The present site of Ningbo has been occupied since at least the 8th cent. A.D., and tombs dating to the Three Kingdoms period (A.D. 220–265) have been found in the city. During the Ming dynasty Ningbo was known as Qingyuan. From 1433 to 1549 it served as the port of entry for Japanese missions to the Chinese court. The Portuguese, who had established a trading settlement there in the 16th cent., called the city Liampo. In the Opium War (1841), British forces occupied the city. The Treaty of Nanjing (1842), which ended hostilities, made Ningbo a treaty port. The city was known as Ninghsien (pinyin, Ningxian) from 1911 to 1949.
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