Jiufeng Mountain

Jiufeng Mountain or Jiufengshan 九峰山(Nine Peaks Mountain Tourist Area) is probably one of the most popular natural scenery tourist destinations in Ningo. It is located in Ningbo宁波, Beilun 北仑 district, around 40km from the city center. It is a beautiful mountainous area with fresh air and lush forests. The peak of Jiufeng Mountain rises 499m above sea level, and is the highest point of Jiufeng Mountain. It is a part of easternmost mountain range in the southern region of the Yangtze River. You get to see a spectacular view of the surrounding area from the peak of Jiufeng Mountain. To the east lie Zhoushan Islands 舟山岛, to the south- the Port of Xiangshan 象山, to the north- Hangzhou Bay 杭州湾 and to the west- downtown Ningbo 宁波城区.

Eco-tourism and cultural heritage site

The Jiufeng Mountain has a great location, boasting a rich variety of views, including 26 peaks, and 4 lakes. The area is included in Ningbo’s top 10 Eco-tourist areas. And indeed, it is a great place for hikers, mountaineers or those who love forests and nature.

Jiufeng Mountain is also noted for its cultural heritage. The Ruiyin Temple, which was firstly constructed in Tang Dynasty, emerged as one of the three most famous temples in eastern Zhejiang.  

Popular tourist spot

First time I visited Jiufeng Mountain, was couple of years ago. Back then I was still a student, and we went there with a group from university as volunteers to pick the garbage. That day we didn’t explore much of the area, as we had only around 2 hours, and we were mostly looking down and searching for trash to be picked up. We visited just a small part of the area, and didn’t even ascend the peak.

My last visit was different. The first impression was not the best, because there were so many people at the entrance in the early morning already. Usually scenic spots are quite empty in the mornings, and people start to come in the afternoon. Well, not this time. When I came there, there was a couple of tourist buses in front, and group of Chinese tourists of around 80 people, and around 40 school children. I tried to walk faster to escape the crowds, and first I ascended one peak which was nice. Then I was heading to the direction of the main peak. There I met the big Chinese group again. But they didn’t go very far, and surely not to the peak.

Prepare for sweating

That day was pretty hot, and I finished my bottle of water very fast. I was somewhere in the middle between vendor stalls and starting point to the peak. Though I was not sure if I can get some water there, and couldn’t decide should I go back, or try my luck and keep walking in hope that there will be possibility to buy water. Then I saw tourists eating ice-cream. I felt so relieved, because I was thirsty and it was very hot that day. And there was a “Tea House” selling snacks and drinks.

Then I started to ascend the peak. It was one of the most exhausting climbs I had done recently. Jiufeng Mountain is a bit different than other mountain areas around Ningbo. You get to climb up and down, then again up and down and so on. Usually after reaching the highest point, you mostly keep ascending down. Not in Jiufeng Mountain. And the steps were very steep. For a moment I felt like climbing the Great Wall of China.

Ruiyin Temple

Visit Ruiyin Temple

After a tiring hike up, climbing down felt easy and fast. There was a sign showing way to Ruiyin Temple 瑞岩寺, however it didn’t show how far it is. I was hesitating, to go there or not. But as it was still early, I decided to keep hiking. There were almost no people and for a long time I was walking all alone there. Road seemed endless, but there were quite a lot of  signs showing direction to Ruiyin Temple. I didn’t expect it to be this far. It took me around one hour when I got down, and reached the temple. It was beautiful and worth visiting. Wish I knew the distance, and how long will it take. Then I was hesitant again, should I go back the same way or find a bus or some transportation. According to the map, it would take me two and half hours to get there (was not true). Actually way up felt much faster, and didn’t seem that the temple is that far. There was a botanical garden in the area which I didn’t visit (maybe next time). I had a quick visit to the temple and then was heading back to Jiufeng Mountain.

Hiking through the forest to reach the Ruyin Temple

View from the peak of Jiufeng Mountain

Hours and ticket

Park is open from 8am to 4pm. The ticket costs 30Rrmb. For my surprise, they accepted cash only. It was bit strange, because this was the first place I visited, where  I had to pay with cash. For a place with so many tourists daily, it was weird.

After I escaped the crowds, I can say this is also a great place to visit, and would come back there again.