General Information

Test from "Shanghai" for most accurate results. Hong Kong is not blocked by the GFW!

This column originally appeared in Ningbo Guide magazine, June 2009 - Volume 3, Issue 1

"Evan Osnos…is a staff writer and the author of the blog Letter from China, on newyorker.com. He is working on a book about foreigners in China."

– From the 'Contributors' section of The New Yorker

By Hannibal Souza

Two years ago I joined an entourage of Spanish guests who were here in Ningbo by official invitation/mandate to participate in the China-Spain Cultural Festival. The honored guests were from both government and industry, and were travelling with a Zhejiang television crew that was making a short program about the series of events intended mainly to stimulate business opportunities between the respective private sectors of the two countries.

This column originally appeared in Ningbo Guide magazine, November 2007 - Issue 6, Volume 1

It is good to be back in China. On the return flight I finished off The Origins of Virtue by Matt Ridley. In “Virtue”, Ridley, who holds a Ph.D. in Zoology, demonstrates how Game Theory is a fact of life at all levels. Ridley begins to chronicle this initially at the chromosomal level of cells and extends ultimately to the way that we work together in social organizations. In doing so, he connects understandings of Game Theory from the disciplines of both Biology and Economics. It is the latter which offers some interesting takeaways to help us further understand our shared experience in China.

Ningbo Guide sponsors many kinds of activities. For example, a trip to Fenghua to pick peaches, our annual Cherry Blossom party, American Independence Day, and many more.

Photos from our activities:

Ningbo Guide is the creation of a foreign resident of Ningbo. He first came to Ningbo in June 2003, and has been living in the city full-time since April 2004. At the time, there was very little information available, and and even less on the internet - only the Ningbo government website. The only way to get around town (for people unfamiliar with the city) was to collect a library of business cards, and present them to taxi drivers. However, it was difficult to discover new places, or know the prices, or know which places were good and which places were boring. Every city in China seemed to have its own city guide, except Ningbo. He collected information and took pictures for months, finally making Ningbo Guide website available to the public in May 2005.

There are a few English-language programs on local TV. Also, you can watch international TV over the internet.

• Ningbo's official English-language newscast is on channel NBTV-1 on Sundays at 5:40pm, and twice on Monday at 9:33am, and 1:03pm. Click here to view the online broadcast.
• There is an English-language radio broadcast every night on 92.0 FM and 1323 AM from midnight until 12:10am.

Check out SopCast, a way to watch overseas television online. Like TVU, but with many more channels, and the speed is much better.

If you want to drive a car, you must have a license. International drivers licenses are not valid in China. The drivers test is available in English. It contains true-false questions and multiple choice. Getting a license in Ningbo not nearly as difficult as it used to be. The drivers license bureau is much more used to dealing with foreigners nowadays. For help getting a local drivers license, read this post from our forum.

If you drive in China, consider that most drivers are new. Every day, hundreds of brand-new cars are driven by brand-new drivers. They don't have much experience on the road. Also, drinking and driving is common. So, be careful!

658 Zhongxing Lu 中兴路658号 Tel: 0574-8775-8210 Website: www.gongan.ningbo.gov.cn Hours: 8:30am - 11:15am, 1:30pm - 5:15pm Print Taxi Directions]

This is the office where visas are issued and renewed. An important place for local foreigners. You can change a tourist visa into a working visa, extend a business or tourist visa, or get a residence permit. The cost depends on your visa class and length of stay. It takes about a week to process your passport. For all visa classes, you will need:

DSL and cable modems are available at most residences. Speed is great for websites inside China, but internet connections to overseas servers can be slow.

No matter where you are in China, if you have a modem, you can dial 16300 and connect to the internet.

Telephone number: 16300
Username: 16300
Password: 16300

The fee of ¥2/hour will be charged to the owner of the telephone. No special account is needed.

Internet cafes are widely available. However, the computers do not use English Windows, and cafes can be full during the evening hours. You will need your passport for identification, due to new government restrictions. Free wireless internet and a public terminal is available at Phoenix Bar.  Other places, like The Pit Bar have free wi-fi.