Abstract: Water culture is the core component of waterfront city culture and serves as the resource foundation and spiritual essence driving the sustainable development of urban socio-economy. As a typical "water town" and a "harbor", Ningbo's millennia-long urban evolution is deeply intertwined with the formation, systematic development and governance of its "rivers,canals, lakes and seas" resulting in a water culture heritage that embodies both riverside essence and seaport characteristics. By systematically reviewing Ningbo's water conservancy history and leveraging the four major hydrological carriers— "rivers, canals,lakes and seas" —we establish the "Four Beams" conceptual framework of Ningbo's water culture. Concurrently, through eight key initiatives—water culture resource exploration, heritage preservation, ecological restoration, cultural education, integrated water conservancy-tourism development, smart water conservancy construction, brand building and talent cultivation—we construct the "Eight Pillars" implementation framework. This forms the holistic "Four Beams and Eight Pillars" framework for Ningbo's urban water culture development, aiming to provide a theoretical and practical foundation for the systematic conservation, inheritance, and innovative development of Ningbo's water culture, while offering a replicable model for the advancement of water culture initiatives in other cities.