Ningbo

The first character in the city's name ning (宁 or 寧) means "serene", while its second character bo (波) translates to "wave". The city is abbreviated "甬" (pinyin: Yǒng) for the eponymous "Yong Hill" (甬山), a prominent coastal hill near the city, and the Yong River that flows through Ningbo city. Formerly known as Mingzhou (明州; Míngzhōu), Ningbo boasts a rich historical background. The name Mingzhou is derived from the characters "明" (Míng), which symbolizes the presence of two lakes within the city walls: the Sun Lake (日湖) and the Moon Lake (月湖). This nomenclature traces its roots back to the Tang dynasty in 636 CE. While the original Sun Lake dried up during the 19th century, the Ningbo government embarked on its restoration in 2002.

Ningbo is one of China's oldest cities, with a history dating back to the Jingtou Mountain Culture in 6300 BCE and Hemudu culture in 4800 BCE. Ningbo was known as a trade city on the Silk Road at least two thousand years ago, and later as a major port for foreign trade. According to Erik Zürcher, among the nineteen Ashokan stupas in China, those at Changgan Temple in Nanjing and Ayuwang (Ashoka) Temple near Ningbo were particularly venerated, highlighting their importance in the early spread of Buddhism in China. As of 2020, the earliest relics of human activity discovered in Ningbo City are from the Jingtou Mountain site in Yuyao. These relics date back to 6300 BCE, evidencing early human consumption of seafood and rice. …

Ningbo ranges in latitude from 28° 51' to 30° 33' N and in longitude from 120° 55' to 122° 16' E, bounded on the east by the East China Sea and Zhoushan Archipelago; on the north by Hangzhou Bay, across which it faces Jiaxing and Shanghai; on the west by Shaoxing; and on the south by Taizhou. Its land area is 9,816 square kilometers (3,790 sq mi), while its oceanic territory amounts to 9,758 km2 (3,768 sq mi); there is a total 1,562 km (971 mi) of coastline, including 788 km (490 mi) of mainland coastline and 774 km (481 mi) of island coastline that together accounting for one-third of the entire provincial coastline. There are 531 islands accounting for 524 km2 (202 sq mi) under the city's administration. Ningbo's city proper is sandwiched between the ocean and low-lying mountains to the southwest, with coastal plain and valleys in between. …