Ningbo Culture & History

History in Ningbo dates back over 5,000 years, with the Hemudu culture as the city's founding population. Having survived Japanese bombardment during WWII, the city has seen its time of disaster. Thanks to the Four Modernizations (Agriculture, Industry, Technology, Defense) policy set by Deng Xiaoping over 30 years ago, Ningbo has not only recovered from these invasions, but flourished into one of China's top cities while maintaining its cultural footprint in China.

A Hemudu Relics museum has been built in Yuyao (nearby city under Ningbo's jurisdiction) in 1993. The museum is home to artifacts from the 7,000 year old Hemudu culture that first inhabited Zhejiang provice. Other historic destinations include the Tianyi Pavilion, which is a private library of a former government official and is the oldest private library in China.

Historically, Ningbo city has been an important seaport for trade both domestically and internationally. Today the port is one of the top ten largest ports in the world based on trade volume. The port is also home to the East Sea Fleet of the Chinese navy.

The food in Ningbo is greatly influenced by the close proximity to the sea. Chinese food is very different depending on the region. The differences are categorized into Eight Great Traditions (Chinese: 八大菜系). Zhejiang, Ningbo's province, is one of these traditions. Ningbo style food is considered to be based on freshness and salty flavors. Fish, and usually shrimp, are often cooked whole with heads on. Salty fish, dried and steamed, are very common, along with pickled mustard greens, and other salted vegetables.