A view of Yingjiapeng village in Qiucheng town, Fenghua district, Ningbo. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Yingjiapeng Ancient City in Qiucheng town, Fenghua district is one of the only two ancient cities in Ningbo, with the other being Weiyuan City on Zhaobao Mountain in Zhenhai district. 

Bordering Qingliang Mountain and Ruiyun Mountain to the north and Xiangshan Port to the south, Yingjiapeng is a village with a population of nearly 3,000.

The ancient city within the village, which has a history of more than 300 years, once served as a station for coastal defense forces in the early Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The city, which was primarily constructed with stones, covers an area of nearly 5,000 square meters, about the size of a standard football field.

In the early years of the Republic of China, the deserted city was acquired by Chen Zongzhao, a local resident who returned from Japan.

Chen dismantled the stone wall and built an apartment comprising six rooms.

In 1949, the ancient building came under collective ownership and was later used as school and old-age nursing home.

In 1987, it was included as a cultural unit under protection in Fenghua district.