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Ningbo
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Ningbo (; literally "Tranquil Waves") is a seaport with sub-provincial administrative status. The city has a population of 2,182,000 and is situated in northeastern Zhejiang province, 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.
- Serene; bo - Waves; Together - Serene Waves.
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Encyclopedia
Ningbo (; literally "Tranquil Waves") is a seaport with sub-provincial administrative status. The city has a population of 2,182,000 and is situated in northeastern Zhejiang province, 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.
Etymology
Níng - Serene; bo - Waves; Together - Serene Waves. The city is abbreviated Yong. The abbreviation Ning is used for Nanjing.
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 trade city on the silk road at least 2000 years ago, and then as a major 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. 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 defences.
Ningbo was once famed for traditional Chinese furniture production.
During World War II in 1940, Japan bombed Ningbo with fleas carrying the bubonic plague. 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.
"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.' "
Administrative Structure
Ningbo currently has a party secretary of Mongol background, Bayunchoru, serving as first-in-charge of the city.
Ningbo Local Government Offices
- Ningbo Foreign Affairs Office
- Ningbo Foreign Trade & Economic Cooperation Bureau
- Ningbo Govt.
There are 5 county-level satellite cities under Ningbo's jurisdiction, namely:
Geography and climate
- Ningbo covers an area of and has a total coastline of including of mainland coastline and 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: ; average high in summer is , in winter
- Average Rainfall: –
Economy
Ningbo is a very important economic hub and port city. A port city for foreign trade since the 7th century, Ningbo has since become a major exporter of consumer products, electrical products, textiles, food, and industrial tools.
The city formerly suffered from the fact that Hangzhou Bay stood between it and Shanghai, but this barrier was eliminated in late 2008 when a 33km cross-sea bridge was completed, allowing travel to Shanghai in less than two hours.
The bridge is already having an impact on the local economy, according to foreign business people in the city – property prices are rising dramatically. Industrial land is now twice that of similar land around Shanghai in 2006. It remains to be seen what economic action will be taken to correct soaring property values and whether the correction will be hard or soft.
In 2007, Ningbo's economic activity reached USD 56.5 billion, up 33.9% from 2006. The exports totalled USD 38.26 billion, up 33% from the previous year. In addition, Ningbo imported USD 18.24 billion of goods, up 35.7% from the previous year.
Ningbo's economy grew 10.1 percent in 2008 to 396.4 billion yuan (US$57 billion). The city's per capita output was $10,079, more than three times the national average.
Ningbo Port
Ningbo is not just an ordinary city – it has the same authority as provincial governments for economic administration – and has a port second only to Shanghai. Unlike Shanghai, the port is deepwater and capable of handling 300,000 tonne vessels. By 2007, cargo throughput will be 250m tonnes and container throughput 7m TEUs, and by 2010, 300m tonnes and 10m TEUs. With bulk container breakdowns, hugely improved logistics, and massive chemical and foodstuff, processing developments, Ningbo could yet win the race with Shanghai as port of choice for servicing the east coast.
Tourism
- Tianyi Pavilion Museum, (Tian Yi Ge Bowuguan) 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
- Zhoushan Islands
- Yushan Islands
Notable people
Many well known Chinese came from Ningbo or their ancestral home was Ningbo.
People in main land China
People in Hong Kong
People in Taiwan
People overseas
Transportation
The Hangzhou Bay Bridge, a combination cable-stayed bridge and causeway across Hangzhou Bay opened to public on 1 May 2008, connects the municipalities of Shanghai and Ningbo, and is considered the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world, and the world’s second-longest bridge, after the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, USA.
The port of Ningbo is one of the world's busiest ports, ranked 4th by cargo tonnage in 2005, and 15th in TEU.
Ningbo Lishe International Airport connects Ningbo by air to the rest of China, with regularly scheduled flights to China and international destinations.
Military
Ningbo is the headquarters of the East Sea Fleet of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. Its sector of responsibility includes Taiwan.
Food
Ningbo is known for Ningbo Tang yuan, small stuffed buns which are boiled. The stuffing is usually ground saseme mixed with sugar. The stuffing is wrapped with sticky rice powder.
Universities and colleges
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
- Nagaokakyo, Japan (since April 1983)
- Aachen, Germany (October 1986)
- Wilmington, Delaware, 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)
- Bydgoszcz, Poland (November 2005)
Cities of friendly exchanges (????????)
- 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)
- Milwaukee, WI, USA (2006)
See also
External links
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