Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Zhangzhou Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Located by the coast in the southeast of Fujian, Zhangzhou is a prefecture-level city within the province. It faces Taiwan across the Taiwan Straits.

Zhangzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate, with average annual temperature of 21 Celcius and rainfall of 1000-1700 mm. Each year, there are typhoons in Zhangzhou between June and September, resulting in floods.

Zhangzhou has an abundance of marine resources due to its coastal location. The length of Zhangzhou's coast line is 680 km. Dongshan Bay, located in the city, is one of the most important bays in Fujian, as marine products are plentiful. The output value of fishing amounted to RMB 11.7 billion, about a third of the total agricultural output in 2007. Besides fishing, Zhangzhou is also recognized as the granary of Fujian.

Economic Features

In 2007, the value-added industrial output and total industrial output of Zhangzhou reached RMB 32.9 billion and RMB 121.3 billion respectively. This represents an increase of 19.4% and 22.3% from the year before. The pillar industries of Zhangzhou are food processing, electronics and machinery.

Benefiting from the city's abundant marine food and grain output, food processing has become Zhangzhou's largest industry. In 2007, its industrial output reached RMB 10.7 billion, accounting for 8.8% of the city's total. There are 353 food processing companies above designated size in Zhangzhou, approximately 27% of the total number of food processing companies in Fujian. Famous food processing companies include the Zishan Group Corp and Tongfa Food.

The rise of the electronics and machinery industry is slightly different from that of the food processing industry. It is less localized as it takes advantage of Zhangzhou's proximity to Taiwan and the fact that it is the birth place of many Taiwanese, thus attracting numerous investments from the region. By the end of 2007, US$4.0 billion worth of investments came from Taiwan, representing 39.1% of the province's total. Within the same year, the industrial output of this sector increased by 9.2%, amounting to RMB 7.8 billion in total. A large portion of this sector's output was generated by the production of timepieces. By the end of 2007, there were more than 100 companies involved in the production of timepieces, and 90% of their products were exported to over 120 countries.

Zhangzhou's foreign trade grew by 9.0% to US$4.6 billion in 2007. The United States and the European Union were key export destinations, with 28.8% and 21.2% of total exports shipped to those destinations. Electronic and machinery products constitute 40.1% of the total amount of goods exported, making them key export products as well. Utilized FDI rose by 12.4% from 2006, amounting to US$450 million. Taiwan and Hong Kong were major sources of investment.

Cultural Highlights

Zhangzhou has a history of over 1300 years. Its name was derived from the Zhang River that flows through the city. In ancient times, education was emphasized, resulting in a large number of schools being built and many academics being trained there. Being educated was regarded as the most important social morality, thus many famous generals, politicians, ideologists, litterateurs and mathematicians in China's history were from Zhangzhou.

Zhangzhou is also the origin of many Chinese overseas emigrants. During the twentieth Century, many Chinese citizens who migrated to other countries returned to Zhangzhou, bringing with them foreign cultures as well as the strong relationships they forged with the emigrants who did not return. These emigrants who returned perpetuated Zhangzhou's tradition of honoring education, and similarly sponsored and built many educational institutions.

Tourist Attractions

Key tourist attractions in Zhangzhou include Glossy Ganoderma hill (the highest peak in Zhangzhou) and South Hill Temple, which has magnificent buildings and spacious compounds.

Zhangzhou's food is commonly classified as Min Cuisine. It is influenced by the cooking style of Southeast Asia, the Hakka people and Chaozhou, featuring a lightly-salted, fresh, sweet and sour taste. The most famous dishes are the "noodles eaten with hand", "congee cooked for cat"(originated from a legend), and "fried spat".

Major Development Zones

By the end of 2007, Zhangzhou has one state-level development zone.

State-level Development Zones in Zhangzhou

Source: National Development and Reform Commission of P.R. China

Honors

National Garden City (2006)
--- Ministry of Construction

Best Tourism City (2004)
--- National Tourism Administration