The Xikou-Tengtou Scenic Area is located in Fenghua District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. It is a national 5A-level scenic area composed of two parts: the Xikou Scenic Area and the Tengtou Ecological Tourism Area, with a total area of approximately 140 square kilometers. The Xikou Scenic Area features Republican-era culture, Maitreya culture, and mountain-and-water scenery, while the Tengtou Ecological Tourism Area highlights ecological agriculture and rural charm. Together they form a tourism pattern of "culture and ecology" complementing each other. The scenic area preserves a large number of Republican-era buildings, such as the Chiang family residence complex, with a total area of 18,000 square meters. It also includes demonstration areas combining ecological protection and development, such as Tengtou Ecological Village. It is a comprehensive scenic area integrating historical culture, natural scenery, and ecological leisure.
Historical Culture
Xikou has a long history, with human activity dating back to the Neolithic Age. During the Jin Dynasty, Xikou was named for its location at the mouth of the Shan River, and by the Tang Dynasty it had become a famous town in eastern Zhejiang. In modern times, Xikou became known at home and abroad as the hometown of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo, leaving behind a large number of historical relics and Republican-era cultural imprints related to the Chiang family, such as Fenggao House, Yutai Salt Shop, and Wenchang Pavilion. These buildings witnessed the turbulent changes of the Republican period.
Tengtou Village has a history of more than 600 years. It was originally called "Tengtou" because of the many vines in the village. Since the 1980s, Tengtou Village took the lead in developing ecological agriculture and practiced the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets," becoming a model of ecological rural construction in China. Its ecological development model was rated by the United Nations as one of the "Global 500 Roll of Honour for Environmental Achievement," embodying the cultural connotation of sustainable development in modern rural areas. In addition, Xuedou Mountain in the scenic area is one of the Maitreya Buddhist holy sites. Maitreya culture has a long history there, and Xuedou Temple, as a thousand-year-old ancient temple, has made important contributions to the inheritance and development of Buddhist culture.
Main Attractions
Chiang Family Residence Scenic Area
Located in the center of Xikou Town, with a total area of about 14,000 square meters, it consists of buildings such as Fenggao House, Yutai Salt Shop, Wenchang Pavilion, and the Small Western-Style House. Fenggao House is the former residence of Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo. It is a traditional brick-and-wood courtyard with landmark buildings such as "Baoben Hall," and preserves a large number of Republican-era furniture and daily necessities. Yutai Salt Shop is the birthplace of Chiang Kai-shek. It is a building from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, showing the commercial style of that time. Wenchang Pavilion was once Chiang Kai-shek's private villa and library, and from there one can overlook the scenery of the Shan River. This scenic area is the core region for understanding the history of the Chiang family and Republican culture.
Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area
Located northwest of Xikou Town, with a total area of about 85 square kilometers, its main peak, Rufeng, is 800 meters above sea level and is known as "the first mountain of Siming." The scenic area contains Qianzhang Rock Waterfall, with a drop of 186 meters, a famous waterfall in eastern Zhejiang. Literary figures such as Li Bai and Wang Anshi once left poems here. Miaogao Platform was Chiang Kai-shek's summer resort, with steep terrain and a broad view. Xuedou Temple was first built in the Jin Dynasty. The existing buildings were rebuilt in the 1980s. Inside the temple is a 56.7-meter-high bronze statue of the open-air Maitreya Buddha, a landmark landscape of the scenic area. In addition, there are natural and cultural landscapes such as Sanyin Pool and Xufu Rock, integrating mountain-and-water scenery with Buddhist culture.
Tengtou Ecological Tourism Area
Located in Tengtou Village, with an area of about 1.2 square kilometers, it is a national AAAAA-level scenic area and a Global 500 ecological unit. The scenic area features ecological agriculture and rural tourism. It has facilities such as an ecological hotel, a plant tissue culture center, and an agricultural culture park, displaying modern agricultural technologies such as soilless cultivation and three-dimensional planting. The rivers in the village are clear, and the trees are shady. It retains the traditional rural style while introducing interactive projects such as piglet races and animal acrobatics. Visitors can experience farming activities such as picking and rice planting, and feel the leisure atmosphere of the integration of ecology and countryside.
Xikou Museum
Located on Wuling West Road in Xikou Town, with a building area of about 3,000 square meters and a collection of more than 3,000 cultural relics, it mainly exhibits Xikou's historical culture and relics related to the Chiang family. The museum has exhibition halls such as "Prehistoric Culture," "Ming and Qing Folk Customs," and "Republican Storms," systematically displaying Xikou's development from ancient times to modern times through objects, pictures, and multimedia means. Among them, documents and photographs from the Republican period are of important historical value.
Sanyin Pool
Located in the Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area, it consists of Shangyin Pool, Zhongyin Pool, and Xiayin Pool, with a total area of about 2.5 square kilometers. The three pools are distributed in sequence in the canyon and are named because they are hidden among the mountain forests. Shangyin Pool is known for its secluded danger, with waterfalls falling like silver curtains. Zhongyin Pool has a wide water surface and can be toured by bamboo raft. Xiayin Pool has a relatively large drop, and its waterfall is magnificent. Plank roads connect the route along the way, with a total length of about 3 kilometers, passing through bamboo forests and streams. It is a popular route for hiking and leisure.
