Ningbo, a harbor city in Zhejiang province, is abbreviated as "Yong". Lying at the shore of the East Sea, and facing south of the Yangtze River Delta and Hangzhou Bay, it borders Shanghai to the north, Shaoxing to the west and Taizhou to the south.

The world's longest trans-oceanic bridge - the Hangzhou Bay Bridge - connects the seaport city with the metropolis, Shanghai. Officially opened on May 1, 2008, it cuts the distance from Ningbo to Shanghai from 304 km to 179 km, and shortens the driving distance to less than 2 hours.

The Ningbo-Zhoushan Port is also one of the busiest ports in China, ranking second in China and third in the world in terms of cargo throughput in 2007. It has a specialized dock for the storage of liquidized chemical products - the largest one of its kind in China.

Located in an area with a subtropical monsoon climate, Ningbo has a temperate and humid climate. It has four distinct seasons, with an average annual temperature of 16.2℃ (or 61.16℉).