In ancient times, Ningbo was the starting point of "road of silk" and "road of china" through sea. Now Ningbo has grown into one of the four international deepwater harbors in China, which can berth 300,000-tonnage vessels. In 1997, its handling capacity of cargo amounted to 82.2 tons and therefore jumped to be the No. 2 harbor in mainland China.

Ningbo has remained to be a main harbor of foreign trade ever since ancient times. It has now opened the nation-level economic and technological development zone, Ningbo tax-free zone and Daxie development zone.

While Ningbo boasts of advanced transportation and communication facilities, it is also well known for its social stability, unsophisticated residents and developed science and technologies.

Ningbo has gradually broadened its relations with other countries. More than 300,000 overseas Chinese who were born in Ningbo now are dedicated to making contributions to their hometown.

Ningbo now has set its goal to become one of the most modern harbors in China.

As an old cultural city with a clear distinction of four seasons and moderate climate, Ninbo has nurtured many talented people. There are 225 cultural relics in Ningbo, among which the Hemudu Cultural Relics has a history of 7000 years. The Tianyi Building is the oldest book-collecting building in China. The Baoguo temple is the oldest wooden one on the upper reaches of Yangzi river. The Yue Kiln in Shanglin is one of the origins of Chinese civilization. The ancient irrigation works in Tashanyan together with the former residence of Jiangkaishe are both important cultural relics under national preservation. Besides, Tiantong temple is the No. 2 temple to advocate Zen Sect. The Ayuwang Temple has in it the mummy of Sakyamuni. The Xuedou Temple is a Buddhist rite of Maitreya and a resort where people pay respect to Buddhism. The Dongqian Lake is the biggest freshwater lake in Zhejiang province.

These scenic spots, together with Putuo Mountains on its east, Yandang Mountains on its south, West Lake on its west and Shanghai on its east, are sure to make Ningbo a nice place for tourists from all over the world.

Hemudu Relics

Hemudu Relics, which is located in Hemudu village in Yuyao city, has been verified to have a history of 7000 years. From the site, large amount of rice, animals' remains, fruits, wooden buildings, oars, thousands of ceramic vessels and primitive handicraft have been excavated. This stands to prove that Ningbo is the first place to grow rice. Like the Yellow Valley, Yangtzi Valley is also the origin of China's brilliant culture.

Hemudu Relics is now under national preservation. And a museum of Hemudu Relics has been built with inscriptions from Chairman Jiang Zeming. Reserchers can find here many objects and documents for their study of human history.

Tianyi Building

Tianyi Building, located in the west of Yue Lake, was first erected from 1561 to 1566 and became the oldest book-collecting building now in China. In it there are more than 300,000 books, among which 80,000 are reliable texts of handwriting and wood engraving. These books are mostly local chronicles and records of imperial examinations, which provide precious documents for the study of ancient Chinese and their forklore and history.

The original and graceful design of the two-layer Tianyi Building also helps to give it its name. In front of the building is a sink called Tianyi Sink with a hill of rare stones in the middle, just like nine lions and one elephant playing in water. The Zunjin Building, the Mingzhou forest of tablets, the Dongyuan and the branch of Qingshi ancestral temple constitute integral parts of the whole Tianyi Building.

Baoguo Temple

Baoguo Temple is located at the foot of the Ling Mountains and is about 15 kilometers from the proper of Ningbo. With a history of 700 years, it is the oldest wooden building now in the South of China and has already been put under national preservation.

The uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that it was erected without using a single peg. The roof beams is cleverly covered by hollow sunk panels, which helps to give the building its name of "non-beam temple".

Moreover, the main part of the temple called the "Daxiong Hall" has been a riddle for thousands of years as neither birds nor mice dare to enter it and spiders can never weave a net there.

Yue Kiln in Shanglin

The Yue Kiln is located in the Shanglin, Cixi city. The celadon ware from Yue Kiln have fine and smooth rough cast and sparkling color. Thanks to these qualities, they were used to pay tribute to emperors and were shipped to Korea, Japan and Arabian countries trough Ningbo. Even now some relics of celadon can be found in India, Iran, Egypt, Japan and South Korea.

Apart from the Yue Kiln, Shanglin is also famous for its beautiful landscape.

Tashan Weir

Tashan Weir is located beside Tashan mountains in Yinjiang town,Yin County. Built in the year 833, it is now an old cultural site under national preservation. It is 134.4 meters long, 10 meters high and 4.8 meters wide. Its surface is made of stones and its body made of unperishable wood and stones.

In time of flood, the Tashan Weir divides 70% of water into river and 30% of water into streams. In time of drought, it divides 30% of water into rivers and 70% of water into streams. Through this function, Tashan has been succeeding in changing disasters into good things. After every tempest, the Guanying waterfall usually becomes a most magnificent scenery.

