Ningbo is one of the 15 sub-provincial cities in China, and is one of the 5 separate state-planning cities[6] in China (the other four are Dalian, Qingdao, Xiamen, and Shenzhen), with the municipality possessing a separate state-planning status in many economic departments, rather than being governed by Zhejiang Province. Therefore, Ningbo has provincial-level autonomy in making economic and financial policies.[7]
In 2020, the GDP of Ningbo was CNY 1240.87 billion[8] (US$191.68 billion), and it was ranked 12th among 300 cities in China.[9] Moreover, Ningbo is among the wealthiest cities in China; it ranked 8th in terms of average yearly disposable income in the year of 2020.[10] Up till 2020, Ningbo has had global headquarters and registered offices of over 100 listed companies,[11] and many regional business headquarters. In 2021, Ningbo featured the 7th most listed companies of all cities in China.[12] Furthermore, Ningbo was among the top 10 Chinese cities in the Urban Business Environment Report released by the Chinese state media China Central Television (CCTV) in 2019.[13]
As a city with rich culture and a long history dating back to Jingtou Mountain Culture in 6300 BC and the Hemudu culture in 4800 BC, Ningbo was awarded "City of Culture in East Asia" by the governments of China, of Japan, and of Korea in 2016.[14]
The first character in the city's name ning (宁 or 寧) means "serene", while its second character bo (波) translates to "wave". The city is abbreviated "甬" (pinyin: Yǒng) for the eponymous "Yong Hill" (甬山), a prominent coastal hill near the city, and the Yong River that flows through Ningbo city.
It was once named Mingzhou (明州; Míngzhōu). The first character (明) is composed of two parts, representing two lakes inside the city wall: the Sun Lake (日湖) and the Moon Lake (月湖) dating back to Tang Dynasty 636 AD. Today, only the Moon Lake remains, and the old Sun Lake dried up in 19 century. In 2002, Ningbo government re-built the Sun Lake as one of the city parks.
Ningbo is one of China's oldest cities, with a history dating to the Jingtou Mountain Culture in 6300 BC and Hemudu culture in 4800 BC. Ningbo was known as a trade city on the silk road at least two thousand years ago, and then as a major port for foreign trade.
As of 2020, the earliest relics of human activity discovered in Ningbo City are the Jingtou Mountain site discovered in Yuyao, dating back to 6300 BC, evidencing early human consumption of seafood and rice. Since then, a large number of cultivated rice, farming tools, remains of dry fence buildings, remains of domestic livestock, and primitive religious items have been unearthed from related sites of the Hemudu culture (5000-4500 BC), evidencing the existence of human settlement and culture in the eastern part of the Ningshao Plain, where modern-day Ningbo city is located.
Before the Han Dynasty, the area where Ningbo City is located today was sparsely populated. In the Xia Dynasty, the location of Ningbo was called "Yin". In the Chun Qiu period, the area where Ningbo belonged was the Yue State . At that time, the Yue King Goujian built the Juzhang City in the present-day Cicheng Town and became the earliest city in Ningbo. After the middle of the Warring States period, the area of Ningbo became the jurisdiction of Chu State . In 221 BC, Qin unified the six states and Ningbo area belonged to Kuaiji Commandery , with 3 counties of Yin, Yin, and Juzhang (some studies assert there were 4 counties of Yin, Yin, Juzhang, and Yuyao). In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, Kuaiji Commandery where Ningbo was located once belonged to the Kingdom of Jing and Wu. After the Seven Kingdoms was settled, Kuaiji Commandery was restored. In 589 AD (Sui Kai Huang nine years) Yin, Mao, Yuyao County 4 county were merged under the Wu kingdom.
Tang and Song dynasty
Tianfeng Tower, originally built during the Tang Dynasty, is the symbol of old Ningbo.
