Major Economic indicators (2007)

Source: Chuzhou Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Chuzhou lies in the eastern part of Anhui Province, and the Yangtze River flows through the city. The city neighbors Hefei, the provincial capital, to the southwest, Huainan to the west, Bengbu to the northwest, Chaohu to the south and Jiangsu Province to the east. Chuzhou is 120 km from Hefei, 59 km from Nanjing and 300 km from Shanghai. It covers an area of 13,398 sq km and has a population of 4.1 million.

The city has a comprehensive transportation network. The Bengbu-Nanjing highway, the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, State Highway 104 and State Highway 312 run through the city. Chuzhou Port, a major port in Anhui, handled 11.5 million tons of cargo in 2007. Nanjing Port, 120 km from Chuzhou, is the largest inland-river petrochemical and liquid chemical transfer port in China. It was also the third largest inland port in China in terms of cargo throughput in 2007, with cargo throughput exceeding 1 million TEUs. Nanjing Lukou International Airport and Hefei Luogang Airport are located 100 km from the city, offering daily flights to most major cities in China.

Chuzhou has a subtropical monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons. The rainy season lasts from mid-June to early July.

Economic Features

Chuzhou is the sixth largest economy among the 17 prefecture-level cities in Anhui Province in terms of GDP in 2007. The city's GDP grew 12.8% from a year earlier to RMB 44.4 billion in 2007, comprising more than 6% of Anhui's total. The agricultural sector, industrial sector and service sector contributed 25.9%, 40.2% and 33.9% to the city's economy, respectively.

The agricultural sector gained value-added output of RMB 11.5 billion in 2007, comprising 9.5% of Anhui's total value-added output from the agricultural sector. The crop output in the city was up 7.5% year on year to record high of 4.2 million tons, accounting for 14.5% of Anhui's total crop output.

The value-added industrial output from enterprises with designated size and above climbed up 24.3% year on year to RMB 12.1 billion, to which heavy industry and light industry contributed 55.7% and 44.3%, respectively.

Chuzhou has emerged as a home appliance manufacturing base in China. The industrial output value from the home appliance manufacturing industry in Chuzhou rose 20% to RMB 10.4 billion in 2007, accounting for nearly one third of Anhui's total. Over 780 enterprises are engaged in the manufacture of electric home appliances. Chuzhou has attracted a large number of home appliance giants to invest in the city, such as Bosch, Siemens, Konka and Aucma. Konka set up Anhui Konka Electronic Co Ltd in 2003 with investments totaling RMB 50 million, making Chuzhou its largest white electronic appliance producing base in China.

Other pillar industries in the city include furniture, petrochemicals, metallurgy, equipment and instrument manufacturing and paper making. Anhui Quanchai Group, Anhui Jinda Oil Company, and Anhui Tiankang Group are the major industrial enterprises in the city. Anhui Quanchai, set up in 1949, is a state-owned firm specializing in the production of harvest machines, farming machines, engineering and construction materials. It had total assets of RMB 1.6 billion in 2007.

The service sector generated value-added output of over RMB 15 billion in 2007, up 11.8% year on year. The consumer market in the city is very active. The sales of consumer goods rose 17.5% year on year to RMB 12.6 billion, making up 5.2% of Anhui Province's total sales of consumer goods.

The city saw a booming foreign trade in 2007. The foreign trade value in the city surpassed US$475 million in the same period, representing an increase of 20.1% year on year. The export value in the city hit US$380 million, with a growth of 27.3% from 2006. Mechanical and electronic products remained the main export products. Exports to Asian nations and countries increased by 22.6% year on year to US$136 million, accounting for more than one third of the total export value in the city.

In 2007, the utilized FDI in the city more than doubled, reaching US$106.4 million. The city has long been a hot foreign investment destination, as Siemens and Bosch, the large German home appliance makers, jointly acquired a 70% stake in Yangzi Refrigerator Plant in 1996 for US$82 million and set up a subsidiary in 1997.

Cultural Highlights

The Guchu River, which is also called the Zhuozhang River, lent the city the name of "Chuzhou". Several tribes settled down in the territory as early as the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC). The region has borne several names, such as Chuli, Lifang and Li. In AD589, during the Sui Dynasty, Chuzhou obtained its current name. Fengyang County of Chuzhou is famed for traditional folk art. It is the origin place for Anhui's famous Flower Drum (Hua Gu) Dance.

Tourist Attractions

Chuzhou has many scenic spots, including Langya Mountain Scenic Area, Huangfu Mountain National Forest Park, Old Drunkard's Pavilion, Jiushan Cave, Jiushan National Forest Park and Fengyang Ming Ancient Tower. Langya Mountain Scenic Area, situated southwest of Chuzhou, covers an area of 115 sq km. In addition to beautiful scenery, Langya also has many historical sites. The Langya Temple, constructed during the Tang Dynasty, is also located in the area. The Old Drunkard's Pavilion (Zuiwong Pavilion) was praised by Ouyang Xiu in his great literary work "Zuiwong Pavilion".

Steaming Whitebait, Langya Crispy Candy, Snowflake Cake and Li Ji Pancake are the most characteristic local snacks in Chuzhou.