Located near the coast, Ningbo is only 2 hours drive from Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. Zhejiang borders Jiangsu province and Shanghai municipality to the north, Anhui province to the northwest, Jiangxi province to the west, and Fujian province to the south. Zhejiang province has a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. In spring, weather is quite changeable and rain showers can quickly alternate with sunshine. Summer, from June to mid-September is hot and humid. Autumn is the greatest period with dry, warm and sunny days. Winters are short but can be unpleasant as humidity can emphasize the sensation of cold.

Ningbo is a very important economic hub and port city. A port city for foreign trade since the 7th century, Ningbo has now become a major exporter of consumer products, electrical products, textiles, food, and industrial tools. Ningbo's economy grew 10.1 percent in 2008 to US$57 billion.The city formerly suffered from the fact that Hangzhou Bay stood between it and Shanghai, but this barrier was eliminated in late 2008 when a 33km cross-sea bridge was completed, allowing travel to Shanghai in less than two hours. The Hangzhou bay bridge (杭州湾大桥), opened Friday May 2, 2008, is considered the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world. It is an S-shaped stayed-cable bridge with six lanes in both directions, linking Ningbo's Cixi county in the south to Jiaxing in the north, just one hour ride from Shanghai. Get more details: HERE