A rock garden inside Tianyi Chamber
Since the Tang dynasty Ningbo has been an important commercial port. Arab traders lived in Ningbo during the Song dynasty when it was known as Mingzhou,[16] as the ocean-going trade passages took precedence over land trade during this time.[17][18] Another name for Mingzhou/Ningbo was Siming. It was a well known center of ocean-going commerce with the foreign world.[19] These merchants did not intermingle with native Chinese, instead practicing their own customs and religion and inhabiting ghettos. They did not try to proselytize Islam to the Chinese.[20]
There was a large Jewish community in Ningbo, as evidenced by the fact that, after a major flood destroyed Torah scrolls in Kaifeng in 1642, a replacement was sent to the Kaifeng Jews by the Jews at Ningbo.[21]
Ming dynasty
The city of Ningbo was known in Europe for a long time under the name of Liampó. This is the usual spelling used e.g. in the standard Portuguese history, João de Barros's Décadas da Ásia, although Barros explained that Liampó was a Portuguese "corruption" of the more correct Nimpó.[22][23] The spelling Liampó is also attested in the Peregrination (Peregrinação) by Fernão Mendes Pinto, a (so-called) autobiography written in Portuguese during the 16th century. For the mid-16th-century Portuguese, the nearby promontory, which they called the cape of Liampó, after the nearby "illustrious city" was the easternmost known point of the mainland Asia.[22] The Portuguese began trading in Ningbo around 1522. By 1542, the Portuguese had a sizable community in Ningbo (or, more likely, on nearby small islands such as Shuangyu). Portuguese activities from their Ningbo base included pillaging and attacking multiple Chinese port cities around Ningbo for plunder and spoil. They also enslaved people during their raids.[24] The Portuguese were ousted from the Ningbo area in 1548.
Qing dynasty
Ningbo was one of the five Chinese treaty ports opened by the Treaty of Nanjing (signed in 1842) at the end of the First Opium War between Britain and China. During the war, British forces briefly took possession of the walled city of Ningbo after storming the fortified town of Zhenhai at the mouth of the Yong River on October 10, 1841. The British subsequently repulsed a Chinese attempt to retake the city in the Battle of Ningpo on March 10, 1842. In 1861, the forces of the Taiping Kingdom took the city relatively unopposed as the defending garrison and all Ningbo residents fled except for the Jews and Persians; they held the town for six months.[25] In March 1885, during the Sino-French War, Admiral Courbet's naval squadron blockaded several Chinese warships in Zhenhai Bay and exchanged fire with the shore defenses.
Ningbo was also once famed for traditional Chinese furniture production that western encyclopedias described Ningbo as a center of craftsmanship and industry.[26][27]
During the 1800s, the Ningbo authorities contracted Cantonese pirates to exterminate and massacre Portuguese pirates who had raided Canton shipping around Ningbo. The massacre was "successful", with 40 Portuguese dead and only 2 Cantonese dead, being dubbed "The Ningpo Massacre" by an English correspondent, who noted that the Portuguese pirates had behaved savagely towards the Cantonese Chinese, and that the Portuguese authorities at Macau should have reined in the pirates.
During late Qing era, Western missionaries set up a Presbyterian Church in Ningbo. Li Veng-eing was a Reverend of the Ningpo Church.[28] The Ningpo College was managed by Rev. Robert F. Fitch. The four trustees were natives of Ningbo, three of them had Taotai rank.[29] Rev. George Evans Moule, B. A. was appointed a missionary to China by the Church of England Missionary Society, and arrived at Ningpo with Mrs. Moule in February 1858. He then began a mission station at Hang-chow, between which and Ningpo his time had been chiefly divided. He wrote Christian publications in the Ningbo dialect.[30]
Republican era
During World War II in 1940, between 80% to 90% of Ningbo's population fled Ningbo and leaving only old people behind[31] before the Japanese bombed Ningbo with ceramic bombs full of fleas carrying the bubonic plague.[32] According to Daniel Barenblatt, Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda received, with Prince Mikasa, a special screening by Shiro Ishii of a film showing imperial planes loading germ bombs for bubonic dissemination over Ningbo in 1940.[33]
"It has been said of the Ningbo fishermen that, 'no people in the world apparently made so great an advance in the art of fishing; and for centuries past no people have made so little further progress.'"[34]
Geography
Ningpo (labeled YIN-HSIEN (NINGPO) 鄞縣) (1952)
Map including Ningbo (labeled as YIN-HSIEN (NINGPO))
The Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was built between 1872 and 1876, was closed by the government in 1963, and was reopened and renamed in 1980. It was recognized as a national heritage site in 2006.
Ningbo ranges in latitude from 28° 51' to 30° 33' N and in longitude from 120° 55' to 122° 16' E, bounded on the east by the East China Sea and Zhoushan Archipelago, on the north by Hangzhou Bay, across which it faces Jiaxing and Shanghai, on the west by Shaoxing, and on the south by Taizhou. Its land area is 9,816 square kilometers (3,790 sq mi), while oceanic territory amounts to 9,758 km2 (3,768 sq mi); there is a total 1,562 km (971 mi) of coastline including 788 km (490 mi) of mainland coastline and 774 km (481 mi) of island coastline, together accounting for one-third of the entire provincial coastline. There are 531 islands accounting for 524 km2 (202 sq mi) under the city's administration.