Now more than 1100 years have passed, most part of Tashan Weir still remains intact and is functioning to prevent salt water, store fresh waste water, channel water into the fields and sluice water elsewhere. Because of these, Tashan Weir has attracted many scholars here to study its building theory.

Xuedou Mountains in Xikou city

The Xuedou Mountains is located 35 kilometers southwest of the city proper of Cixi city. Its three scenic spots include the Xikou town, Xuedou Mountains and Tingxia Lake. In Xikou town, there remains the Fenghao room, the former residence of Jiang Kaishi and Jiang Jinguo, Wenchang building, Wulingmen, Angling Platform, Tomb of Jiang Kaishi's mother and Wushan Temple. In Xuedou Mountains, there is a Buddhistic rite of Maitreya, Thousand Feet Rock waterfall, Miaogao Platform and Yushu Pavilion.

As a summer resort, the whole scenic area is about 60 square kilometers with an average temperature of 16 throughout the year.

Dongqian Lake

The Dongqian Lake is about 15 kilometers away from the city proper with an area of 22 square kilometers which is five times that of West lake. There are 72 streams pouring water into the Dongqian Lake.

With a history of 1200 years, Dongqian Lake has such scenic spots as Mr Tao Angling Rock projecting over the lake, White Stone Greenyard and Wang Anshi temple.

Surrounded by mountains on four sides, the vast Dongqian Lake is a nice place for travel, recuperation and escaping the scotching sun in summer.

Going to Dongqian lake is very convenient. The hotels, playing ground and all kinds of water sports facilities there will be sure to give tourists a real recreation.

1. Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone

With an area of 29.6 square kilometers, Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone was approved by the State Council in 1994 and is one the biggest development zones in China. It is also a processing area and a base of energy and raw materials in East China.

In the zone, there are convenient transportation and infrastructure facilities. Organizations for foreign investors are in order. The zone is consisted of industrial part, living part, storage part, public building part and parts for hotels and villas.

By the end of 1997, the zone has approved the establishment of 425 enterprises with a total investment of 3.76 billion US dollars, among which 2.98 billion US dollars are contractual foreign investment. The industrial output value of the zone in 1997 was 12.17 billion yuan.

In compliance with government policies and regional realities, the zone provides the following preferential policies for investors:

1. Foreign-funded productive enterprises can enjoy a 15% reduction in income tax. Those who will be in operation for 10 years can be exempted from income tax in the first two profit-making years and a 50% reduction in the third, fourth and fifth profit making years;
2. Export-oriented enterprises who export 70 % of its totol products can enjoy a 10% reduction in income tax. Enterprises engaged in high technologies can enjoy 10% reduction in income tax for another three years after the maturity of income tax exemption.
3. Foreign-funded enterprises, ever since they begin to make profits, can be exempted from local income tax for five years and those high-tech enterprises can even be exempted from income tax for eight years after they make profits.
4. Foreign businessmen can be exempted from paying the income tax of the profits they deserve when they remit them to other countries. If they reinvest the profits to their own enterprises in the zone or to other enterprises in the zone and if these enterprises will be in operation for over five years, they are to be given back 40% of the income tax they have paid for the reinvested part.
5. Enterprises can determine their organizational patterns, the number of employees, employment, their salary, allowance and various forms of awards;
6. Investors can cultivate land and use it on paid basis. They can also transfer, lease or mortgage the land. The longest period of land using is 70 years.

Ningbo Tax-free Zone was approved by the State Council in 1994. It covers an area of 2.3 square kilometers and is mainly made up of Beilun Harbor and an economic and technological development zone. In the zone, goods can go in and out freely, foreign currencies can be remitted and converted freely, people can enter and leave freely, which have made it a free trade zone in accordance with international conventions.

By the end of 1997, the zone has approved 2102 enterprises to be in operation, among which 331 are foreign-funded. The total investment topped 489 million US dollars, the accumulated export volume 2.014 billion US dollars.

The zone would offer the following preferential policies:

1. Taxes are exempted for those enterprises in the zone who import equipment, office facilities, production fuel and machine for their own use;
2. Enterprises who are engaged in processing are allowed not to set standing books.
3. Except for the products forbidden by Chinese government, enterprises in the zone can import and export without applying for import and export licenses and are exempted from tariff and the value-added tax emerging in exporting.
4. Productive enterprises in the zone can be exempted from the value-added tax in course of producing;
5. Enterprises first buy materials from abroad and then export processed goods made of these materials can deal with export procedures as normal and can get export drawback.
6. Enterprises in the zone can make use of their advanced equipment and technologies to process goods at the request of those enterprises outside the zone.
7. Enterprises in the zone can be engaged in export, entrepot trade, processing trade and trading of tax-free materials.
8. Upon approval, enterprises in the zone can be involved in leasing and providing technologies for domestic enterprises.
9. Enterprises are encouraged to deal in tax-free materials. Goods imported from abroad are exempted from tax and they can be sold on domestic market.
10. Enterprises in the zone can keep their foreign currencies and can carry out a turnover of them.
11. Enterprises in the zone may enjoy a 15% reduction of income tax. Productive enterprises may exempt from tax for the first two profit-making years and may enjoy a 50% reduction for the third, fourth and fifth years.
12. Productive enterprises in the zone which have invested more than one million yuan in infrastructure construction can be given back 50% to 80% of the total sales tax and income tax emerging in producing for two years after they started in operation.

