City night view of Ningbo. [Photo by Tang Yan]
As the 14^th Ningbo Municipal Congress of the CPC proposed, in the next five years, Ningbo will strive to transform itself into a capital of coastal urban charm, with a focus on becoming a coastal fashion capital of the East.
How will the city achieve this ambitious goal?
What International Fashion
Capitals Have in Common
International fashion capitals around the world, such as Milan, New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo, tend to be the economic and cultural centers of their respective countries. In recent years, the status of the world's longstanding top 10 fashion capitals is being challenged by Asian cities, with Shanghai, Singapore and other cities rising through the ranks. What are the characteristics of these international fashion capitals?
These cities often have a thriving fashion industry. For instance, Milan is a world-famous cosmopolitan metropolis and the most developed city in Italy. As the global capital of art and architecture, it attracts many artists and designers, making it a global hub of fashion and design. Shanghai, China is the fastest-rising international fashion capital in recent years, with many high-end shopping malls and trendy cultural venues cropping up all over the city. The Shanghai Fashion Week has been held for more than ten years.
The international influence of the top 10 fashion capitals is not to be underestimated. Many are Europe or the US's political, cultural, and economic centers, world-renowned historical and cultural cities, or emerging tourist destinations. Rio de Janeiro, for example, is an important gateway to the rest of Brazil and South America, as well as one of the most economically-developed cities in the region. It has long been an important hub of transportation, technology, tourism, culture, finance and insurance in Brazil.
The cities that have long dominated the top of the list of international fashion capitals, such as New York, London, and Tokyo, are all mega-metropolises with powerful economies. The annual changes in the rankings are related to the rise and fall of each city's economic figures.
Ningbo's Remarkable
Advancement
In the past five years, Ningbo's economic strength and city popularity have witnessed remarkable progress. The conditions are ripe for Ningbo to become a coastal fashion capital of the East.
In terms of its economic size, Ningbo is a member of the national "GDP trillion club". Last year, its GDP reached 1.4595 trillion yuan, ranking 12^th in the country. Of particular note is Ningbo's per capita GDP: it reached 153,900 yuan in 2021, ranking 7^th in China.
Today's Ningbo has an enabling innovation environment and is pursuing all-round development. The value added of Ningbo's industry has risen to 7^th place in the country and the numbers of Ningbo's national "Sector Champion" manufacturing enterprises and "Little Giant" enterprises rank first and third in the country respectively. The number of A-share-listed Ningbo companies is the 7th-highest in the country.
Ningbo has a long history and was a port of departure of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. In the Tang and Southern Song Dynasties, Ningbo was one of the few major ports in China. Ningbo's Laowaitan (Old Bund) was founded 20 years before Shanghai's Bund.
Ningbo's garment industry has significant national influence. The city has held the Ningbo International Fashion Fair for 25 consecutive years, which continues to boost the popularity of "Ningbo Fashion" in China and across the world.
Potential Paths for Ningbo
In the next five years, how can Ningbo win the fierce competition with other cities and take the lead in becoming a capital of coastal urban charm? Experts believe that Ningbo should draw on the experience of other international fashion capitals, leverage its own urban characteristics and resources wisely, and design a development roadmap that best fits its own circumstances.
Ningbo is the largest garment manufacturing base and the main export city in China, with an annual garment output value of over 100 billion yuan. Its solid industrial foundation has created a favorable environment for cultivating promising local fashion brands. In the future, Ningbo could consider attracting more top fashion designers to support original local brands, while focusing on developing other parts of the creative industry, such as media, film and television production. Not only are these sectors in line with the goal of "carbon neutrality", they could also serve as an effective means to improve the renown of the city.
Large exhibitions and conventions have a huge role in promoting a city's popularity, as in the case of Shanghai and Shenzhen. Shanghai's international influence benefitted greatly from events such as the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition, ChinaJoy, and the Shanghai International Film Festival. Ningbo's Xiangshan has one of the most beautiful coastlines on the 30^th parallel north, stretching over 925 kilometers. It is possible that with some effort, Xiangshan could make a name for itself during the 2022 Asian Games. Moreover, Ningbo, having produced several gold medalists at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, might have a chance to host more large-scale international events in the next five years.
Experts also suggest that Ningbo improve its urban planning, dedicating certain areas to the fashion industry. As a business hub with a millennium-long history, Ningbo is actively developing many new high-end commercial complexes, which will certain attract more visitors to the city.By Dong Na