The Night View of Laowaitan./老外滩夜景。 [Photo by Shen Guofeng]沈国峰摄

By Gou Wen

Laowaitan has been a busy port since the Tang and Song dynasties a thousand years ago. It officially received its name and opened up to global trade in 1884. The Laowaitan area covers 48,000m^2, with 80,000m^2 of built spaces. There are many protected cultural and historical sites here.

1844年开埠的老外滩，自唐宋以来就是最繁华的港口之一。这里总占地面积4.8万平方米，建筑面积8万平方米，分布有多处文物保护单位。

Laowaitan was once one of Ningbo's passenger ports. At its peak, over 10,000 passengers embarked and disembarked daily.

曾经，这里是宁波港的一个港区，以客运为主，日客流量可达上万人。

Now, it is a popular tourist destination. Here you will find a Catholic Church, built in 1872, and the former building of the Ningbo Post Office, built in 1927.

如今，这里依旧人流如织，人们可以看到建于1872年的天主教堂、建于1927年的宁波邮政局旧址……

Laowaitan is also a bustling nightlife district with many bars and shops. More than 140 businesses and companies are based here. Recently, Laowaitan was named as one of China's first "national nighttime leisure consumption districts".

除此之外，老外滩也是酒吧林立、灯火繁华的商业街区，已有140余家商家和企业入驻。在不久前，这里还入选了首批国家级夜间文旅消费集聚区。