Major Economic Indicators (2007)
| Land Area |
22,930 km2
|
|
Population
|
2.6 million
|
|
GDP
|
RMB 55.1 billion (US$7.3 billion), 15.4% up
|
|
GDP Composition
|
|
Primary Industry (Agriculture)
|
22.7%
|
|
Secondary Industry
(Industry & Construction)
|
42.8%
|
|
Tertiary Industry(Service)
|
34.5%
|
|
GDP Per Capita
|
RMB 20,963 (US$2,787), 15.8% up
|
|
Unemployment Rate
|
4.3%
|
|
Fixed Asset Investment
|
RMB 36.3 billion (US$4.8 billion), 50.5% up
|
|
Utilized FDI
|
US$54 million, 5% up
|
|
Total Import & Export
|
US$871 million, 44.0% up
|
|
Export
|
US$809 million, 50.6% up
|
|
Import
|
US$62 million, 8.3% down
|
|
Sales of Consumer Goods
|
RMB 14.9 billion (US$2.0 billion), 18.5% up
|
Source: Sanming Economic and Social Development Report 2007
Introduction
Sanming, seated in the western part of Fujian Province, neighbors Fuzhou to the east, Quanzhou and Longyan to the south, Jiangxi Province to the west and Nanping to the north. The city administrates 1 county-level city, 2 districts and 9 counties. It covers an area of 22,930 sq km. The city enjoys a humid maritime climate, with plentiful rainfall and moderate weather.
The Yingtan-Xiamen Railway runs across Sanming, while the Xiangtang-Putian Railway, scheduled for completion in 2012, will intersect with the Yingtan-Xiamen Railway in the city. Sanming has a well-established road network. The Sanming-Fuzhou Highway goes through the city, and the Beijing-Fuzhou Highway has exits in this city.
Hilly and mountainous regions occupy 82% of Sanming's lands. Forests cover 76.8% of the city's lands. The timber reserve is about 115 million cubic meters, about one third of Fujian's total.
Economic Features
In 2007, the GDP of Sanming rose 15.4% year on year to RMB 55.1 billion, ranking sixth among the cities in Fujian Province. The industrial sector remained the largest contributor the city's GDP. In 2007, the value-added output of the industrial sector soared 22.2% year on year to RMB 23.6 billion, accounting for 42.8% of the city's GDP.
Metallurgy, forest products processing, machinery manufacturing, mining and pharmaceuticals industries are the major industries in the city. The gross industrial output from the five major industries amounted to RMB 41.7 billion, accounting for 65.6% of the city's total.
Fujian Sangang Group, formerly Fujian Sanming Iron and Steel Plant, was set up in 1958. It has 11 fully-owned subsidiaries in mainland China. The total assets of this group stand at RMB 17.2 billion. Its annual steel and steel products production capacity exceeds 3 million tons per year. Fujian Yong An Coal Industrial Co Ltd, a subsidiary under Fujian Coal Industrial (Group) Co Ltd, is a large coal miner in Fujian Province. By the end of 2007, it was capable of producing 1.4 million tons of coal per year.
The service sector contributed significantly less to the city's economy. In 2007, the sector's value-added output grew 13.8% year on year to RMB 19 billion, constituting 34.5% to the city's GDP. The city attracted over 6.2 million tourists in 2007, bringing revenue of RMB 2.1 billion.
The foreign trade value in the city rose 44.0% year on year to US$871 million in 2007, taking up about 1.2% of Fujian Province's total. The export value reached US$809 million, representing a sharp rise of 50.6% over the previous year.
Sanming attracted contractual foreign investment of US$189 million in 2007, up 10.5% year on year. The utilized FDI hit US$54 million, up 5% year on year. Meadwestvaco (MWV), the U.S.-based paper making giant, started cooperating with Songchuan Chemicals in a heavy-oil project in 2005. Total investments of RMB 240 million were injected into the project.
Cultural Highlights
Sanming has a long history. The first county founded in the present-day territory of Sanming was Jiangle, which was set up in AD 260 during the Three Kingdoms Period (AD 220-280). Jiangle County has been kept until now. In 1940, Sanyuan County was founded. In 1956, Mingxi and Sanyuan Counties were combined into Sanming County. Then in 1960, Sanming was recognized as a prefecture-level city.
Tourist Attractions
Sanming has rich natural scenery resources, among which Golden Lake, Taoyuan Dong Scenic Spot and Yuhua Cave are the most popular. The Golden Lake is located in Taining County at the foot of the Wuyi Mountain. It is famous for the Danxia Landforms. The Taoyuandong Scenic Spot, which encompasses Taoyuan Cave and Linyin Stone Forest, has been known for its steep crags since as early as the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644). Due to the humid weather in Sanming, the city is pleasant to visit all year around.
The delicious food in Sanming is another reason for tourists to visit the city. Local dishes, such as Biyu Roll, Lei Cha (a kind of tea mixed with rice, sesame, beans, peanuts and other ingredients), Bian Rou (a kind of dumpling) and Guo Tiao (a rice dish), are highly recommendable.
Honors
National Hygienic City (2007)
--- National Committee for Patriotic Sanitation Campaign of P.R. China
National Gardenlike City (2003)
---Ministry of Construction of P.R. China
