Ningbo, a city with a long history , is located at the east coast of China, covering an area of 9,356 square kilometers and having a population of 5,410,000 . It is a deputy-provincial level city , separately listed in the state economic plan. Since China¡¯s opening up and reform in the late 70s, the city has made dramatic progress in its economy . In 2000 , the city¡¯s GDP totaled 119.15 billion RMB yuan ( US dollars 14.39 billion ), and per capita GDP reached 22,078 RMB yuan ( US dollars 2,667).The foreign trade has been on a rapid rise, with the /E volume soaring to 7.54 billion US dollars, a growth of 50.5% over the year before . The throughput in Ningbo Port totaled 115 million tons in 2000, only second to Shanghai . Ningbo is now gradually growing into an important city in the southern flank of the Yangtze River Delta , and an internationalized port city with vitality and prosperity.