Ningbo's city proper is sandwiched between the ocean and low-lying mountains to the southwest, with coastal plain and valleys in between. Important peninsulas include the Chuanshan Peninsula (穿山半岛), located in Beilun District and containing mainland Zhejiang's easternmost point, and the Xiangshan Peninsula (象山半岛) in Xiangshan County. The Siming Mountains (四明山) run north from Mount Tiantai and within Ningbo City, traverse Yuyao City, Haishu District, and Fenghua District, reaching a height of 979 m (3,212 ft).
Tidal flat ecosystems occur adjacent to the city, however, a large areas have been reclaimed for agricultural purposes.[35]
Climate
Ningbo has a humid subtropical climate (KöppenCfa) with four distinctive seasons, characterized by hot, humid summers and chilly, cloudy and dry winters (with occasional snow). The mean annual temperature is 17.15 °C (62.9 °F), with monthly daily averages ranging from 5.3 °C (41.5 °F) in January to 28.8 °C (83.8 °F) in July. Extremes since 1951 have ranged from −8.8 °C (16 °F) on 12 January 1955 to 42.1 °C (108 °F) on 8 August 2013.[36] The city receives an average annual rainfall of 1,430 mm (56 in) and is affected by the plum rains of the Asian monsoon in June, when average relative humidity also peaks. From August to October, Ningbo experiences the effects of typhoons, and is affected by an average 1.8 storms annually, though the city is not often struck directly by these systems. A 2012 OECD study lists Ningbo among the top 20 cities worldwide most at risk of flooding due to anthropogenic climate change.[37]
Ningbo is an important port city located 220 kilometers (140 mi) south of Shanghai. The city's export industry dates back to the 7th century. Today, Ningbo is a major exporter of electrical products, textiles, food, and industrial tools. The city's private sector is especially well-developed, contributing 80 percent of total GDP in 2013.[43]
Historically, Ningbo was somewhat geographically isolated from other major cities. In 2007 the Hangzhou Bay Bridge was built, cutting highway transit time between Ningbo and Shanghai from four hours to two and a half. The city now serves as the economic center for the southern Yangtze River Delta and has been ranked among the most competitive cities in China.[43]
In 2009, Ningbo's economic activity reached US$60.8 billion, down 10.4% from 2008. The exports totaled US$38.65 billion, down 16.6% from the previous year. In addition, Ningbo imported US$22.16 billion of goods, up 3.1% from the previous year.[44]
Ningbo's economy grew 9.26% in 2013 to 712.89 billion yuan (US$115.12 billion).[43] In 2009, the city's per capita output was US$10,833, about three times the national average.[45]
Ningbo is famous for the Si Lan Nong Xiang flower, which is used for dying cloth. In 2008, Ningbo's cloth exports were responsible for 3% of its economic growth.[citation needed]
Foreign investment
With several important development zones established in or around Ningbo, the city has received considerable foreign investment.[46] Over 60 domestic and foreign-invested financial institutions have established operations in the city, which has also attracted more than 10,000 foreigners. The municipal government offers preferential policies designed to encourage investment in international trade, new strategic industries, manufacturing, information services, and creative industries.[43]
Economic and technological development zones
Ningbo Economic & Technological Development Zone
Located in the north-east of Ningbo, behind Beilun Port, NETD is 27 km (17 mi) away from the city center. With more than 20 years of great effort, NETD has already formed the general framework for large scale construction and development, and established the perfect investment environment. It is situated close to the Ningbo Port and Ningbo Lishe International Airport. Major Investors include Exxon Mobile, Dupont and Dow Chemical.[47]
Ningbo Daxie Development Zone
The Ningbo Daxie Development Zone was approved in 1993 and covers an area of 5.92 km2 (2.29 sq mi). Over more than ten years of development and construction, industrial and logistical foundations have been established in the zone for the transshipment of energy, liquid chemicals and containers.[47]
Ningbo National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Ningbo National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was founded in 1999 and was upgraded to a national level zone in January 2007. It is 10 km (6.2 mi) from Ningbo International Airport and 18 km (11 mi) away from Ningbo Port. The zone serves as the important technical innovation base of Yangtze River Delta. Industries encouraged include chemicals production and processing, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, raw material processing, Research and Development.[48]
Ningbo Free Trade Zone
