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Profiles of China Provinces, Cities and Industrial Parks



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Content provided by :  China Knowledge
   
5 Sept 2011
Chaozhou ( Guangdong ) City Information

Major Economic Indicators (2010)

Land Area (km2) 3,078
Population (million) 2.6
GDP (RMB billion) 55.92
GDP Composition
Primary Industry 7.2%
Secondary Industry
(Industry & Contruction)		 56.3%
Tertiary Industry (Service) 36.5%
GDP Per Capita (RMB) 21,661
Unemployment Rate 2.46%
Fixed Asset Investment (RMB billion) 18.28
Utilized FDI (USD million) 112
Total Import & Export (USD million) 3,820
Export (USD million) 2,340
Import (USD million) 1,480
Sales of Consumer Goods (RMB billion) 24.55
Source Source: Chaozhou Economic and Social Development Report 2010

 

 
Introduction
 
Chaozhou, lying in the eastern part of Guangdong Province, is at the intersection of Guangdong Province and Fujian Province. The city neighbors Shantou to the South, Jieyang to the southwest, Meizhou the northwest, Fujian Province to the east and faces the South China Sea to the southeast.

Chaozhou, covers an area of 3,078 sq km and has a population of 2.6 million. Many people from Chaozhou live in Hong Kong, Macau and foreign countries. In Hong Kong, the Chaozhou People are called "Chiu Chow Loun", which indicates their place of origin, as Chiu Chow is Chaozhou in Cantonese. Chaozhou people are reputed to be hard-working because they have started many businesses in China and abroad. Many Chinese enterprisers are Chaozhou people, such as the Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.

The city has access to convenient transportation. The Guangzhou-Meizhou-Shantou Railway, the Shenzhen-Shantou Highway, the Chaozhou-Jieyang Highway and the Shantou-Jieyang Highway run across the city, connecting the city with other major cities in Guangdong Province. The city is merely 200 km from Xiamen, 300 km from Shenzhen and 400 km from Guangzhou. The Shantou Airport, 30 km from downtown Chaozhou, offers daily flights to Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao and other major domestic cities. Chaozhou has a subtropical oceanic monsoon climate, with hot summers and cool winters. The average temperature is about 21°C.
 
Economic Features
 
Chaozhou's economy is relatively small for Guangdong, which has the largest economy in China in terms of GDP in 2010. The city's GDP rose 14.1% from a year earlier to RMB55.92 billion in 2010, making it the fourth smallest economy in Guangdong Province. The agricultural sector, the industrial sector and the service sector made up 7.2%, 56.3% and 36.5% of the city's economy, respectively.

The gross industrial output reached RMB105.7 billion in 2010, of which 67.9% were contributed by enterprises with designated size and above.

Ceramics, plastic products, food processing, textiles and garments, stainless steel-related products, printing, non-metal products and electric power production and supply are the major industries in the city. The total value-added industrial output from these industries exceeded RMB 11.9 billion in 2010, accounting for 37.4% of the city's total.

Yashili Group, Chaozhou Sanyuan Ceramics, Sitong Group and Guangdong Famory Group are the leading industrial enterprises in the city. Yashili Group was set up in 1983. It is a private firm specializing in the manufacture of Yashili-branded milk powder, soybean milk, oat-meal and rice flour. The sales revenue of Yashili was estimated at RMB 4 billion in 2009.

As a national historical and cultural city, Chaozhou attracted over 2.4 million tourists in 2007. The tourism revenue in the city increased by 13.1% to RMB 3.1 billion, accounting for 1.3% of Guangdong's total.

Foreign trade value in Chaozhou rose 37.2% to US$3.82 billion in 2010, comprising export value of US$2.34 billion and import value of US$1.48 billion. The major export products from the city consist of ceramics, mechanical and electronic products, textiles and garments, shoes and food. Ceramics, the main export product, surpassed US$940 million in export value, making up 40.2% of the city's total. Exports to the E.U. and the U.S. are the major export destinations.

Chaozhou's utilized FDI rose 11% from a year earlier to US$112 million in 2010. About 94.9% went to the manufacturing sector. 
 
Cultural Highlights
 

Chaozhou enjoys a long history. In 214BC, during the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), the region was under the administration of Nanhai Shire. In AD331, Haiyang County was set up as a part of Dongguan Shire. The region has borne several names, including Yi'an Shire, Xunzhou and Chaozhou.

It was first named Chaozhou during the Sui Dynasty (AD581-618). It had served as a political, economical and cultural center in Guangdong for a long time. Chaozhou is well-known for its Lingnan Culture. Chaozhou Opera has over 500 years of history. It was formed on the basis of local folk dances and ballads. Gongfu Tea is still an important part of local culture in Chaozhou. Originating from the Song Dynasty, it has a bitter taste.
 
Tourist Attraction
 

Chaozhou is rich in cultural, historical and natural tourism resources. Popular tourist destinations in Chaozhou include Beige Fodeng (the Lighthouse of Buddha, used by boats in the Hanjiang River), Guangji Gate Tower, Guangzi Bridge, Jiadingxiang (an ancient residence), the City Wall from the Ming Dyansty, Xu Fuma Mansion (Fuma means imperial son-in-law in Chinese) and Xihu Park. Guangji Gate Tower was constructed during the Ming Dynasty, and has over 600 years of history. It is located in Tuolin Town. The gate tower is a major symbol of Chaozhou. Guangzi Bridge was built in AD1170, during the Southern Song Dynasty.

Chaozhou cuisine is one of the major subtypes of Guangdong cuisine. It has a light taste and keeps the original flavors of the dishes. The most famous ones are Braised Goose, Chaozhou Braised Duck, Run Bin (also known as Popiah, which is very thin dough made from wheat flour and filled with stir-fried turnip), Steamed Dumpling and Thin Noodle.
 
Honors
 

National Historical and Cultural City (1986)
-State Council of P.R. China

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