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'宁波市
Níngbō Shì'

Ningbo is highlighted on this map
'Origin of Name'	宁 níng - Serene 波 bō - Waves Together - Serene Waves
'Abbreviation'	甬 yǒng
'Administration Type'	Sub-provincial city
'Area'	9,365 km²
'Coastline'	1,562 km
'Population' Total Urban Area	5,527,000 (2004) 1,219,900
'GDP'	¥39,045 per capita (2004)
'Major Nationalities'	Han, Tujia, Miao, Zhuang
'County-level divisions'	11
'Township-level divisions'	148
'Mayor'	Mao Guanglie (毛光烈)
'CPC Ningbo Committee Secretary'	Bayin Chaolu (巴音朝鲁)
'City flower'	Camelia
'City tree'	Camphor Laurel ''Cinnamomum camphora'' (L.) Sieb.
'Area Code'	574
'License Plate Prefix'	浙B
'Official website:' City of Ningbo

'Ningbo' (; literally "Tranquil Waves") is a seaport sub-provincial city with a population of 1,219,900 in northeastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Lying south of the Hangzhou Bay, and facing the East China Sea to the east, Ningbo borders Shaoxing to the west and Taizhou to the south, and is separated from Zhoushan by a narrow body of water.

Contents

Administration

History

Geography and climate

Economy

Tourism

Notable people

Transportation

Miscellaneous

Sister cities

Sister cities (友好城市)

Cities of friendly exchanges (友好交流关系城市)

See also

References

External links

Administration

The sub-provincial city of Ningbo administers 6 districts, 3 county-level cities and 2 counties. A distinction must be made between "Ningbo City" and metropolitan Ningbo. Ningbo City [Ning Bo Shi] is a geographic area with a population of 6 million. Metropolitan Ningbo consists of the districts of Haishu, Jiangdong, and Jiangbei. Metropolitan Ningbo has a population of 820,000.

★ Haishu District (海曙区)

★ Jiangdong District (江东区)

★ Jiangbei District (江北区)

★ Yinzhou District (鄞州区)

★ Beilun District (北仑区)

★ Zhenhai District (镇海区)

★ Yuyao City (余姚市)

★ Cixi City (慈溪市)

★ Fenghua City (奉化市)

★ Xiangshan County (象山县)

★ Ninghai County (宁海县)

History

Ningbo was one of China's oldest cities with a history dating back to 4800 B.C. the Hemudu culture. Ningbo was known as a major trading port along with Yangzhou and Guangzhou in the Tang dynasty; thereafter, the major ports for foreign trade in the Song 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 took possession of the walled city of Ningbo briefly after storming the fortified town of Zhenhai at the mouth of the Yong River on October 10, 1841. In 1864 the forces of the Taiping Rebellion held the town for six months.
Ningbo was once famed for traditional Chinese furniture production.
Ningbo, or 'tranquil waves', "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.'" ^[1]

Geography and climate

★ Ningbo covers an area of 9,365 square kilometers and has a total coastline of 1562 km including 788 km of mainland coastline and 774 km of island coastline.

★ Climatic Features: sub-tropical monsoon climate featured with temperate and humid weather and four distinct seasons; frost-free of 230-240 days

★ Average Temperature: 16.2 °C

★ Average Rainfall: 1300-1400 mm
regional and 3d topo map of Ningbo, China

Economy

Ningbo is a very important economic hub and port city. Historically a port city for foreign trade since the 7th century. Ningbo currently is a major exporter of consumer products, electrical products, textiles, food, and industrial tools.
In 2002, Ningbo economic activity reached USD 12.273 billion, up 38.04% from the previous year. The exports totalled USD 8.163 billion, up 30.73% from the previous year. In addition, Ningbo imported USD 4.11 billion of goods, up 55.28% from the previous year. Towards the end of 2002, there were 6863 foreign enterprises operating in Ningbo with a total foreign investment estimated to be 21.37 billion US dollars. ^[2]

Tourism

★ Tianyi Pavilion Museum, Ningbo's best tourist attraction, the Tianyige Library (daily 8am-4.30pm; ¥12), is comfortably tucked away in the vicinity of Moon Lake (Yuehu). Built in 1516 and said to be the oldest surviving library building in China, it was founded by Ming official Fan Qin, whose collection went back to the eleventh century and included woodblock and handwritten copies of the Confucian classics, rare local histories and lists of the candidates successful in imperial examinations. Nowadays you can visit the library's garden and outhouses, some of which contain small displays of old books and tablets. It's quite a charming place and the gold-plated, wood-paneled buildings, their bamboo groves, pool and rockery still preserve an atmosphere of seclusion, contemplation and study.

