In the summer of 2024, President Xi Jinping responded to Anna Pao Pui-hing, Ronald Chao Kee-young, and other Hong Kong entrepreneurs of Ningbo descent, affirming the patriotic and hometown-loving traditions of the Ningbo Merchants Group and encouraging them to integrate into the national reform and opening-up agenda.
In his letter to these entrepreneurs, Xi mentioned, "You have inherited the excellent tradition of patriotism and hometown love from your predecessors, actively innovated and started businesses, donated to education, and contributed to the construction of your hometown and national development, interpreting the spirit of patriotism and hometown affection through practical actions."
Behind the correspondence lies the enduring sentiment and commitment of many Hong Kong individuals from Ningbo, who have been devoted to their hometown and serving their country for decades.
DotDotNews' special feature, "Ningboese Lineage in HK," interviewed Anna Pao, the eldest daughter of Pao Yue-kong and a Ningbo-born Hong Kong entrepreneur. The feature explores the profound bond between Ningbo and Hong Kong through her perspective and examines future collaboration opportunities between the two regions.
Ningbo, formerly known as Mingzhou Port, is the only intersection of the Grand Canal and the Maritime Silk Road. For a long time, the Ningbo people who ventured out from the port formed one of China's largest merchant groups—the Ningbo Merchants Group. They carried the business acumen and pragmatic genes of their predecessors, venturing south and exploring the world, with more than half of them concentrated in Hong Kong.
Pao Yue-kong, known as the "King of Shipping," is one of them. In 1949, he moved to Hong Kong with his family and initially engaged in import and export trade before founding the Global Shipping Group. According to Anna Pao's recollections in her book "My Father Pao Yue-kong," her father developed an interest in the shipping industry in 1954. At that time, the international shipping industry was not well-developed, and many professional fields required Pao Yue-kongto learn from scratch. For instance, to communicate fluently with English speakers worldwide, Pao Yue-kong, who had never attended university, studied English every night using audio tapes. This experience made him realize the importance of education.
Serving thehometown byfocusing oneducation
In 1984, Deng Xiaoping issued a call to "mobilize the entire Ningbo Merchants Group worldwide to build Ningbo," prompting overseas Ningbo Merchants Group members to return and invest in their hometown. Pao Yue-kong was among the first prominent figures to respond.
On one hand, as an advisor to the Ningbo Economic Development Coordination Group, he directly propelled the crucial decision for Ningbo to implement separate planning status. On the other hand, Pao Yue-kong used education as an entry point, donating $20 million in 1985 to establish Ningbo University, thereby ending Ningbo's history of lacking a comprehensive university.
In 1986, Ningbo University welcomed its first cohort of approximately 280 students. Li Xuelan, now a professor at Ningbo University's Law School, was one of those inaugural students. She vividly recalls the special matriculation ceremony: That morning, the sky was overcast and drizzling. The ceremony was held on the grand steps of the university. Around 9 AM, guests took their seats, and the first president walked to the microphone to declare the ceremony officially open. No sooner had he spoken than the dark clouds in the sky were suddenly blown away by the wind, and brilliant sunlight bathed the campus. The president humorously and swiftly turned to the guest seating area and said, "Mr.Paohas brought the sun to us today!" The teachers and students erupted in applause.
Years later, Li Xuelan donated her preserved "No. 001" matriculation commemorative washbasin to the Ningbo Merchants Group Museum, ensuring this warm memory would be passed down forever.
Today, within Ningbo University's campus, buildings like the Pao Yue-kong Library, Chao Kuang Piu Science and Technology Building, Zhao Anzhong Administration Building, and Li Dasan Foreign Language Building are harmoniously arranged, with names of Ningbo Merchants Group members visible everywhere. Li said that successive generations of the Ningbo Merchants Group have joined hands to continuously support Ningbo University's development. "The most common thing I heard," Li recounted, "was 'When I have money, I will also donate to Ningbo University.'"
Passing the torch: An educational dream across mountains and seas
Mr. Pao Yue-kongpassed away in 1991 at the age of 72. However, the Pao family's dedication to Ningbo University and the cause of education did not cease. As his eldest daughter, Anna Pao continued her father's tradition, consistently contributing financially to Ningbo University. Beyond donating to "hardware" facilities like the "Chi Heng Fitness" running track, she focused her attention on "software" development, such as enhancing teaching quality and promoting scientific research. According to unofficial statistics, the Pao Yue-kong Education Foundation has donated over $100 million to education, used for constructing school facilities and establishing various scholarships.
In Anna Pao's view, in today's era, with knowledge readily accessible on mobile phones, the meaning of education is fundamentally different from the past. She emphasizes that the core of education lies in "nurturing individuals" and, from an early age, cultivating pillars of society who can withstand challenges, possess sound character, and a sense of social responsibility.
