Ningbo
located in the middle of China's coastline and the southeast
flank of the Yangtze River Delta, is a beautiful port city with
rich cultural heritage and abundant resource. It is the birthplace
of the 'Hemudu Culture' dating back 7,000 years. Since the Tang
& Song Dynasties (618-1279), Ningbo has always been an important
foreign trading port in China.
Today, Ningbo
is a city with the same rights as a province in economic planning
and management, a sub-provincial-level city further opening
up to the rest of the world, and a "fairly large city"
entitled to formulate local laws and regulations. Under its
jurisdiction are 3 counties, 3 county-level cities and 5 urban
districts. It covers a total area of 9,365 square kilometer
and has a population of 5.38 million, 1.22 million of whom live
in the urban area. Also, Ningbo is honored as one of the 50
top cities in China, one of China's Excellent Tourism Cities,
and is listed as one of the 40 best cities in China for its
investment environment.