Food
Xikou Thousand-Layer Cake
A traditional snack of Xikou, originating in the Qing Dynasty. It is made from flour, sesame, white sugar, and vegetable oil through 12 processes. The cake body is as thin as paper, with distinct layers and a crisp, sweet taste. Its production technique has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage of Ningbo. Old-brand shops such as "Wang Maolong Thousand-Layer Cake Shop" in the scenic area sell it. The price is about 15-25 yuan per bag (200 grams). It is a famous local souvenir.
Fenghua Honey Peach
A local specialty around the scenic area, with a cultivation history of more than 2,000 years. It is known for its regular fruit shape, thin skin, thick flesh, and juicy sweetness, and is praised as "nectar and jade dew." The picking period is July-August each year. Orchards in and around the scenic area offer picking experiences. The market price is about 8-15 yuan per jin. It is a must-try seasonal fruit in summer. Processed products such as preserved peaches and peach juice can also be purchased, priced at about 30-50 yuan per box.
Snow Vegetable Yellow Croaker
A traditional famous dish of Ningbo, commonly found in restaurants in Xikou and surrounding areas. Fresh local yellow croaker is cooked with potherb mustard pickles. The fish is tender and the soup is delicious, reflecting the dietary characteristics of the eastern Zhejiang coast. In restaurants in the scenic area, one serving of snow vegetable yellow croaker costs about 80-120 yuan, depending on the size of the fish.
Tengtou Ecological Banquet
A specialty meal in the Tengtou Tourism Area, using organic vegetables and ecological poultry produced in the scenic area as ingredients, such as steamed ecological chicken, cold wild vegetables, and freshly picked melons and fruits. It emphasizes original flavor and nutritional health. An ecological banquet for 8 people costs about 600-1,000 yuan. It can be tasted at the Tengtou Ecological Hotel, experiencing the achievements of ecological agriculture.
Surrounding Food
Around the scenic area, Fenghua urban area, and Ningbo urban area, there are also many specialty foods, such as Ningbo glutinous rice balls (filled with black sesame and lard, soft, glutinous, and sweet, about 8-15 yuan per bowl), steamed bamboo shoots with soy sauce pork (Fenghua specialty bamboo shoots steamed with soy sauce pork, salty and delicious, about 40-60 yuan per serving), and red roe pickled crab (made by pickling swimming crabs, a winter specialty along the eastern Zhejiang coast, about 100-200 yuan per serving). Tourists can taste them on the return journey.
Tickets：
Chiang Family Residence Scenic Area ticket: 120 yuan per person. Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area ticket: 150 yuan per person (including scenic area shuttle bus). Combined ticket for Chiang Family Residence Xuedou Mountain: 205 yuan per person. Three-scenic-area combined ticket: 280 yuan per person.
You can search for the official public account "Xikou-Tengtou Scenic Area" on WeChat to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours：
Chiang Family Residence Scenic Area opening hours: summer time (April 1-October 31) 7:30-17:30; winter time (November 1-March 31) 8:00-17:00.
Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area opening hours: summer time 7:30-17:00 (last entry at 16:00); winter time 8:00-16:30 (last entry at 15:30).
Tengtou Ecological Tourism Area opening hours: 8:00-17:00 (last entry at 16:30).
Xikou Museum opening hours: 9:00-16:30 (closed on Mondays, except statutory holidays).
Tour Routes：
One-day tour route (culture and ecology route): Arrive at the Chiang Family Residence Scenic Area at 8:30 a.m., visit Fenggao House, Yutai Salt Shop, and Wenchang Pavilion (about 2 hours); at 10:30 go to the Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area, take the scenic area shuttle bus to Qianzhang Rock, watch the waterfall, then take the cableway to Miaogao Platform (about 2.5 hours); at 13:00 dine near Xuedou Temple, and in the afternoon visit Xuedou Temple and the open-air Maitreya Buddha (about 1.5 hours); at 15:00 go to the Tengtou Ecological Tourism Area, experience farming activities and ecological landscapes (about 1.5 hours), and return at 17:00.
Two-day tour route: On the first day, visit the Chiang Family Residence Scenic Area in the morning, then go to Xuedou Mountain in the afternoon, focusing on Sanyin Pool and Qianzhang Rock, and stay overnight in Xikou Town; on the second day, visit Xuedou Temple and Miaogao Platform in the morning, go to the Tengtou Ecological Tourism Area at noon, experience picking and rural leisure, and in the afternoon visit the Xikou Museum to learn about local history and culture before returning.
Transportation：
Plane: The nearest airport to the scenic area is Ningbo Lishe International Airport (about 30 kilometers). There is a direct tourist shuttle bus from the airport to Xikou Town, 6 trips per day (departure times 9:00-18:00, one trip every 1.5 hours), about 40 minutes, 25 yuan per person; you can also take Metro Line 2 to Ningbo Railway Station and transfer to a bus or taxi.
