About this sound Ningbo, also formerly written Ningpo, is a seaport city in the northeast of Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China. Holding sub-provincial administrative status and separate state-planning status, as of the 2010 census, the municipality has a population of 7.6 million — with 3.5 residing within the 6-district urban area proper. The city lies south of the Hangzhou Bay; faces the East China Sea to the east; borders Shaoxing to the west; borders Taizhou to the south; and is separated from Zhoushan by a narrow body of water.