The Yong River (Yong Jiang) flows through the heart of Ningbo and the waterfront on both banks is the city's most atmospheric public space. The south bank, along the Laowaitan district, preserves treaty-port architecture and the Qing'an Guildhall; the north bank (Jiangbei) has the colonial quarter and the Art Museum converted from the old ferry terminal. Between them, a series of bridges — some utilitarian, some architecturally ambitious — cross the river and the whole stretch is best seen in the hour around sunset when the old buildings are lit and river traffic is still moving.
The evening walk along both banks of the Yong River, crossing on the old Jiangdong Bridge or one of the newer crossings, is the quintessential Ningbo experience — a city that has consistently refaced itself while keeping its commercial and maritime bones visible. The river itself remains commercially active with barges, fishing boats, and ferry traffic, and the working waterway character is part of what distinguishes the Ningbo waterfront from the more museum-like heritage riverfronts of smaller Jiangnan cities.