“That Time Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau Showed Us the Wonders of Ningbo”
Whether you’ve heard of the city of Ningbo or not, chances are you’d still be blissfully unaware of the tapestry of cultural and technological marvels that the city is brimming with.
Located just below Shanghai, at the northerly tip of Zhejiang province, Ningbo is home to one of the busiest ports in the world; one that handles hundreds of thousands of tons of cargo each year; a port that is likely carrying a product destined to a store, a company, or warehouse near you, right now! But the port and the organisations that feed into it are just the tip of the iceberg. Together with some of these key organisations, ‘we’ were invited to explore and experience some of the gems that Ningbo has to offer.
By ‘we’, I am in fact referring to myself and some 30+ other foreign experts whose educations and careers have led us to pursue a future in China; in the province of Zhejiang to be more precise. From PhD students to engineers, artists to teachers, as well as entrepreneurs, this diverse, compelling and complementary group of individuals hails from all corners of the globe. They all now reside in Zhejiang, and because of this, were invited to come and learn about, experience, observe, and relish what this progressive, spirited city has to offer.
So what went down? Well, it went something like this…
Day 1: Old and New in Harmony
No, the title doesn’t refer to the delegates of this marvellous trip! On arriving at the rather plush Landison Plaza Hotel, we said our “hellos”, freshened up, explored the hotel facilities, enjoyed a buffet lunch, and then embarked on our first Ningbo expedition.
This was to Ningbo Museum, which, right from the start, impressed us with its striking architecture: Designed by an acclaimed Architect and the first Chinese winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Professor Wang Shu, the building’s outer walls marry modern materials with reclaimed tiles and bricks from all significant eras of Ningbo’s history, therefore, laying the foundations of a theme that continued throughout the week.
The day culminated in a formal dinner. Local delicacies were complemented by wine, broken by speeches, toasts, and short presentations. Overall, the celebrations were meaningful, genuine, and relished by all parties.
Side note: Throughout the entire week, politics were not mentioned a single time.
Day 2: “Ay Up Me Duck”
If you hail from Nottingham or the surrounding area in the UK, you’ll know that this title is “Nottingham Hua”, translating roughly to “hello my friend”. Yes, throughout England’s East Midlands, we call each other “duck”. Therefore, the trip to Nottingham University Ningbo was of particular significance to this author. Having begun learning Mandarin Chinese through the University of Nottingham several years ago, the morning’s outing was somewhat of a pilgrimage.
Reminiscent of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus, the Ningbo Campus, not only echoed a similar architectural design ethic, but also a similar commitment to educational merit, plus, an adherence to the British university education system. Lunch there was pretty good too.
Next stop: Tianyi Pavilion. Built during the Ming Dynasty, i.e., having some 400 years of history, it’s a nationally significant site. It’s the oldest existing library in China, set across grounds boasting exquisite traditional buildings and gardens. Despite the “good old British” taking a few thousand key volumes with them after the Second Opium War (being British, you come across a lot of this type of thing on your world travels), thanks to donations by private collectors, the collection has recovered to circa 30,000 volumes. Comprising mostly rare antique Ming dynasty printed and hand-copied volumes, visitors can learn how the books were made and can observe them in storage. Side note: It was rather hot that day. Even the more equatorial of us felt the strain.
As darkness descended and the heat receded, a little, we moved toward Ningbo’s Bund. Although one naturally thinks of Shanghai with the utterance of the term ‘Bund’, Ningbo’s Bund is no less enjoyable. Granted, it’s on a far smaller scale, but it provides a similarly exhilarating array of lavishly-lit buildings, river breezes, and water-bound excitement.
The nearby Tianyi Square provides visitors with an urban concept presenting 22 buildings following European style. A musical fountain sits beside a water screen where visitors can enjoy movies. It’s little wonder Tianyi Square won a prize for the best public art construction after being completed in 2003 under the watchful eye of its designer, Architect Qingyun Ma.
Day 3: Ahoy There!