Approved by the State Council in March 1993, Daxie Island has completely developed by China International Trust and Investment Company. The Daxie development zone, with an area of 30.84 square kilometers, is located at the east of Ningbo harbor and only 600 meters from land. It has a 15-kilometer coastline around which water is of 40 to 60 meters deep and where 200,000-ton deepwater wharf can be built.

At present, 1.7 billion yuan has been invested in about 3 square kilometers in the zone. A floating bridge spanning the East Sea has already gone into operation. And a cross-sea bridge for both road and railway uses has started construction.

By the end of 1997, more than 1600 enterprises have registered here in Daxie development zone.

The following preferential policies are offered to all investors here:

1. Land here should be cultivated in a unified way and is to be used on paid basis. Foreign investor can buy the land lawfully and then transfer, mortgage or lease it or use it to engage in other economic activities.
2. Foreign enterprises in the zone may enjoy 15% reduction of income tax. For those which have been in operation for ten years, they may be exempted from income tax in the first two profit-making years and may enjoy a 50% reduction of income tax in the third, fourth and fifth years. For enterprises engaged in exporting, they only have to pay 10% of income tax if the export volume accounts for 70% of the whole production value.
3. Foreign enterprises in the zone which are engaged in such infrastructure facilities as harbors, wharves, roads and railways can may enjoy 15% reduction in income tax. For those which will be in business for 15 years, they may enjoy tax exemption in the first five profit-making years and a 50% reduction in the sixth to tenth years.
4. Foreign banks or Sino-foreign banks in the zone, if the capital from foreign side or from headquarters amounts to 10 million US dollars and if they will be in operation for more than 10 years, can enjoy 15% reduction in income tax. And upon approval, they may enjoy tax exemption in the first profit-making year and a 50% reduction in the second and third profit-making years.
5. Foreign banks and Sino-foreign banks should pay tax for their loan income at applicable rate. But upon approval, they can be given back transaction tax which exceeds expected volume at the rate of 3%.
6. If there appears deficits in the enterprises in the zone, they can try to balance the deficits in the coming year and so on. But the longest period of balancing shall be five years.
7. The profits foreign investors get from the foreign-funded enterprises in the zone are exempted from income tax. Incomes taxes for the dividend, bonus, interest, and other incomes that foreign businessmen get relevantly can be levied at the rate of 10%. Those who have offered advanced technologies, fund and equipment on privileged basis are to be given more tax reduction.
8. Foreign enterprises in the zone, upon approval, can be given back 40% of the income tax they have paid for the reinvestment if they reinvest the profits in their own enterprises or other enterprises in the zone and if they will be in operation for five years. Those which reinvest the profits to high-tech enterprises or export-oriented enterprises can be given back all the income tax they have paid for the reinvestment.
9. The productive enterprises which are operated in accordance with the development goal of the zone and which will be in operation for ten years with a total investment of more than one million yuan can be given back 70% to 90% of the income tax they have paid lawfully within two years according to their investment scale. Those who have registered in the zone and have accepted or rented land at the expense of more than one million yuan (including land using fee), and those domestic enterprises or foreign-funded enterprises who have bought one 200-odd squaremeter building in the zone and who pay income tax lawfully within two years can be given back 90% of the sales tax in each year.
10. Foreign-funded enterprises are exempted from export tariff if the export products are produced in the zone. Export products using materials outside the zone and being processed in the zone with an increased value of over 20% can be regarded as having been produced right in the zone.
11. Foreign enterprises can apply to banks or other financial organizations for mortgage loan of foreign exchanges against their own assets or foreign currencies.
12. Foreign enterprises take priorities in getting water, electric power, transportation and communications services and are charged the same as domestic enterprises.
13. Domestic investment in productive and operative enterprises are warmly welcomed here. They will be given various privileges according to their types. Upon approval from relevant committee in the zone, they can start operation as Sino-foreign joint ventures.

E-mail:webmaster@chinapages.com

---

Questions, Comments, or Suggestions? Please send to: Webmaster
Copyright 1998,1999 Chinapages©, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Designed by Webworm Supported by Chinapages©