Ningbo Free Trade Zone is one of the 15 free trade zones authorized by the State Council of China, and is the only free trade zone in Zhejiang Province. It was established by State Council in 1992, covering the area of 2.3 km2 (0.89 sq mi). It lies in the middle of the coastline of Mainland China, at the south of Yangtze River Delta. In 2008, its industrial output value was RMB 53.33 billion and grew at 19.8% as compared to 2007.[49]
Nordic Industrial Park
The Nordic Industrial Park Co. Ltd. (NIP) is one of the first wholly foreign-owned industrial parks in China located in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province. NIP is managed and operated by a Scandinavian management team.[50]
Ningbo Advertising Park
The Ningbo Advertising Park is a national level pilot park located in the Ningbo Southern Business District. The financial incentives have attracted over 300 relevant firms to establish operations.[51]
Ningbo is not just an ordinary city—it has the same authority as provincial governments for economic administration—and is the largest port in the world in terms of annual cargo throughput. Unlike Shanghai, the port is deep-water and capable of handling 300,000 ton vessels. The port is located mainly in Beilun district and Zhenhai district. In 2006, Ningbo Port started its expansion towards the neighboring island city of Zhoushan for the purpose of building an even larger port with higher capacity to compete with neighboring ports in the region, such as Shanghai's Yangshan Deep-Water Port. The statistics in 2010 showed that total cargo throughput was 627,000,000 tonnes and container throughput 13,144,000 TEUs. In 2021, it is 1 224 050 000 tonnes including 31 080 000 TEUs. Ningbo proper is 623 400 000 tonnes and 29 370 000 TEUs, while Zhoushan is 600 650 00 tonnes and 1 710 000 TEUs.
Thus, with bulk container breakdowns, hugely improved logistics, and massive chemical and foodstuff, processing developments, Ningbo won the race against Shanghai for the preeminent Chinese east coast port.[52][53]
The Zunjing Hall (尊經閣) located within the Tianyi Chamber
King Ashoka Temple
The monument to victory in the Battle of Zhenhai (Sino-French War)
Due to its long history and the prosperity in economics, Ningbo is a city with very rich rich tourist resources. Here is a list of the main tourist attractions that have been authorized by the Ningbo Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, Television and Tourism in each subdivisions of Ningbo city.
Ningbo - Haishu District - Tianyi Square 2019-06-09 01
Main tourist attractions in Haishu District
Moon Lake Park (Yuehu Park): Moon Lake (Yuehu) is a reservoir excavated in the Tang Dynasty (636 AD) at the center of Haishu District, which is the historic old Ningbo in ancient times. The park includes the lake itself, some small islands on the lake, and many ancient Chinese architectures and historical sites, such as:
Tianyi Pavilion (Tianyi Ge or Tianyi Chamber): One of Ningbo's most popular and famous tourist attractions, located in the vicinity of the Moon Lake (Yuehu). Built in 1516 AD, it is the oldest library existent in Asia and is one of the top 3 oldest private libraries in the world. The collection dates back to the 11th century and includes woodblock and handwritten copies of the Confucian classics, rare local histories and lists of the candidates successful in imperial examinations. The currently Tianyi Pavilion refers to the whole museum complex that includes:
The historical library-related buildings
The ancient Chinese mansion of the library's first owner, Fan Qing, built in Ming Dynasty (1516 AD)
An ancient private theater of Chinese plays as part of Fan's mansion
A small Mahjong (麻将) museum, since Ningbo is regarded one of the birthplace of Mahjong.
The Yuehu Mosque (Moon Lake Mosque): A historical monument it was built in 1003 AD in Song Dynasty.
Buddhist Jushi Lin: A 700-year old Buddhist residence located on the beautiful Liutingzhou (an island of the Moon Lake), the lake scenery and cultural landscape of the area.
Shuize Stele: A stone stele which is used to measure water level in Pingqiao River near the Moon Lake. It was firstly built in 1242 AD, South Song Dynasty, and protected by a pavilion which was built during the Qing Dynasty
He Mijian Ci (贺秘监祠): A cultural relic protection built in honor of a Chinese poet named He Zhizhang (賀知章, 659 AD–744 AD) in Tang Dynasty. He called himself the "Siming Crazy Guest", where "Siming" is the name of a mountain in Ningbo. The building was completed in Song Dynasty (1144 AD) and repaired in Qing Dynasty (1865 AD)
Ancient Korean Embassy: It was built to welcome the Korean envoys and business groups during the Northern Song Dynasty. Destroyed by war in 1130 AD, the site of the Korean embassy was announced as a cultural relics protection unit in 1984. Now It is a showroom for the history of relations between Mingzhou (ancient name of Ningbo) and Korea.