The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan is mammoth, and something that becomes more apparent when you ascend to the viewing deck of the visitors’ building. To cope with the ever-increasing demands of an open and expanding China, in 2006, the Port of Ningbo merged with its neighbour, the Port of Zhoushan, with the newly-amalgamated entity going on to outperform its nearby rival, Shanghai, in terms of cargo tonnage.
Thinking back atop the viewing platform, containers are stacked as far as the eye can see. A coach ride amidst the 311 productive berths, alongside super-size ships taking on their cargo, puts China’s growth and its reputation as the “factory of the world” into perspective.
After an exceedingly delicious buffet lunch, music was in the air. Piano music in this case. Established in 2002, Hailun Piano Co., Ltd manufactures pianos under its own moniker, as well as for overseas brands including Cline, Cunningham, and Emerson. Multiple stories of the company’s main building show the various, meticulously orchestrated stages of the manufacturing of the various models, with a grand piano taking up to two months from start to completion. Our tour of the building included an insightful overview of the company’s origins and growth, a presentation of the entire piano range, as well as an arousing performance by a musical maestro on a Hailun grand piano.
After, we went to board our bus, and on bidding our farewells to staff, we were gifted charming miniature glass pianos. Containing a music box-type mechanism, they play an emotional tune evoking memories of what had been a delightful afternoon.
Day 4: Peace and Love
Well, that was pretty much the vibration felt at all of the locations we visited, but particularly so at namesake Peacebird. Since its foundation in 1997, this future-facing clothing brand has evolved into one synonymous with quality and style, and the ‘go-to’ fashion brand for China’s urban females. Simply search either of China’s main retail sites and you’ll see that they are awash with a multitude of Peacebird designs. The Peacebird brand has also successfully extended to satisfy the demands of male and younger fashion consumers, and the company’s growth and success are more than evident at its breathtakingly-modern headquarters.
Evocative of creative and team-led organisations like Apple or Google, Peacebird’s space-station-like central building features open workspaces for enhanced team interactions, sweeping wooden staircases, cool break-out spaces, and if that wasn’t enough, carp swimming above your head in a bottomless tank! Look towards the centre of the building, and the outside space offers more spectacular koi carp, and the centrepiece is a catwalk leading to a stage emblazoned with the company’s modern, meaningful logo.
Next stop: Dongqian Lake. As hard as it is not to reference Hangzhou’s West Lake, Dongqian Lake is 4 times larger but also boasts an abundance of natural beauty. Zhejiang’s aesthetic charm draws on the juxtaposition of its mountains and expanses of water. Dongqian Lake’s beauty was there for us all to savour up close, thanks to us having our very own boat trip. In the words of Chinese Author and Poet, Mr Guo Moruo: Dongtian Lake offers “the scenery of West Lake, the spirit of Taihu Lake”.
Back aboard the coach, we sped across Ningbo to the far west side of the city, as tomorrow, we’re examining how the city holds up on the technological and manufacturing fronts.
Day 5: Top Gear
Hugging the Hangzhou Bay area of Ningbo, an array of business locations develop the technology, and manufacture the various parts for the car brands forming the Geely Auto portfolio. Founded in 1986 by business magnate, Li Shufu, Geely now sells cars under its own brand name, as well as Lynk & Co, Proton, Lotus, Volvo, and more. With 2020 net income topping CN¥6.44 billion, the Geely group comfortably achieved 1.328m sales throughout 2021.
Positioned at the cutting edge of the electric vehicle market, we were treated to a guided tour of where the engines are developed and tested.
Following a high-quality lunch at the nearby Ningbo Empark Grand Hotel, it was sadly time to return home.
The Takeaways
The first takeaway is that Ningbo is on fire! The pace and level of development are astounding. It’s brimming with creative energy, drive and direction, and it’s a city on the rise.
The second takeaway from the trip is that the message from Zhejiang is along the lines of “look where we came from, see what we’ve achieved, and now imagine where we can go next? Why not be part of it?”
However, you can draw your own conclusions. If you’re in any doubt, why not book a trip? I’m confident that Ningbo will welcome you! Find out more about Ningbo here.
