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Although all eyes are turning to Beijing in this Olympic year (already, the capital's new motto "We Are Ready" is ubiquitous across the Chinese media), Ningbo will also have its own reason to celebrate in 2008.
This Zhejiang province port city will soon be linked to Shanghai via the world’s longest sea bridge. So, in case you are considering visiting or working in Ningbo this year, here’s a Top 10 list of Ningbo facts,
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A wealthy and ambitious city located halfway down the eastern seaboard in Zhejiang province, Ningbo will soon be just two hours drive from Shanghai – thanks to the world’s longest sea bridge, spanning the Hangzhou Bay that separates the two cities, which is nearing completion. |
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It was one of the original five Treaty Ports (along with Shanghai, Fuzhou, Xiamen and Canton (now Guangzhou) created by the 1842 Treaty of Nanking, after the British navy assaulted China’s east coast to clear a path for its opium dealers and to leverage enough military weight to snatch Hong Kong as a colony. |
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A natural deepwater port, Ningbo is one of China’s top five container ports and is ranked in the world’s top 12. Not surprisingly, it is famous in China for its seafood. |
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The area surrounding the city is a renowned electronics manufacturing hub, with high-tech investors from Taiwan, Korea, Japan and, increasingly the United States and Europe. A famous local brand is Ningbo Bird, one of China’s leading manufacturers of mobile phone handsets. |
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Nottingham University, in cooperation from Zhejiang Wanli University, became the first foreign owner-operator of a university in China when it opened its campus here in 2005. |
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A historic banking centre (the Ningbonese are revered bankers), Ningbo’s main streets are crowded with domestic bank branches. HSBC will become the second foreign bank to open a branch in the city next year, following the Bank of East Asia. |
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Foreign investment into Ningbo has been heavily supported by the Chinese government to try and build a neighbouring counterbalance city to Beijing’s arch nemesis, Shanghai. |
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A major exhibitions and conventions city, Ningbo recently hosted the 11th China International Fashion Trade Fair which drew more than 5,000 international buyers from 103 countries. It also has Ningbo Mart, a permanent electrical appliance and electronics show. |
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There are two foreign brand 5-star hotels, Howard Johnson Plaza and Sheraton. Park Hyatt, Marriott, Crowne Plaza and Shangri-La are all slated to open shortly. |
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Ningbo Lishe Airport has daily flights to Shanghai, Beijing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Harbin, Kunming, Qingdao, Sanya, Shenzhen, Xiamen and Hong Kong. There are two flights per week to Seoul. |
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