Ningbo announced 10 nominees and a special nominee for the city's Excellence in Culture Award on Dec 24 two months after the public was asked to name their candidates.

Xu Hongsen, a renowned tailor from Taiwan, has devoted himself to promoting cross-strait exchanges in culture for nearly 20 years, won the special nomination for his effort to preserve the Hongbang-style of suit tailoring that traces its history to the 1920s. Wang Ming, chairman of Hong Kong Delson Group, is one of the nominees for his long-term support to Ningbo's cultural and charity programs. Wang invested 200 million yuan in 1999 to build the city's first golf club.

Yang Gucheng, another nominee, is one of the first volunteers who worked hard to save the city's cultural heritages. He visited many villages and towns around Ningbo to record ancient bridges, houses, sculptures and other legacies for protection.

Li Jianshu, Zhang Shaoce, Chen Mingwei, Xu Wanmao, Xie Caihua, Cao Houde, and Chu Jiwang are also nominated for their contribution to Chinese culture.