steps and is enveloped by the mist of the waterfall. You may feel a chilling tingle from the water spray and the breathtaking location. There is a temple to the Dragon King, a deity in Chinese mythology commonly regarded as the divine ruler of the ocean, and to the three kings who bestow blessings of peace, fortune and scholarly honor. Along the road, you can see the middle and lower falls. There are two waterfalls at the lower pool that are called "Yuanyang Falls." Yuanyang means mandarin ducks in Chinese and is the symbol of an affectionate couple.
4pm
Get on a cable car to view the spectacular Qianzhang Crag waterfall. The water of Milky Spring flows through the Jinjing Pool and under the Guanshan Bridge to the waterfall at the crag.
The waterfall was famous as early as the Song Dynasty. Wang Anshi (1021-86), a renowned statesman, economist, writer and poet in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), wrote poems praising the Qianzhang Crag. Opposite the waterfall, there is a great location - Feixue Pavilion - to appreciate the magnificent scene. Also, see the giant Buddha of the Xuedou Temple, constructed during the Tang Dynasty. In the early years of the Jin Dynasty (AD 265-420), the temple was called Waterfall Temple, while in the Song Dynasty the name was changed to Xuedou Temple.
Up the hills to the northwest is the Miaogao Terrace, which is on the side of a deep valley, with lots of ancient pines on the terrace. It is well protected, facing three steep cliffs, and once served as the field headquarters of Chiang Kai-shek during the nation's Civil War (1927-49).
Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area opens every day from 8am to 5pm and charges a 130-yuan admission fee.
6pm
OK, enough culture, history and scenery for now - it's time for nightlife in downtown Ningbo. After a long trip back to town on the bus, have dinner and relax with the night view of the Old Bund, one of the must-see attractions of downtown Ningbo. Combining historical heritage with new urban development, it is a prime landmark, integrating catering, shopping, leisure, tourism and offices. You can relax and chat with your friends at some new bars like the romantic Love Harbor or the sports-oriented Clover Bar. Or go shopping for some delicate hand-made jewelry or furniture at local shops.
Beijing, Shanghai not listed in top 10 happiest cities in China 2013
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