Major Economic indicators (2007)

Source: Shuangyashan Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Shuangyashan, seated in the northeastern part of Heilongjiang Province, faces Russia across the Ussuri River (or Wusuli River) in the east. It is adjacent to Jixi to the south, Jiamusi to the west and Tongjiang to the north. Harbin, the provincial capital of Heilongjiang Province, is situated 430 km from the city. Shuangyashan covers an area of 26,483 sq km, of which 38.4% is forested. The city has a cold temperate monsoon climate, with long, cold, windy winters. The average temperature in the city is about 3 Celsius.

The city is rich in coal, magnetite and marble. The proven coal reserves in the city total 11 billion tons, ranking first out of 13 prefecture and prefecture-level cities in the province. The magnetite reserves in Shuangyashan exceed 120 million tons, ranking first in the province.

Transportation in Shuangyashan is convenient. The city is 80 km from Jiamusi Airport, which operates regular flights to Beijing, Dalian, Shanghai, Qingdao, Guangzhou, Sanya and Khabarovsk. Shuangyashan Railway Station offers daily trains to Jiamusi and Harbin.

Economic Features

In 2007, Shuangyashan's GDP reached RMB 20.6 billion, featuring a growth of 14.2% from a year ago. It constituted 2.9% of Heilongjiang Province's total and ranked eighth among the 13 prefecture and prefecture-level cities in the province.

Secondary industry (construction and industry), the strongest sector of Shuangyashan's economy, gained value-added output of RMB 8.8 billion in 2007, comprising 42.8% of the city's GDP. Value-added output from primary industry and secondary industry soared 6.0% and 12.0% to RMB 5.92 billion and RMB 5.89 billion, accounting for 28.7% and 28.5% of the city's GDP, respectively.

Shuangyashan's major agricultural products consist of corn, beans and sugar beets. In 2007, it produced 717,000 tons of corn, 266,000 tons of beans and 100,000 tons of sugar beets, making up 4.5%, 5.4% and 4.2% of Heilongjiang Province's total, respectively.

In 2007, value-added output generated by enterprises with designated size or above soared 35.1% to RMB 4.8 billion, accounting for 60.6% of the city's total. Heavy industrial enterprises and light industrial enterprises with designated size or above generated value-added industrial output of RMB 4.2 billion and RMB 0.6 billion, constituting 87.5% and 12.5% of the city's total, respectively.

Coal mining and dressing, metallurgy, agricultural products processing and construction materials are the pillar industries in Shuangyashan. In 2007, the output of coal and pig iron surpassed 21.1 million tons and 1.3 million tons, comprising 26.4% and 35.1% of the province's total, respectively. The city has attracted investments from large domestic companies, such as Jianlong Group and Shandong Luneng Group.

Beijing-based Jianlong Group, whose businesses cover energy development, iron and steel making, shipbuilding and machinery, set up Heilongjiang Jianlong Steel & Iron in Shuangyashan in 2003, and had invested a total of RMB 5 billion by the end of 2008. The Shuangyashan unit earned total sales revenue of RMB 20 billion from 2003 to 2008. Shandong Luneng Group, which is a Shandong Province-based energy provider, planned to invest RMB 2.5 billion into an 11-million-ton coal mine in Shuangyashan in 2008.

Tourism and retailing and wholesaling are the pillars of the city's service sector. In 2007, Shuangyashan attracted 1.3 million foreign and domestic tourists, which brought the city RMB 240 million in tourism income, rising 25.0% from a year ago. Sales of consumer goods increased by 16.0% from a year earlier to RMB 4 billion, ranking ninth in the province.

In 2007, foreign trade value in the city surged 194.8% to US$737 million, consisting of US$723 million in export value and US$14 million in import value. Russia is the largest foreign trade partner of Shuangyashan. The foreign trade value with Russia soared 21.0% to US$260 million, accounting for 36.0% of the city's total. The utilized FDI in the city stood at US$15.8 million.

Cultural Highlights

Shuangyashan, whose name means “double duck mountains,” derives its name from two nearby mountains. It has a long history of over 7,000 years. It was given its name in AD 1384 during the Ming Dynasty.

Shuangyashan is the origin place of the Qing Dynasty. In 1616, Nuer Hachi set up the Qing Empire in the territory and became the first emperor of the Qing Dynasty.

Tourist Attractions

Shuangyashan is surrounded by many parks, including Beixiu Park and Yishou Park. Beixiu Park, covering an area of 0.23 sq km, lies at the foot of Maanshan Hill. The Anbang River runs through the park from east to west. The park is famous for its flowers and forests. The city is rich in historical sites, such as Fenglin Ancient City and Paotaishan Ruins, which are an artifact of the Manchu.

Stewed Chicken with Mushrooms, Roasted Mutton or Pork and Stewed Pork with Potato or Bean Noodles are the most characteristic local dishes in Shuangyashan.