Ningde Travel Guide
Population: 3,258,000
Area: 13,452 square kilometers (5,194 square miles)
Nationalities: Han
Administrative Division: 1 district (Jiaocheng); 6 counties (Shouning, Xiapu, Zherong, Pingnan, Gutian, Zhouning); 2 county-level cities (Fu'an, Fuding)
Seat of the city government: No14, Shuqian Road, Jiaocheng District, Ningde City
Useful Telephone Numbers:
Tourist Complaints: 0593-2825260, 2883671
Weather Forecast: 121
Zip Code Inquiry: 184
Bank of China Ningde Branch: No.3, 815 Road (West), Jiaocheng District, Ningde City
China Post Ningde Branch: No.4, Dongqiao Dadao, Dongqiao Economic Development Area, Ningde City
Location: Lies in the northeast of Fujian Province, Ningde neighbors Fuzhou in the south and shares boundary with Zhejiang Province in the north. It is separated by the East China Sea from Taiwan. The great Mount Wuyi is just adjacent to its west.
History: Precise records on the administrative history of Ningde began in the Jin Dynasty (265-420). During the Tang Dynasty (618-907), it was brought into the territory of present Fuzhou.
Physical Features: The city belongs to the hilly area in eastern Fujian, and its terrain declined from the west and north to the east and south with the central area ridgy. Mountainous and hilly regions constitute the majority of the city's territory. There are some basins scattered among the mountains and hills. Furthermore, the plain is also distributed near the coastal area. It has a coastline of 878 kilometers (546 miles).
Climatic Features: Bearing a subtropical monsoon climate, its weather is temperate and humid. The annual average temperature remains around 19C (66F). March to June is the plum rain period, and July to September is the season of typhoon and thunder storm. This period gathers about eighty percent of a year's rainfall.
When to Go: April to December
Special Local Products: sweet potato, tea, oil tea, tremella (white fungus), sea product
Scenic Spots:
Taimu Mountain
Location: 45 kilometers (28 miles) from the Fuding City adjacent to the East China Sea
Highlights: granite peak forest combining natural landscape of mountain, sea and temple.
Main spots: Taimu mountain, Nine-Carp Stream and Waterfall, Lengcheng Old Castle, Ruiyun Temple, Sangyuan Green Lake, Qingchuan Seashore, Fuyao Islands
Huayan Temple
Location: on the Zhiti Mountain, over 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of downtown Ningde
Highlights: grand Zhiti Mountain with fascinating peaks in different shapes and multitudes of temples and caves; Huayan Temple, also Huacang Temple, first constructed in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), an important Buddhist temple in China rendered a veritable cache of thousands of sutras and Buddha sculptures.
Main spots: Zhiti Mountain, Huayan Temple, Xiaozhiti Temple
Tourist Tips:
The 104 National Road runs through the center of Ningde connecting Fuzhou and Wenzhou. Ningde's long-distance bus station is just located on the road, which is the busiest section of the city. The bus station offers six airport buses daily to Fuzhou Changle International Airport in two hours. Through the Shenyang-Haikou Expressway passing by the city, regular buses will get to Fuzhou and Wenzhou within two hours.
Bus stations of Gutian County, Pingnan County and Fu'an City operate buses to the Mount Wuyi. The whole journey will cost about six to eight hours. According to the news, the expressway between Ningde and Mount Wuyi will began in 2008. After the completion of the expressway, time between them will be shortened into four hours.