"A Tale of Two Cities", a famous novel by the British writer Charles Dickens, tells the story of two important cities - Paris and London. Nowadays, we often use the phrase "a tale of two cities" to describe the interconnected development of cities with similar geographical areas and economic sizes. 

Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang, and Ningbo, one of the Chinese cities specifically designated in the state plan, occupy vital positions in Zhejiang. 

As Zhejiang is speeding up its economic boom in the upcoming new year, what roles will Hangzhou and Ningbo play during the process? Official data shows that the combined GDP of Hangzhou and Ningbo accounts for more than 44% of the total of Zhejiang. Since 2022, Hangzhou and Ningbo have jointly rolled out effective plans to push forward the co-development of the two cities.  

How is their development going and how shall we observe these "twin sisters" from a fair and factual perspective? We carried out a field investigation of the research institutes, factory workshops, airport terminals and construction sites in Hangzhou and Ningbo, and found some clues about their co-development. 

Ningbo Section of the Double-line of Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway (Photo/Zhang Hui)

More interconnectivity within the region of the Yangtze River Delta

Standing at the construction site of the Ningbo section of the double line of the Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway, we noticed that the steel and iron bridge stretches out into the blue sky, marking the coastline with a golden arc. "The construction progress has already reached 80 percent. When completed, it will be the largest maritime connectivity in Asia." The person in charge of the project told us.

According to the official plan called "Eight mega specific actions to promote the development of Hangzhou-Ningbo" by Zhejiang province, Zhejiang will focus on building the Hangzhou-Ningbo commuting circle, so as to improve the infrastructure interconnections within the region. The interconnectivity will not only bring convenience to Hangzhou and Ningbo but also bring more vitality to the whole Yangtze River Delta. Taking the Ningbo section of the Double-line of the Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway as an example, after its completion, the expressway will connect with the Hangzhou Bay Sea Bridge and the Jintang Bridge of Zhoushan Islands, opening up the "two channels for the region to integrate into the Yangtze River Delta".

Hangzhou has prominent advantages in airports and railways, while Ningbo has the advantage of being a world-class port. The major infrastructure of the two cities is highly complementary, working as the bottom meeting point for promoting interconnection.

In addition, based on the advantages of Ningbo's being of an important port and Hangzhou's Xiaoshan Airport, the two cities have launched trade facilitation measures to further break the "glass door" of interconnection. Based on the construction of the pilot free trade zone, Hangzhou and Ningbo have jointly explored the co-construction of a digital free trade zone, and co-established the "2+2+X" cooperation mechanism, which is led by port departments of the two cities, fully participated by customs of the two places, and jointly promoted by other port units and departments.

Better structures to promote innovations 

In recent years, Hangzhou and Ningbo have both taken great efforts to promote the integration of digitalization and industrial development. Hangzhou has improved the competitiveness of high-end manufacturing in both directions through a series of measures such as accelerating the construction of industrial Internet platform systems and building up nine iconic industrial chains of high-end manufacturing. Ningbo is striving to build a global advanced manufacturing base, speeding up the building of ten iconic industrial chains such as characteristic process integrated circuits, optical electronics, intelligent moulding equipment and intelligent home appliances, and promoting the modernization of industrial chains.

Workshops of Haitian Precision (Photo/Zhejiang News)

Industrial structural transformation is booming both in Hangzhou and Ningbo. At the workshops of the Haitian Precision in Ningbo, we saw that many pieces of equipment have been powered by a "digital brain". The company is benefited a lot from the co-development of Hangzhou and Ningbo as it has set up a software development subsidiary in Hangzhou and has carried out in-depth cooperation with Zhejiang University to tackle key technical problems. 

Up to now, there are 7 Hangzhou-Ningbo joint scientific research institutes and industrial technology research institutes, which have jointly undertaken 33 provincial-level research and development projects and more than 100 industrial upgrading technology projects.

People's well-being in mind and more inclusion 

Fang Di, born in 1979 has settled down in Hangzhou after graduating from the university many years. His parents will come to Hangzhou from time to time for medical treatment. In July 2021, Hangzhou and Ningbo have jointly launched the "two-way exemption from filling" for medical reimbursement for patients on both sides. For Di, it has become a piece of great news for him. 

So far, the mechanism of "two-way exemption for filling" has covered 1,130 and 769 medical institutions in Hangzhou and Ningbo, respectively. Since 2022, a total of 1.77 million people in Hangzhou and Ningbo have settled medical insurance reimbursement. 

A Ningbo resident is asking for medical consultation at a local hospital in Hangzhou (Photo/Zhao Lu)

According to the co-development plan of Hangzhou and Ningbo, there are a total of 23 well-being policy measures to benefit local residents in a variety of ways, including transportation, tourism, cultural activities and so forth. 

For example, people in Hangzhou and Ningbo can buy park cards from each other. Taking the Hangzhou Park Card as an example, for only 50 yuan, Ningbo residents can enjoy unlimited access to nearly 20 scenic spots in Hangzhou, including West Lake and Xixi Wetland scenic spots within a year. The two cities have also opened a credit system for residents. Trustworthy individuals and enterprises in both places can enjoy the same credit special services on both sides.

The co-development of Hangzhou and Ningbo is a tale of common prosperity with sound measures and actions as the core. Next, the two cities will speed up more measures and mechanisms to jointly discover the vitality of both cities and improve more cooperations on both sides. 

Author:Zhao Lu, Li Hua, Ying Lei

Translator: Ye Ke

Editor: Ye Ke