Major Economic indicators (2007)

Source: Suzhou Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Suzhou is a prefecture-level city in the northern part of Anhui Province. The city enjoys an ideal geographic location. It lies at the juncture of Jiangsu Province, Anhui Province, Shandong Province and Henan Province. It borders Xuzhou of Jiangsu and Heze of Shandong to the north, Yongcheng of Henan to the west, Suqian of Jiangsu to the east.

The city has abundant coal resources. The proven coal reserves in the city total around 6 billion tons, nearly one fifth of Anhui's total. It is also rich in oil and coal-bed gas resources. The estimated oil reserves in this city exceed 2 billion tons. The proven coal-bed gas reserves amount to 300 billion aquatic meters. The city has Anhui's largest reserve of marble, which exceeds 50 million cubic meters.

It is easily accessible by train, as the Beijing-Shanghai Railway, the Lianyungang-Lanzhou Railway and the Beijing-Shanghai Express Railway go through the city. Xuzhou Guanxin Airport, offering daily flights to Bejing, Shanghai and other large cities, is only 70 km from Suzhou's city center.

Suzhou enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate, with rich rainfalls and semi-humid weather, which is quite suitable for the growth of vegetables, fruit, and other crops.

Economic Features

Suzhou is the eighth largest economy among the 17 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province in terms of GDP in 2007. The city's GDP grew 11.6% from a year ago to RMB 42.5 billion, comprising 5.8% of Anhui's economy. Both the agricultural sector and the service sector contributed more than one third to the city's economy.

Due to its fertile lands and suitable weather, Suzhou is an agricultural base in Anhui Province. In 2007, the value-added output from the agricultural sector soared 4.0% year on year to RMB 15.1 billion, accounting for 35.6% of the city's GDP. It is a fruit planting base in Anhui. In 2007, it produced 1.4 million tons of fruit, accounting for 18.9% of Anhui's total fruit output.

The industrial sector generated value-added output of RMB 12.3 billion in 2007, comprising 29.0% of the city's GDP. The value-added industrial output from the city increased by 26.2%, reaching RMB 10.9 billion in 2007. The value-added industrial output from heavy industry and light industry rose 25.4% and 45.5% to RMB 4.2 billion and RMB 37.3 billion, composing 52.7% and 47.3% of the city's total value-added industrial output, respectively.

Energy, agricultural products processing, pharmaceuticals, construction materials and textiles are the major industries in the city. Though the industrial sector witnessed a strong growth of 26.2% in 2007, the city's industrial base is still weak. It lacks large competitive industrial enterprises in its pillar industries.

The service sector is the second largest contributor to the city's economy, following the agricultural sector. The value-added output of the service sector grew 11.0% year on year to RMB 15.1 billion in 2007, with a contribution of 35.4% to the city's GDP. The consumer market is large in Suzhou. Sales of consumer goods rose 18.4% year on year to RMB 11.5 billion, accounting for 4.8% of Anhui's consumer market.

The foreign trade value in the city surpassed US$55.7 million in 2007, with a significant growth of 34.7%. The export value was up 37.7% year to US$46.1 million, while the import value rose 22.0% year on year to US$9.6 million. The city attracted foreign direct investments (FDI) of US$52.1 million, a sharp rise of 112.1% from 2006. The utilized FDI was US$54.7 million, up 68.4% year on year. Investments from the large multinational companies are still absent.

Cultural Highlights

Suzhou's history began over 5,000 years ago, when the region was settled by the Xuyi and Huaiyi tribes. The city became prosperous during the Qin (221BC-206BC) and Han (206BC-220AD) Dynasties. During the Tang Dynasty (618AD-907AD), the government set up a prefecture in this area. Suzhou has been the capital of the prefecture since then. Due to its important geographic location, Suzhou often became a battlefield in ancient times, as it did in the Chu Han War between Xiang Yu and Liu Bang during the Han Dynasty. Suzhou is also known as town of fantastic stones.

Tourist Attractions

Suzhou has enriched cultural and historical sites, such as She Gu Stage and Ancient City of Qi County. She Gu Stage was the place from which Chen Sheng and Wu Guang led the peasant's revolution in BC209 during the Qin Dynasty. The city is also rich in natural scenic spots, such as Huangcangyu Nature Reserve and Wuliu Scenic Spot, both of which contain large natural forests, caves, springs and pools.

Suzhou Cuisine belongs to Hui Cuisine, one of the eight most famous cuisines in China. Hui Cuisine is usually lightly spicy and salty. The most representative dishes in Suzhou include Milky Fish (a kind of steaming fish) and Fuli Shao Ji (Fuli crispy chicken or Fuli braised chicken).