Central Lake Temple, Central Lake East Bridge, Zhenming Ridge and Xuanmiao Temple: A Ningbo-born novelist Qu You wrote a fiction called Peony Dengji (牡丹灯记, Janpanese: Botan Dōrō also known as 怪談牡丹灯籠 Tales of the Peony Lantern ) (in the collection of Jiandeng Xinhua). It describes a love story between ghost and a man during Fang Guozhen period. The story took place at the Moon Lake. Japanese scholar Koyama Issei identified many of the locations, including Central Lake Temple, Central Lake East Bridge, Zhenming Ridge and Xuanmiao temple, that would fit geographically and architecturally of the places mentioned in the story. The story was adapted as one of one of three Kaidan tales in Japan.
Drum Tower Complex (Haishu Tower): Constructed during the Tang Dynasty, it is the only remaining ruin of an old city gate tower in Ningbo. At the top, there is a six-meter high Romanesque bell tower added in the Republic period. Around the base of the tower is a commercial area where all the buildings are reconstructed in the traditional style.
Chenghuang Temple (Ningbo County Temple): An ancient commercial center in downtown Ningbo.
Tianfeng Pagoda: The national cultural relics protection site is a typical Song-style loft-style brick-wood structure tower unique to Jiangnan in China. This hexagonal building is a landmark and the tallest ancient structure in the city. It appears as a seven-story tower with another seven stories underground and is renowned for its long history, architectural value and ancient artifacts. The tower was first built in 695 in the Tang Dynasty (618 AD -907 AD);
Tianyi Square: located in the bustling old downtown of Ningbo City with the nationwide famous shopping complex, named after the Tianyi Ge (Chamber), the oldest private library in Asia
Nantang Old Street: An old commercial street by the river with many folk-custom shops, souvenir stores and small-eating restaurants. Previously, Nantang Street acted like a place for local pelple to have fairs and flea markets. In 2013, the street is renovated to become a tourist sites.
Liangzhu Cultural Park: A thema park of the story of Liang and Zhu, one of the four folklores in China, and is reputed as the oriental version of the famous play Romeo and Juliet.
Baiyun Manor: An ancient academy where Huang Zongxi (黄宗羲) gave lectures. Huang, whose style name is Taichong, is a distinguished thinker, writer and historian of the late Ming and early Qing periods.
Ningbo Wulongtan Scenic Scenic Resort: Also called Five-dragon Pools Scenic Resort, it is one of the Ten New Sceneries in Ningbo, a National AAAA rated scenic area.
Main tourist attractions in Yinzhou District
Ningbo Museum (Yinzhou Museum, or Ningbo Historic Museum): A museum focuses on Ningbo area history and traditional customs, considered the masterwork of Wang Shu, who is the first Chinese citizen to win the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2012.
Romon U-Park: One of the largest urban indoor theme parks in the world
Ningbo Eastern New Town: Newly developed area of Ningbo City, with a well-designed CBD (including two 400m skyscrapers and other headquarters of many listed company and government offices), several museums, galleries, and shopping centers, including:
Ningbo Hankyu Commercial Complex: Opened in 2021, it is the first overseas outlet of Hankyu, the famous Japanese department store.
Ningbo New Library
Yinzhou Park and Ningbo Southern CBD
Dongqian Lake: The largest natural freshwater lake in Zhejiang Province. The earliest historical record of the lake dates back to West Jin Dynasty, and there are several natural sceneries and historical attractions around the lake:
Little Putuo: An island on the lake with several temples built in Song Dynasty by a prime minister called Shihao .
Taogong Island: The place where Fanli and Xishi once lived according to folklore.
Southern Song Dynasty Rock Carving Park: won the "National Cultural Relics Conservation Best Project Award" awarded by the China National Architecture Research Association and the China Cultural Relics Conservation Foundation
Fuquan Mountain: a mountain with a Chinese tea theme park
Ningbo Hanling Old Street: an ancient street with a history thousands of years. It was once called Hanling City. The 'city' here means bazaar.
Qita Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple complex first consecrated during the Tang Dynasty in the downtown area of Ningbo city.