★ Baoguo Temple, the oldest intact wooden structure in Southern China, is located in Jiangbei District, 15km north of Ningbo city.

★ Tianfeng Tower

★ Ahyuwang Temple

★ Tiantong Temple

★ Tian Yi Square

Notable people

Main articles: Ningbo People

Many well known Chinese came from Ningbo or their ancestral home was Ningbo.
People in main land China

★ Pan Tianshou (潘天寿), artist in Chinese painting.

★ Zhou Xinfang (周信芳), artist in Peking Opera.

★ Sha Menghai (沙孟海), the Master Calligrapher.
People in Hong Kong

★ Sir Run Run Shaw

★ Dong Jianhua

★ Tung Chao Yung

★ Chen Din Hwa

★ Stephen Chow
People in Taiwan

★ Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), KMT leader and military strongman.

★ Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國)

★ Morris Chang (張忠謀)
People overseas

★ Shien Biau Woo

★ Yo Yo Ma

Transportation

The Hangzhou Bay Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge currently under construction across Hangzhou Bay, will connect the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo, and will be the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world, and the world's second-longest bridge, next to the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway in Lousiana, USA.
The port of Ningbo is one of the World's busiest port, ranked 4th by cargo tonnage in 2005, and 15th in TEU.

Miscellaneous

★ Ningbo is the headquarters of the East Sea Fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. Its sector of responsibility includes Taiwan.

★ Ningbo is known for "Ningbo Tang Bao", a delicious small stuffed buns steamed to perfection. The stuffing is usually ground pork mixed with minced vegetables. They are usually eaten with care as the "tang", or broth, inside the buns can be very hot in temperature.

★ In KOEI's game Taikou Risshiden 5, ningbo is listed as the only port to trade with Ming Dynasty (china).

★ Ningbo has three universities. Towards the north of the city is Ningbo University, while the Ningbo Higher Education Zone (Yinzhou district) is home to Zhejiang Wanli University as well as the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China – a joint venture between the University of Nottingham and the Wanli Education Group.

Sister cities

Ningbo has city partnerships with many cities around the world.

Sister cities (友好城市)

★ Nagaokakyo, Japan (since April 1983)

★ Aachen, Germany (October 1986)

★ Wilmington, USA (May 1988)

★ Rouen, France (March 1990)

★ Waitakere, New Zealand (November 1998)

★ Santos, Brazil (January 2002)

★ Veszprem, Hungary (July 2003)

★ Nelson Mandela Municipality, South Africa (September 2003)

★ Varna, Bulgaria (June 2004)

★ Stavanger, Norway (September 2004)

★ Nottingham, UK (September 2005)^[3]

★ Bydgoszcz, Poland (November 2005)

Cities of friendly exchanges (友好交流关系城市)

★ Masuda, Japan (since October 1990)

★ Ueda, Japan (February 1995)

★ Barcelona, Spain (October 1995)

★ Suncheon, South Korea (June 1997)

★ Surrey, Canada (May 1999)

★ Houston, USA (September 2000)

★ Wiener Neustadt, Austria (September 2000)

★ Daegu, South Korea (September 2000)

★ Aguascalientes, México (November 2006)

See also

★ Jiangnan

★ Ningbo People

★ Ningbo Twin Towers

References

1. (quote from pg. 174 of THE JUNKS AND SAMPANS OF THE YANGTZE by G.R.G. Worchester, river inspector(retired), Chinese Maritime Customs, ISBN 0-87021-335-0)
2. http://english.ningbo.gov.cn/art/2006/03/02/art_347_6562.html
3. http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/sitemap/business/cd_regional_international_affairs/internationalteam/twinning.htm

External links

★ Government website of Ningbo

★

★ Ningbo city guide