Streets and shops at the Ningbo University shopping centre./SARAH KANYARA
It’s Saturday, 5pm in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China, and the weekend mood is in the air.
The streets around Ningbo University are full of people — a couple holding hands, children dashing to candy stores for a treat, and students on scooters or bikes, all enjoying their Saturday evening.
Our bus has just arrived in the area from Beijing, where our seminar for media professionals began last week.
Beijing had its pleasant surprises. Before my visit, I had imagined a concrete jungle but found a city dotted with trees, its people warm and courteous. And even with the language barrier, we somehow found a way to communicate.
Streets and shops at the Ningbo University shopping centre./SARAH KANYARA
Market runs were the most interesting for me because every means, including gestures, had to be used by both parties when bargaining, something I realised the two countries have in common. I digress.
Back to Ningbo. As I settle into my room, there is an urge to go outside and experience the town, never mind that my body is tired from the travel.
So, a few minutes after 7pm, and after a sumptuous dinner in a rustic setting at Tianwei Wenbo Hotel, a colleague and I step out.
Under the cover of darkness, the town is even more vibrant. From streets lined with fairy lights to streets full of people, it felt great to be outdoors.
With coffee shops, fast-food outlets, ice cream shops, beauty stores and jewellery stores still running, we were spoilt for choice.
Streets and shops at the Ningbo University shopping centre./SARAH KANYARA
We mingled easily with the locals.
The locals were accommodating. One officer was kind enough to offer to take a photo of my colleague and me after seeing how we were struggling to take a selfie together.
A few metres away, we got an offer to join a group of locals having dinner.
As much as I wanted to stay outdoors longer, as the night looked promising, my body — or is it age? — betrayed me. And so, some minutes to 10pm, after a little shopping, lots of photos and laughs, I called it a night and went to my room.
With this kind of welcome, I can’t wait to experience Ningbo in all its glory.