Tianhou Temple, a former temple of Mazu as the "Empress of Heaven" once used by Fujianese merchants as their guild hall (Qing'an Huiguan). In the 19th century, it was accounted by S. Wells Williams as the most beautiful place in Ningbo and by John Thomson as one of the most beautiful temples in China, but that structure was destroyed during the Chinese Civil War. It has been reconstructed with many of its original works of art, however, to form the East Zhejiang Maritime Affairs and Folk Customs Museum.
Ningbo Ocean World: An aquarium with an ocean theater
Ningbo Youngor Zoo
Ningbo Sakura Park (Zhongxing Sakura Park): A sakura park built to commemorate the friendship city between Ningbo City and Nagaoka City, Japan
Main tourist attractions in Jiangbei District
Sanjiangkou: Located on the borders of 3 urban districts of Ningbo city: Haishu District, Yingzhou District, and Jiangbei District. The place where the Yong River, Yaojiang River and Fenghua River meet, and it is also the heart of old Ningbo city.
Old Bund (Old Waitan): A waterfront area and a protected historical district in central of Ningbo, built earlier than the Bund of Shanghai, with lots of early 19th century architectures, stores and restaurants.
Baoguo Temple: The oldest intact wooden structure in eastern China. It is in the first batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Sites in China. Currently, it is the Baoguo Temple Ancient Architecture Museum, and has become a teaching and research base for many top architectural universities
The Seventeen Houses of Zheng's: The seventeen Houses of Zheng's represented the classical style of residences in Ming and Qing Dynasty in the south part of Yangtze River Basin. Every room constitutes its own system with unique layout and scientific structure and fine workmanship, which implies a great significance for research and sightseeing.
Ningbo Bang Museum and Culture Park: It mainly displays exhibits related to the Ningbo Gang (Ningbo Merchants Group), and the development history of the business gang. It was one of the ten largest commercial groups during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and it became the biggest commercial regional group of China in the Late Qing dynasty.
Hemudu Culture Relics Site and Museum: The relic cite and museum of a Neolithic culture that flourished just south of the Hangzhou Bay The culture may be divided into early and late phases, before and after 4000 BC respectively. The site at Hemudu, 22 km northwest of Ningbo, was discovered in 1973. Hemudu sites were also discovered at Tianluoshan in Yuyao city, and on the islands of Zhoushan. Hemudu are said to have differed physically from inhabitants of the Yellow River sites to the north. Some authors propose that the Hemudu Culture was a source of the pre-Austronesian cultures.[citation needed]
Main tourist attractions in Cixi City (County)
Dapeng Mountain
Notable people
Many well known Chinese came from Ningbo or have Ningbo as their ancestral home.
People in mainland China
Zhang Jianhong, freelance writer, playwright, poet, and also a democracy activist
Ningbo New Railway Station was reopened in December 2013 after years of on-site restoration to accommodate high speed rails and increasing passengers.
Bridge
As there are three main rivers running through Ningbo, it is crucial to build bridges to improve the efficiency of the transport network in Ningbo. The Ling Bridge which connects Haishu district and Jiangdong District is the earliest modern bridge built in Ningbo, designed by German engineers. Since the late 1980s, 16 bridges have been built on the three rivers. Currently another 27 bridges are under construction.
The Hangzhou Bay Bridge, a combination cable-stayed bridge and causeway across Hangzhou Bay, opened to the public on May 1, 2008. This bridge connects the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo, and is considered the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world. It is the world's second-longest bridge, after the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, United States.
The Jintang Bridge, a 4 lane sea crossing bridge linking Jintang Island of Zhoushan and Zhenhai district, is a 27 km (17 mi) long opened on December 26, 2009.
The Xiangshan Harbor Bridge opened to traffic on December 29, 2012, connecting Ningbo with Xiangshan. The 47 km (29 mi)long project includes 22 km (14 mi) as the main body of the bridge and a 8 kilometer-long tunnel.[58]
Sea
The port of Ningbo is the world's busiest port. It was ranked number 1 in total Cargo Volume (1.22 billion tonnes in 2021[59]) and number 3 in total container traffic (31.1 million TEUs in 2021) since 2019.[60]
Air
Ningbo Lishe International Airport connects Ningbo by air to the rest of China, with regularly scheduled domestic and international flights. In 2009, new air routes between Ningbo and Taiwan were opened. Jetstar Asia launched a new route between Ningbo and Singapore in September 2011. Tiger Air planned to begin flying this route from 26 December 2013.[needs update]
With the booming economy in the region, the Xiaoyong Railway, a conventional railway built in the 1950s, could not meet the demand for railway travel between Zhejiang's two largest cities, so construction of a new high-speed railway line between Hangzhou and Ningbo started in 2009. The new railway line was finished by 2013 and reduced travel time between Ningbo and Hangzhou to 50 minutes.
