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Overview of Ningbo  

About Ningbo

Ningbo, or Yong as it is locally known, is located halfway down the coastline of China and to the South of the Yangtze River Delta (120¡ã55’’ -122¡ã15’’ E and 28¡ã51’’ ¨C 30¡ã33’’ N). It is bordered by the natural bulwark of the Zhoushan Archipelago in the east, the city of Shaoxing in the west, the city of Shanghai in the north, and the city of Taizhou and Sanmen Bay in the south. Under Ningbo’s jurisdiction there are six districts¡ªHaishu, Jiangbei, Zhenhai, Beilun, Yinzhou, and Fenghua, two county-level cities¡ªYuyao, Cixi, and two counties¡ªNinghai and Xiangshan. The city covers 9,816 km2 on land (including 3,730 km2 of urban area) and 8,355.5 km2 at sea. As of the end of 2016, the city has a population of 7.9 million, including 5.9 million registered residents. 2.8 million reside in urban areas.

The city’s history can be traced back to the Hemudu Culture that originated 7,000 years ago. In the Xia and Shang dynasties about 4,000 years ago, Ningbo was known as Yin. Later, in the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.), it became part of the Sate of Yue. In the Qin Dynasty (221-206 B.C.), it encompassed Yin, Mao and Gouzhang, three areas under the Kuaiji Shire. In the Tang dynasty (618-907 A.D.), it was named Mingzhou. In 821 A.D., the local authority relocated to the junction of three local rivers and built city walls, marking the establishment of today’s city. In 1381 A.D., the city acquired its current name of Ningbo, or, literally, Calm Waves.

Great Port of the East

In Ningbo, the growth of the port and the city are mutually reinforcing. 7,000 years ago, our Hemudu Culture ancestors built wooden ships and thus began the region’s seafaring tradition. In the Tang Dynasty, the first travelers, Japanese people eager to learn about Chinese culture, landed at Ningbo port, then known as Mingzhou port. In the Song and Yuan dynasties, customs were established to manage international trade. In the Ming Dynasty, it was the only port for the trade between China and Japan. In the Qing Dynasty, Ningbo was one of the four major points of entry by sea into China. As of 2016, Ningbo-Zhoushan port's annual cargo volume is over 900 million tons, breaking global records, and has been the busiest cargo port in the world for eight years in the running. The port is connected by 232 routes to over 600 ports in more than 100 countries and regions, operating more than 350 days annually on average. The port can easily accommodate three-hundred-thousand-ton vessels, and up to four-hundred-thousand-ton vessels at high tide. No other port in Mainland China receives a larger number of hundred-thousand-ton ships than the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port. In 2016, the port handled 920 million tons of cargo, the first in the world to exceed 900 million, ranking first globally for the eighth consecutive year; the container volume handled by the port reached 21.561 million TEU, ranking fourth in the world.

Key Socioeconomic Indicators of Ningbo in 2016

Economic Indicators

Unit

Absolute Value

GDP

billion RMB

854.11

Value Added of Secondary Industry

billion RMB

423.96

Value Added of Tertiary Industry

billion RMB

399.69

Total Output of Industrial Enterprises Above Designated Size

billion RMB

99.38

Fixed Asset Investment

billion RMB

496.14

Cargo Throughput of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port

million tons

920

(Contribution of Ningbo Port Area to Total Cargo Throughput)

million tons

500

Container Throughput of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port

million TEUs

21.561

(Contribution of Ningbo Port Area to Total Container Throughput)

million TEUs

20.696

Total Retail Sales of Consumer Goods

billion RMB

366.76

Total Value of Exports

billion RMB

435.94

Actualized Foreign Investment

billion USD

4.51

Fiscal Revenue

billion RMB

214.58

Public Budgetary Revenue

billion RMB

111.45

Per Capita Disposable Income of Urban Residents

RMB

51,560

Per Capita Disposable Income of Rural Residents

RMB

28,572

Power Consumption

billion kW?h

64.65

Unemployment Rate

%

2.01

Commercial Metropolis

The city is a dynamic business hub. Ever since the Tang dynasty, local streets have been lined with shops displaying a dazzling array of goods. The city’s commerce was so prosperous that it led to the saying “there can be no market without Ningbo merchants”. Over the last few centuries, these hardworking, creative businessmen have made a name for themselves with their pioneering spirit and are collectively referred to as the Ningbo Bang, or the Ningbo Merchant Community, in recognition of their success. Today, the city is once again full of vitality. Its advanced manufacturing, thriving international trade, and booming private sector have made it a veritable gem of the Yangtze River Delta. Each year, a number of trade promotion events, including the Zhejiang Investment and Trade Symposium, China Consumer Goods Fair, International Fashion Fair, and Housing Products Expo are held in Ningbo.

City with Open Economy

Ningbo is a major city with an open economy. In 2016, the total import and export volume reached 94.868 billion yuan, ranking tenth among 36 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions in China. The total export volume reached $66.087 billion, ranking eighth nationwide. The number of enterprises engaged in import and export was over 17,000. Commodity trade and shipping in the city witnessed rapid growth. In 2016, the offshore service outsourcing volume reached $1.645 billion. As of December 2016, there were 1,299 outsourcing providers with 50,300 employees in Ningbo.

