Major Economic indicators (2007)

Source: Suihua Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Suihua, a prefecture-level city in the southern part of Heilongjiang Province, is adjacent to Yichun to the east, Harbin, the provincial capital, to the south, Daqing to the west and Heihe to the north. It covers an area of 35,211 sq km and has a population of 5.8 million.

Transportation in Suihua is very convenient. The Harbin-Jiamusi Railway, the Harbin-Bei'an Railway and the Harbin-Manzhouli Railway go through the city, linking the city with other cities in Heilongjiang Province. The Harbin-Suihua Highway, connected with the Beijing-Harbin Highway, makes the city easily accessible by highway. Harbin Airport, a 1.5-hour drive from Suihua, operates 68 domestic routes and 23 international routes, offering flights to large cities including Beijing, Shanghai and Tokyo.

The city enjoys a temperate continental monsoon climate with cold, windy winters and warm, humid summers. The average temperature in Suihua is between 1.3-4 Celsius.

Economic Features

In 2007, Suihua's GDP hit RMB 45.8 billion, representing a steady growth of 11.5% over the previous year. Its GDP accounted for 6.5% of Heilongjiang Province's total and ranked fourth in the province, following Harbin, Daqing and Qiqihar.

The service sector, the main sector in Suihua, generated value-added output of RMB 19.9 billion, contributing 43.5% to the city's GDP. The agricultural sector, which is also strong, realized value-added output of RMB 15.1 billion, making up 33.1% of the city's GDP. The secondary industry (construction and industry) earned value-added output of RMB 10.7 billion, composing 23.4% of the city's GDP.

Suihua is an agricultural production hub in Heilongjiang. In 2007, it produced 8.5 million tons of crops, accounting for 21.4% of the province's total crop output. Corn is the major agricultural product in the city. In 2007, it produced 5.6 million tons of corn, making up 35.2% of the province's total. 

In 2007, the gross industrial output in Suihua totaled RMB 14.5 billion, to which light industry and heavy industry contributed 68.5% and 31.5%, respectively. Agricultural products processing is the largest industry in Suihua. It attracted investments from large domestic companies, such as Henan-based Shineway<000895>, a leading meat processor, and Inner Mongolia-based Yili, a large diary products manufacturer and supplier. Yili built a dairy production base in Zhaodong, a county-level city of Suihua, in 2001. The production base gained operating revenue of over RMB 260 million in 2007.

Other pillar industries in Suihua include chemicals, petrochemicals, textiles and machinery. Wynca<6000596>, a Hangzhou-based raw chemical and chemical products maker, set up a joint venture, namely Wynca Silicon Materials Company, with Zhejiang Kaihua Yuantong Silicon Industry in Suihua in 2008. The new venture, with registered capital of RMB 60 million, is expected to produce 100,000 tons chemical silica. The initial stage of the project is scheduled to end in 2009.

Suihua's consumer market is very active. In 2007, the sales of consumer goods in the city rose 15.9% to RMB 15.4 billion, accounting for 6.6% of Heilongjiang Province's total and ranking sixth out of 13 prefecture and prefecture-level cities in the province.

In 2007, the foreign trade value in Suihua exceeded US$44.7 million, sinking 17.9% from the previous year. The export value hit US$34.9 million, down 8.7% year on year, while the import value reached US$9.8 million, down 60.3% year on year. Agricultural products, wooden products and linen products are the major export products from Suihua.

The utilized FDI in Suihua reached US$31.3 million in 2007, increasing by 25.0% from a year earlier.

Cultural Highlights

Suihua's history stretches back to over 10,000 years ago. As early as in the Paleolithic Age, human beings started living in this region. During the Xia and Shang Dynasties, the Sushen people, the ancestors of the Manchu, inhabited in this region. Suihua's agriculture developed fast during the Yuan Dynasty.

Since the Ming Dynasty, Suihua has been inhabited by many ethnic minority groups, such as Mongols and Koreans. Their folk arts, costumes, traditions and festivals are well-preserved in this city.

Tourist Attractions

Sansheng Gong, Hailun Saint Joseph's Church and Xiwa Wetland are the top scenic spots in Suihua. Sansheng Gong, also called Three Sages Palace, was first built in 1924. It is a large temple, which has large statues of the greatest sages of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. The temple has 10 mansions, 1 pavilion and 81 halls. Xiwa Wetland is famous for diverse wild animals, such as wild ducks, larks and grey cranes.

Suiha provides tourists a large variety of characteristic local dishes, such as Stewed Pork with Potato Noodles (or bean noodles), Guo Bao Rou (sweet-and-sour fried pork) and La Pi (a kind of potato noodles mixed with cucumber, sesame oil and ginger).