The Chenghuangmiao area around the City God Temple is Ningbo's most atmospheric street food district, with a concentration of stalls and small restaurants that serve the full range of Ningbo snacks: tang yuan (glutinous rice balls in broth), fermented tofu preparations, stewed offal, ci fan (sticky rice rolls with various fillings), and grilled items on skewers. The market is most active in the evenings from around 6pm until midnight.
The City God Temple complex itself, rebuilt in the Ming and Qing style, provides the architectural backdrop for the market activity, and the combination of temple courtyard, incense smoke, and street food vendors has the character of a Chinese popular festival stretched into a daily institution. For budget eating, this is the most interesting and varied area in Ningbo — a complete meal of snacks and street food rarely costs more than ¥30–40 per person.