High-speed rail/train: The nearby high-speed rail station is Ningbo Station (about 38 kilometers). From the south square of Ningbo Station, take Bus No. 988 directly to Xikou Town (about 1 hour, 5 yuan); Fenghua Station (about 15 kilometers) has Fenghua Bus No. 25 to Xikou Town (30 minutes, 2 yuan), or about 30 yuan by taxi.
Long-distance bus: Ningbo South Bus Station to Xikou Town has one trip every 20 minutes from 6:00 to 18:00, about 50 minutes, 12 yuan per person; Shanghai South Bus Station to Xikou Town has 3 trips per day (8:00, 10:30, 14:00), about 3 hours, 85 yuan per person.
Self-driving: From Ningbo urban area, take the Yongjin Expressway and exit at Xikou East, about 35 kilometers in total, taking 40 minutes; from Hangzhou, take the Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway and transfer to the Yongjin Expressway, about 150 kilometers in total, taking 1.5 hours; from Shanghai, take the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway and transfer to the Yongjin Expressway, about 300 kilometers in total, taking 3 hours. There are parking lots at the Chiang Family Residence, Xuedou Mountain, and Tengtou Village in the scenic area, charged 5 yuan per hour, with a daily cap of 30 yuan.
Must-Visit Attractions：
Fenggao House: The core building of the Chiang family residence, with a traditional courtyard layout, including landmark spaces such as "Baoben Hall." It preserves a large number of Republican-era cultural relics and is an important place for understanding the life of the Chiang family. It covers about 4,800 square meters.
Xuedou Mountain Open-Air Maitreya Buddha: A 56.7-meter-high bronze Buddha statue, located on the back mountain of Xuedou Temple. It is one of the largest open-air Maitreya Buddha statues in China, embodying the Maitreya culture meaning "a broad belly can tolerate," and is a landmark landscape of the scenic area.
Qianzhang Rock Waterfall: With a drop of 186 meters, it is the core natural landscape of Xuedou Mountain. Below the waterfall is "Yangzhi Bridge," where visitors can closely watch the spectacular scene of the waterfall pouring down. It is especially shocking when water is abundant in the rainy season.
Tengtou Ecological Village: Featuring ecological agriculture and rural tourism, it has a 100,000-square-meter intelligent greenhouse and a 3-kilometer-long ecological river channel. Visitors can experience farming, birdwatching, and other activities. It is a model of ecological tourism.
Travel Suggestions：
Best seasons to visit: spring (March-May, mountain flowers in full bloom) and autumn (September-November, cool climate). Summer can be a good time to escape the heat, but attention should be paid to frequent rain in mountainous areas; in winter, Xuedou Mountain occasionally has snow scenes, suitable for photography.
Transportation choices: The Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area is large and the attractions are scattered. It is recommended to buy the scenic area shuttle bus combined ticket (50 yuan per person) to save energy; on the section from Sanyin Pool to Miaogao Platform, you can take the cableway and sightseeing train (combined ticket 80 yuan per person) to experience scenery from different perspectives.
Food experience: In July-August, it is recommended to taste Fenghua honey peaches. The snow vegetable yellow croaker and thousand-layer cake at the "Old Taste" restaurant in the scenic area have a good reputation; the Tengtou Ecological Banquet requires booking one day in advance to experience the freshest organic ingredients.
Accommodation recommendations: In Xikou Town, there are many choices from economy hotels (about 150-300 yuan per night) to high-end guesthouses (about 500-1,000 yuan per night). It is recommended to stay in the center of Xikou Town, which is convenient for visiting the Chiang Family Residence and going to Xuedou Mountain.
Notes：
Tickets and consumption: The Xuedou Mountain Scenic Area shuttle bus, cableway, etc. are self-funded items. It is recommended to plan the route in advance; combined tickets are more cost-effective. Some temples in the scenic area require respect for religious etiquette: do not make noise or take photos at will.
Safety tips: Some sections of Xuedou Mountain are steep, and the road is slippery on rainy days, so wear slip-resistant shoes; around waterfalls such as Qianzhang Rock and Sanyin Pool, there is a lot of water vapor, so pay attention to slipping; when hiking, follow the signs and do not enter undeveloped areas without authorization.
Ecological protection: In the Tengtou Ecological Tourism Area, picking unpaid crops is prohibited, and feeding animals is not allowed; Xuedou Mountain is a key forest area, and smoking and open flames are strictly prohibited.
Peak season tips: During holidays (such as Spring Festival and National Day), there are many tourists. It is recommended to book tickets and accommodation 1-2 days in advance. The scenic area shuttle bus at Xuedou Mountain may have queues, so travel off-peak (for example, arrive before 7:30 a.m.).
Special groups: Major attractions such as the Chiang Family Residence and Xuedou Temple in the scenic area have barrier-free passages, suitable for wheelchairs; Tengtou Village has a children's play area, and parents can bring strollers for family trips.