The Ningbo–Taizhou–Wenzhou Railway is a high-speed railway that opened in September 2009. It connects Ningbo with cities along the coast to the south to Fujian Province. High-speed trains on this line operate at speeds of up to 250 km/h (160 mph).
Ningbo re-opened the Ningbo railway station after three years of construction on December 28, 2013. With a construction area of more than 120,000 m2,[61] it is one of the largest railway stations in China.
Expressway
Seven expressways connect Ningbo with its surrounding cities:
The Hangyong expressway, built in the 1990s, connects Hangzhou and Ningbo, now part of Hangzhou Bay ring expressway (G9211).
The Yongtaiwen expressway (G15), opened in 2000, connects Ningbo with Taizhou and Wenzhou.
The Yongjin expressway (G1512) connects Ningbo and Jinhua.
The Huyong expressway (G15) connects Ningbo and Shanghai via the Hangzhou Bay bridge.
Ningbo has multiple metro lines in service, under construction, and under authorized planning:
Ningbo Rail Transit in 6 Urban Districts of Ningbo
(Not Including 2 County-level Cities and 2 Counties)
Lines
Length in Kilometers (km)
Number of Stations
In-Service Year
Lines in Service
Line 1
46.17
29
2014
Line 2
33.95
27
2015
Line 3
38.63
27
2019
Line 4
36.11
25
2020
Lines Under Construction
Line 2 Extension
2.9
2
2021
Line 5
27.5
22
2021
Line 3 Extension
9.5
5
2023
Line 4 East Extension
2.5
1
Construction Began in 2021
Constructing Plans That Will be Completed by 2026
Line 1 West Extension
1.5
1
by 2026
Line 4 West Extension
2.5
1
by 2026
Line 6
38.6
24
by 2026
Line 7
38.8
25
by 2026
Line 8
22.6
18
by 2026
Since the Metro lines above serve mainly 6 urban districts of Ningbo, so Ningbo government announced several future plans to built further rapid transit to connect 6 urban districts with the county-level cities and counties.
As a city with giant ports, Ningbo influenced many countries near China, such as Japan.
Language
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Ningbo speech is a dialect of Wu Chinese that has preserved many aspects of ancient Chinese phonology. Its original wording mode can be found in classical reference books. It can be found that the trisyllable and tetrasyllable phrases or proverbs in Ningbo dialect make it most unusual and dynamic. Moreover, the onomatopoeia, assonance words, collocations, inversions, and other language characteristics within Ningbo dialect all add spice to people's[who?] life. After the unequal treaty port opening, western culture gradually permeated Ningbo. Thus the prefix "洋 yang" before the nouns of imported goods is a special language phenomenon of Ningbo dialect.[63]
Food
Ningbo is known for Ningbo Tangyuan, small stuffed buns which are boiled. The stuffing is usually ground sesame mixed with sugar. It can also be mixed with pork fat. The stuffing is wrapped with sticky rice powder.
Even more so, Ningbo is famous throughout China for its seafood. Seafood markets are abundant, carrying countless varieties of fish, crabs/lobsters/shrimp, shellfish, snails, jellyfish and other invertebrates, and sea vegetables in all stages of preparation from "still swimming," to cleaned and ready to cook, to fully cooked.
Festivals
Ningbo has many traditional Han Chinese festivals same as other provinces in China. However, the date of Mid-Autumn Festival is different from others. Han Chinese will have Mid-Autumn Festival on Lunar Calendar August 15, but Ningbo will have on August 16th. The most creditable history for this is that long ago, the whole city waited for Shih Hao, a Southern Sung prime minister.[clarification needed]
Education
At the end of the year 2020, there were 1,896 schools of all levels and types in the city, with a total of 1,418,000 students. Among them, there are 15 colleges and universities in Ningbo with 177,000 full-time students; 86 regular high schools with 93,000 students; 35 vocational schools with 69,000 students; 230 junior high schools with 21.7 (should this be 217,000 students? It is not 21.7 people) students. There are 427 primary schools with 517,000 students. At the end of the year, there were 838 full-time private primary and secondary schools (including kindergartens) in the city, with 258,000 students in school (including kindergartens), accounting for 21.7% of the city's full-time primary and secondary school (including kindergartens) students. In the compulsory education section, there are 288,000 children of migrant workers go to schools in Ningbo.[64]
In the whole year of 2020, the city attract 1,372 more workers with doctoral degrees, with a total of 9,265; newly attracted 67,000 highly skilled talents, with a total of 551,000; newly attracted 35 post-doctoral research stations, with a total of 224; newly built skilled master jobs There are 10 offices, totaling 100. Throughout the year, 327,000 skilled personnel were trained in the city. In the whole year of 2020, 166,000 university graduates were attracted to Ningbo City, a year-on-year increase of 20.5%.
