Major Economic indicators (2007)

Source: Fuyang Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Lying in the northwestern part of Anhui Province, Fuyang borders Zhoukou and Zhumadian of Henan Province to the west, Xinyang of Henan Province to the southwest, Bozhou to the north and Huainan to the east. The city faces Lu'an across the Huai River. With a population of 8.4 million, Fuyang is the most populous city in Anhui Province.

Fuyang is a railway transportation hub for Anhui Province. The Beijing-Kowloon Railway, the Luohe-Fuyang Railway, the Qingdao-Fuyang Railway and the Fuyang-Huainan Railway intersect in the city. Fuyang Airport, merely 3 km from Fuyang's downtown, provides daily flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Hefei and Guangzhou. The city also has a well-established highway network, with the Hefei-Fuyang-Zhumadian Highway, State Highway 105 and the Shangqiu-Jingdezhen Highway running through the city.

The humid climate and extensive fertile lands make Fuyang a production base for crops, oil plants, cotton and vegetables. The city has rich coal resources. The proven coal reserve in this city is about 10 billion tons. The development of thermal electricity in the city guarantees the city's electricity supply.

Economic Features

In 2007, Fuyang's GDP paced up 13.0% from a year earlier to RMB 46.2 billion, ranking fifth out of 17 in Anhui Province. The agricultural sector, the industrial sector and the service sector contributed 30.5%, 33.5% and 36.0% of the city's GDP, respectively.

The value-added output from the agricultural sector in Fuyang rose 5.6% year on year to RMB 14.1 billion, accounting for 11.6% of that from Anhui. It produced nearly 4.8 million tons of crops and 3.6 million tons of vegetables, making up 16.6% and 18.8% of Anhui's total crop output and vegetable output, respectively.

The value-added industrial output from enterprises with designated size and above soared 30.2% to RMB 9.5 billion, accounting for less than 1% of that from Anhui Province. Heavy industry and light industry, with value-added industrial output of RMB 6.3 billion and RMB 3.2 billion, constituted 66.3% and 33.7% of the city's total value-added industrial output from the enterprises with designated size and above.

Coal mining and dressing, metallurgy, electricity production and supply, tobacco, chemicals and agricultural products processing are the main industries in the city. A major coal production base in Anhui, Fuyang produced nearly 9 million tons of coal in 2007, making up 9.9% of Anhui's total coal output.

The city is home to many large companies, such as Golden Seed Group, Xieqiao Coal and Anhui Linquan Industry Chemical. Golden Seed Group is a state-owned manufacturer of distilled liquor. The net assets of the group were RMB 1.1 billion in 2007. Anhui Golden Seed Winery Co Ltd<600199>, a listed unit of the group, went public on the Shanghai Stock Exchange in 1998 and gained sales revenue of RMB 199 million in 2007.

The service sector is the largest contributor to the city's economy. In 2007, the value-added output from the city hit RMB 16.7 billion, reflecting a rise of 12.3%. However, its contribution to the city's GDP fell from 38.0% in 2006 to 36.0% in 2007.

Wholesaling and retailing contributed significantly to the city's service sector. The value-added output from wholesaling and retailing exceeded RMB 3.6 billion, accounting for 21.6% of the service's total value-added output.

The foreign trade vale saw a rise of 40.2% in 2007. The foreign trade value in the city reached US$157.5 million, comprising export value of US$123.4 million and import value of US$34.1 million. The city attracted contractual foreign investments of US$64.8 million in 2007 and the utilized FDI was US$65.3 million.

Cultural Highlights

Fuyang enjoys a long history. The southern part was developed earlier than the northern part. The southern part was controlled by Yinzhou, while the northern part was controlled by Bozhou. In AD1372, during the Ming Dynasty (AD1368-1644), Yinzhou and Bozhou were first unified. During the Qing Dynasty (AD1644-1911), Yiingzhou was changed into Fuyang. Fuyang was the birthplace of many notable persons, including Guan Zhong, a politician and economist in the Spring-and-Autumn Period, and Lu Meng, a military general of the Wu Kingdom during the Three Kingdoms Period.

Tourist Attractions

The Wen Feng Pagoda, is the most well-known historical landmark in Fuyang. It was constructed in 1796 during the Qing Dynasty. Wen Feng Pagoda was built after Kuixing Tower, which was first built in AD 1574 during the Ming Dynasty. Both the towers are geomantic towers, which are said in legend to have reversed the region's weakening literary development. The West Lake of Yingzhou, the Nanhu Park (South Lake Park) and Zhangzhuang Park are also recommendable. The West Lake of Yingzhou, 15 km from Fuyang's city center, has beautiful scenery. It consists of a stele forest, many ancient style buildings and garden buildings.

Fuyang has various local snacks, which are delicious and nutritious. Zhen Tou Mo (a kind of steamed flour food), Ge La Tiao (spicy noodles), Fen Ji (a mixture of chicken meat, egg, mushrooms, dasheen powder and other seasonings) and Pi Si (sliced braised pig skin) are beloved by the local people.