Historically known as one of five trading ports, Ningbo is famous for its thriving business. In 2000, the city's total retail volume of social comsumer goods reached RMB38.93 billion yuan and retail volume per capita reached RMB7.209 thousand yuan, ranking the first in Zhejiang Province and ahead in China. The increased value of wholesale and retail commerce as well as catering reached RMB13.24 billion yuan. The annual average rate of increase was 12.4% during the Ninth Five-Year-Plan period. The output proportion of wholesale and retail commerce as well as catering in GDP rose from 10.2% in 1995 to 11.1%. In 2000, there were 670 commodity markets in the city, with business volume of RMB 61.17 billion yuan, of which, there were 3 markets whose respective annual business volume exceeded RMB 5 billion yuan, 10 markets RMB 2 billion yuan and the annual average rate of increase during the Ninth Five-Year-Plan period was 24.6%, which played a very important role in promoting the development of local and characteristic economy. At the end of the Ninth Five-Year-Plan period, there were 455 square meters business area, of which, there were 18 large-scale commerce buildings whose respective business area exceeded 10 thousand square meters and the business area per capita reached 0.85 square meter. In 2000, there were 32 chain companies and 593 chain stores in the city, with sales volume of RMB 5.7 billion yuan, occupying 14.6% of the city's total retail volume of social consumer goods, with reform pushed forward, the activity in commercial circulation fields was further strengthened and social civil capital came into rapidly. The circulation setup with multiple economic composition, multiple management ways and multiple channels coexisting, had come into being all side. Market competition was more complete. The proportion of the retail volume of social consumer goods accomplished by private commercial economic entities to the city's total retail volume was 64.6%, Large-scale multi-nation commercial groups such as METRO, CARREFOUR, TRUST-MART etc. had come into Ningbo city step by step. With varied commercial forms, management ways, advanced management ideas and management technology introduced, the enterprises engaged in commerce in Ningbo city would import their organization degree and management levels.

In terms of the guiding principle of transforming traditional commerce into modern one and with the aim of setting up the modern commercial center in the south of Yangtze River Delta, great efforts will be made to set up four systems and make five breakthrough in Ningbo commerce circulation fields during the tenth Five-Year-Plan period.

Four systems, that is:
To set up commercial circulation system, opening to domestic markets completely and international markets basis;
To set up modern enterprises' organization system, having multi-levels, multi-forms and being filled with life;
To set up rapid business operation system basic of information and equipment modernly;
To set up multi-function service system, which can propel production, guide consumption and promote city-flying development.

Five breakthrough, that is:
To make new breakthrough in the respect of construction of storage and commodity circulation on the basis of building port-oriented commodity circulation area;
To make new breakthrough in the respect of development of E-commerce on the basis of establishing Ningbo commercial information network;
To make new breakthrough in the respect of development of new service industry under the guidance of developing city's function;
To make new breakthrough in the respect of enhancing people's life quality and changing the living surroundings, regarding to carry out green foods, green markets, green consumption series engineering as handlebar;
To make new breakthrough in the respect of developing leisure entertainment markets, putting emphasis on promotion of combination between commerce and tourism.

Efforts shall be made to build a lot symbol projects such as three rivers intersection central commercial center, port-oriented commodity circulation area, international conference exhibition center and so on. Commercial circulation industry system which can meet the needs ofs society and reflect modern international port city's function characteristics and development levels, shall be established rapidly.