On the first Saturday of every month, we meet face-to-face. Join us for coffee, dinner, and drinks! Meet the people behind the website, and share information and business contacts with everyone. We always stay at Starbucks for an hour, talk, and wait for everyone to come. Then, we go to dinner at a new, exciting restaurant. The price is always reasonable, usually ¥70 or less. After dinner, we relax and have a few drinks at Ningbo's most fashionable nightspots. Next meeting on Saturday, May 3rd - meet between 6 and 7pm at Starbucks in Tian Yi Square.

Ningbo Guide also sponsors other activities. For example, we had a trip to Fenghua last summer, paid for by the Fenghua Tourism Bureau, and a trip to see a CBA basketball playoff game.

Ningbo Guide is the creation of Craig, 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.

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

Travel the real China! A traveler gives his view of Ningbo. A very informative website, with his own experiences. Great advice, with information about Beijing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Hainan Island, and many other destinations in China. Visit the site today at travel-the-real-china.com.

Dezan Shira

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 is a process that takes about 2 weeks. There is a lot of bureaucracy involved. For help getting a local drivers license, contact Reindeer Station, Ningbo's expat assistant.

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

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 LBB and Le Cargo.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of counterfeit money in China. Foreigners must beware. The 100, 50, and 20 RMB banknotes are most commonly counterfeited. Banks and ATMs are the usual places for foreigners to get 100 RMB notes, and these usually don't give counterfeit money. 50 and 20 RMB notes are usually given in change. Banks have a great poster on display about how to identify legitimate money.

How to detect a legitimate banknote: