Ningbo SCI Harbor, a cultural and technological innovation zone, starts construction on the north banks of the Yongjiang River in Jiangbei district in Ningbo, in Zhejiang province, on June 30. [Photo/nb.ifeng.com]

Ningbo SCI Harbor -- a major cultural and technological innovation zone costing more than half a billion dollars -- recently started construction on the north banks of the Yongjiang River in Jiangbei district in Ningbo, in Zhejiang province. 

As the starting point of the Yongjiang Scientific Innovation Corridor, the zone will drive the cultural and technological innovation of the corridor in the future, local officials said. 

The zone is being jointly built by Zhejiang Seaport Group and the government of Jiangbei district, and involves an investment of as much as 3.88 billion yuan ($563.35 million). 

As planned, the zone will house the mechanical equipment for use in ports and some warehouses. Officials said it would also feature a port-focused museum, a museum for industrial artifacts, a library and an entrepreneurial center.

"We aim to build it into a new landscape integrating creative exhibitions, business and living," said one of the officials in charge of building the zone.