It is a major destination for foreign investment in the southern Yangtze River Delta. In 2016 alone, 458 foreign-invested projects worth $12.06 billion in total were approved, with a total contractual foreign investment of $7.99 billion, representing a breakthrough in foreign investment. Foreign capital in actual use hit a record high of $4.51 billion. As of December 2016, there are 16,000 foreign-invested projects in total, with overall investment of $149.928 billion, contractual foreign investment of $84.734 billion, and foreign capital in actual use has reached $45.983 billion. Altogether, 53 Fortune 500 companies have invested in 121 projects in Ningbo.

Ningbo is also a pioneer in encouraging private capital to invest overseas. As of December 2016, recorded/approved overseas enterprises and organizations numbered 2,477, operating in 116 countries and regions. Recorded/approved Chinese investment totaled $13.533 billion, while paid-in Chinese investment reached $7.272 billion.

Made in Ningbo

A highly developed private sector is the most distinctive feature of Ningbo, as well as the main force behind the city’s dynamic socioeconomic development. As of the end of 2016, there are in total 291,052 domestic Chinese enterprises in Ningbo, with a total registered capital of 2.63 trillion yuan; among them are 272,662 private enterprises, with a total registered capital of 2.13 trillion yuan. The total number of individually-owned businesses is 472,030 with total capital standing at 34.529 billion yuan. There are also 5,252 farmers' specialized cooperatives, holding a total of 6.392 billion yuan. Ningbo has been named as one the first pilot cities for innovation in China, a National Demonstration City of Product Quality, a Pilot City for the “Made in China 2025” Initiative, one of the first National Demonstration Cities for Commercializing Scientific Findings, a Demonstration City of Small and Micro Business Incubation and one of the Top 10 Smart Cities in China.

Manufacturing is the pillar of Ningbo’s economy. Since the Chinese Reform and Opening-up, Ningbo, making full use of its port and favorable opening-up policies, rose to become an economic hub in the south of the Yangtze River Delta and a national advanced manufacturing base, taking the lead in setting up a modern manufacturing system with a complete range of industries. Currently eight particularly competitive sectors have an output exceeding 100 billion yuan: petrochemicals, equipment manufacturing, new materials, automotives, household appliances, energy efficiency and environmental protection, textile and garments, electronics and IT manufacturing. Some 100 Ningbo products are considered the best in their own respective subsectors. The city is now home to over 120,000 manufacturers. As of the end of 2016, there are 7,302 large-scale industrial enterprises, among which 16 have an annual output above 10 billion yuan, 177 above 1 billion yuan, and 70 have gone public domestically or abroad. In 2016, the total industrial output value exceeded 1.74 trillion yuan, industrial added value exceeded 370 billion yuan, and industrial profit tax exceeded 170 billion yuan.

Ningbo boasts many famous brands, and is a three-time winner of the title “City of Famous Brands in China”. Its most well-known products include industrial molds, injection molding machines, stationery, kitchenware, water meters, fasteners, engineering plastics, lighters, baby carriages, and child safety seats. Famous Ningbo brands and enterprises include Youngor, Aux, Fotile, Haitian, among others.

Land of Rich Culture

The city is steeped in history and culture. It was here that the Hemudu Culture flourished 7,000 years ago. It was here that philosophers such as Wang Yangming and Huang Zongxi formed the East Zhejiang school of Confucian philosophy of pragmatism and rationality. The city is also known for its book collection tradition and Buddhism culture¡ªthe Tianyige Museum holds a large collection of valuable manuscripts and the Tiantong Temple and Xuedou Mountain are well-known Buddhist pilgrimage sites of East Asia. Throughout history, the city has always been known as the birthplace of men of great learning. In recent times, the city has produced 111 national academicians, including Tu Youyou, the first Chinese Nobel laureate in science.

Eco-Friendly City

Efforts have been made to improve the natural environment in the city. Ningbo is the first city in Zhejiang province to draw "ecological red lines", or, clearly define protected zones around the city where development is strictly prohibited. The city has been nationally recognized for its efforts in environmental protection, and has a forest coverage rate of 48.7%. In 2016, the environment of the city continued to improve. 48.8% of surface water is of good or excellent quality, and 68.8% is usable. The urban part of the city has good air quality 84.7% of the time, and annual average PM2.5 concentration stands at 39 mg/m3.
Landscaping and clean-up work is being actively carried out near roads, rivers, and on hillsides; over the previous year, city green space has increased by 213 hectares. A large-scale campaign was carried out to improve the appearance of rural areas, with a number of villages achieving visible results. In 2016, 11 townships and 31 villages were recognized by the provincial government for their efforts, including Simen town and Dafengshilin village in Yuyao, and Longshan town in Cixi.

Foreign Affairs Office of Ningbo Municipal People¡¯s Government
Ningbo People¡¯s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
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Address: No. 2001 Ningchuan Rd., Jiangdong District, Ningbo, China Tel: +86 574 87279844 Fax: +86 574 89186518