Ningbo (; literally "Tranquil Waves") is a seaport sub-provincial city with a population of 800,000 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.

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 Bo Shi is a geographic area with a population of 6 million. Metropolitan Ningbo is what Westerners would consider a "city"; it 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 as well as 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 Ningpo 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.' " (quote from pg. 174 of THE JUNKS AND SAMPANS OF THE YANGTZE by G.R.G. Worchester, river inspector(retired), Chinese Maritime Customs, ISBN 087021-335-0)

Geography and climate

• 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

Tourism

• Tianyi Pavilion Museum, is the oldest well-preserved private library in China today. It is a major historical and cultural site under state protection, and is also one of the major symbols of Ningbo. Tianyi Pavilion Museum is located downtown in Haishu District beside the beautiful Yuehu Lake.
• 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

Notable people

• Jiang Jieshi (蔣介石), KMT leader and military strongman.
• 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.

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.

Miscellaneous

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

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 (city), South Africa (September 2003)
• Varna, Bulgaria (June 2004)
• Stavanger, Norway (September 2004)
• 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)

See also

• Jiangnan

External links

• Government website of Ningbo
• Ningbo city guide

Cities in Zhejiang | Prefecture-level divisions of Zhejiang | Subprovincial cities

Ningbo | Ningbo | Ningbo | Ningbo | 寧波 | Ningbo | Ningbo | Ningbo | Нинбо | Ningbo | 宁波市