Ningbo has 15 universities and colleges as of May 2021. Besides, Ningbo has many research institutions that offers graduate degree programs. Here is a list of current universities and colleges in Ningbo.
List of Universities and Colleges in Ningbo as of May 2021
As of 2020, many famous universities and research institutions have an operating campus or institutes in Ningbo, most of them have been offering graduate degrees programs.
Part of Research Institutions Offering Graduate Programs in Ningbo
English Name
Chinese Name (中文名)
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology & Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
中国科学院宁波材料技术与工程研究所
Ningbo Institute of Technology, BeihangUniversity
北京航空航天大学宁波创新研究院
Zhejiang University, Ningbo
浙江大学宁波校区
Harbin Institute of Technology, Ningbo
哈尔滨工业大学宁波智能装备研究院
Dalian University of Technology, Ningbo
大连理工大学宁波研究院
Tianjin University, Ningbo
天津大学浙江研究院
Ningbo Institute of Marine-Derived Pharmaceutical, Peking University
北京大学宁波海洋药物研究院
Northwestern Polytechnical University, Ningbo
西北工业大学宁波研究院
Compared to other 14 sub-provincial cities in China, Ningbo has the smallest number of higher-educational institutions.
Secondary and primary education
Compulsory education (basic education in Chinese terms) is from the ages 6 to 15. Students are catered to in a variety of state and private schools. Studying for the gaokao(高考), a test of a student's skill, is optional.[65] At the end of the year 2020, there were 86 regular high schools with 93,000 students in Ningbo; 35 vocational schools with 69,000 students; 230 junior high schools with 21.7 students. There are 427 primary schools with 517,000 students. At the end of the year, there were 838 full-time private primary and secondary schools (including kindergartens) in the city, with 258,000 students in school (including kindergartens), accounting for 21.7% of the city's full-time primary and secondary school (including kindergartens) students. In the compulsory education section, there are 288,000 children of migrant workers go to schools in Ningbo.[64]
International education
Several schools are permitted to operate foreign educational programs as an alternative to the Chinese National curriculum and accept international students.
^2018年宁波市国民经济和社会发展统计公报 [Statistical Communiqué of Ningbo on the 2018 National Economic and Social Development]. tjj.ningbo.gov.cn (in Chinese). Ningbo Bureau of Statistics. 2 February 2019. Archived from the original on 30 October 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
^
Greville Stewart Parker Freeman-Grenville; Stuart C. Munro-Hay (2006). Islam: an illustrated history (illustrated, revised ed.). Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 228. ISBN0-8264-1837-6. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2011.
^Xu Xin, The Jews of Kaifeng, Ktav Publishing House c 2003
^ abJoão de Barros, Décadas da Ásia; 1st Decade, Book IX, Chapter VII. Lisbon, 1552 (e.g., pp. 336–337, in the 1988 reprint)
^João de Barros, Décadas da Ásia, 3rd Decade, Book II, Chapter VII. Lisbon, 1563 (folio 44 in the original edition and the 1992 facsimile reprint)
^Sergeĭ Leonidovich Tikhvinskiĭ (1983). Modern history of China. Progress Publishers. p. 57. Thereafter they made the factory near Ningbo their chief trading outlet. In the late 1540s, there were more than 3,000 people there, some 1,200 of them Portuguese. From this base, the latter raided neighboring coastal cities, pillaging and taking people into slavery. The Chinese authorities responded with armed expeditions against them and, finally, the Portuguese had to abandon the factory
^Liehui WANG "The evolution of China's international maritime network based on the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road"" In: Acta Geographica Sinica ›› 2017, Vol. 72 ›› Issue (12): 2265-2280.
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Nihng-bo (help·info) (locally)
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