To this end, in 2007, Anna Pao and her son, Philip Sohmen, co-founded the YK Pao School in Shanghai, extending their reach to primary, junior high, and senior high school education. In August 2026, the Pao Yue-kong School Hong Kong will officially open, bringing their educational philosophy across mountains and seas to Hong Kong.
"I dream of an education that embodies a Chinese heart, is globally oriented, and perpetuates Chinese culture," said Anna Pao. This educational philosophy resonates strongly with the core spirit of the Ningbo Merchants Group: humility, pragmatism, and a focus on practical implementation.
Ningbo-Hong Kong link: Spirit resonance
In 2024, President Xi Jinping replied to Hong Kong entrepreneurs of Ningbo origin, including Anna Pao and Ronald Chao, offering them warm encouragement. Anna Pao, in a media interview, stated that the "Ningbo Merchants Group spirit" and the "Lion Rock spirit" share a common lineage, both being national spirits that Chinese people are proud of. She added that the inheritance and development of these two spirits are inseparable from face-to-face communication and interaction.
In 2011, 28 Hong Kong entrepreneurs of Ningbo origin, including Anna Pao, collectively funded and established "Bauhinia Hub" in Ningbo, creating a robust platform for exchanges among various sectors in Ningbo and Hong Kong. Anna Pao shared that in April of this year, she hosted a delegation of business representatives from Austria at Bauhinia Hub in Ningbo, vividly narrating Ningbo's story to international friends. In her view, despite the rapid spread of mobile internet, personal, direct communication remains irreplaceable. Bauhinia Hub serves precisely as such a bridge, facilitating Ningbo-Hong Kong exchanges from a macro to a micro level.
"Hong Kong is my home, and Ningbo is my hometown; both cities are very dear to me," Anna Pao said with deep emotion as the interview drew to a close. In her opinion, Ningbo people and Hong Kong people share highly similar character traits—namely, being "highly resilient and hardworking." When faced with crises and difficulties, both Ningbo and Hong Kong people avoid empty talk, choosing instead to solve problems through concrete action. Anna Pao believes that in the future, Ningbo and Hong Kong, along with the Yangtze River Delta and the Pearl River Delta, will undoubtedly achieve deeper promotion and highly efficient synergy in more areas such as culture, commerce, and finance, thus writing a new chapter of Ningbo-Hong Kong cooperation in the new era.
Expert Perspective: Ningbo and Hong Kong share origins
Generation after generation of the Ningbo Merchants Group have crossed mountains and seas, creating business legends while never forgetting to serve their homeland. In this process, the Ningbo Merchants Group spirit has also evolved with the times, continuously elevating itself.
Dr. Zhang Yue, Deputy Director of the Ningbo Merchants Group Research Center at Ningbo University, pointed out that the success of Ningbo entrepreneurs represented by Pao Yue-kong and Chao Kuang-piu was by no means accidental. He cited Pao Yue-kong, who, when engaged in the shipping industry, cleverly integrated financial thinking into shipping operations. He adopted an innovative model of "long-term leasing and small profits but quick turnover," chartering out vessels for extended periods to other shipping companies or cargo owners. Armed with these stable long-term leasing contracts, Pao could successfully secure mortgage financing from banks, using the funds to purchase more bulk carriers. This "finance-empowering-industry" snowball strategy significantly reduced operational risks and further demonstrated the Ningbo Merchants Group's astute, pragmatic, and capital-savvy unique wisdom.
Dr. Zhang also mentioned that Chao Kuang-piu seized the critical opportunities during the takeoff of Hong Kong's textile industry in the 1950s and 60s. Based in Hong Kong, he completed a global layout of the woolen textile industry, achieving breakthrough development for his enterprise. As times advance, Ningbo not only attracts traditional Zhejiang merchants to give back to their hometown but also gathers outstanding talents from across the nation and even the world, collectively driving the city's high-quality development. This transformation, Dr. Zhang emphasized, is a vibrant continuation and elevation of the Ningbo Merchants Group spirit in modern construction.
Professor Lau Chi-pang, Editor-in-Chief of the Hong Kong Local Records Office and Professor of History at Lingnan University, stated that since the Tang and Song dynasties, Ningbo (formerly known as Mingzhou Port) has exhibited a very pronounced characteristic of "talent aggregation." This is highly similar to Hong Kong, an international financial center that also attracts global elites, suggesting that both regions' experiences in attracting talent and fostering openness and inclusiveness can be fully mutually beneficial.
Professor Lau specifically noted, "Hong Kong plays a demonstrative role in mobilizing the strengths of different native-place associations and fostering patriotic sentiment. The successful experience of the Ningbo Merchants Group can further inspire Hong Kong and Macao compatriots to make greater contributions to their localities, the nation, and even the world."
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