Ningbo, a coastal city in East China's Zhejiang province, is committed to enhancing its level of opening up and speeding up its development as a modern coastal metropolis.

Li Guijun, deputy director of the publicity department of the Ningbo Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, said at the launching ceremony of the China Daily Readers' Club (Ningbo) & Fans Festival on Thursday that he hopes the club will be an important platform to help foreigners in Ningbo better understand traditional Chinese culture and experience the pulse of the city's development.

The ceremony, which was held on Thursday, was attended by around 100 Ningbo residents from 16 countries and regions.

Nine foreigners from Italy, South Africa, Iran, Canada and the United Kingdom were granted the title of overseas communication officer at the ceremony. They were encouraged to tell Ningbo stories from their own points of view.

"Ningbo is a great place to work and meet friends. And it is a great place to call home, which means we have a duty — actually, a real pleasure — to shout about our city," said Peter Morgan, associate dean of the Business School of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Morgan was named as one of the overseas communication officers.

Liu Weiling, deputy editor-in-chief of China Daily, said the readers' club is the third to be established by China Daily after clubs were created in Beijing and Suzhou. The new one is expected to promote the China Daily brand in Ningbo by combining brand display with practical functions that serve the foreign community and English speakers in the coastal city.

With the aim of strengthening contacts and friendship between China Daily, foreigners and English lovers in Ningbo, the readers' club will hold a series of activities to give foreign friends a better understanding of China and the city.

A Chinese cultural extravaganza was also presented by foreigners living in Ningbo.

The event was sponsored by China Daily and the Publicity Department of the Ningbo Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China.

Cai Jingwen contributed to this story.