Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Foshan Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Foshan is situated in the central and southern part of Guangdong Province. Lying in the Pearl River Delta, it is adjacent to Guangzhou to the east, and Hong Kong and Macau to the south. It takes only two hours to drive from Foshan to Hong Kong and Macau, and one hour to Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong. Foshan covers an area of 3,848 km² and has a population of 5.9 million. The city enjoys a humid subtropical climate, with mild winters and hot summers.

Bordering Guangzhou, Foshan is within one hour's drive from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, Guangzhou Port and Guangzhou Railway Station. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport handled nearly 31 million passengers and 695,093 tons of freight in 2007, ranking second and third in mainland China. Guangzhou Port, ranked the third-largest container port in China in terms of container traffic in 2007, handled 9.2 million TEUs in the same year. Guangzhou Railway Stations offers daily routes to all the major cities, while Guangzhou-Zhuhai Highway, Guangzhou-Zhanjiang Highway, Guangzhou-Foshan Highway and Guangzhou-Zhaoqing Highway all run through Foshan.

Economic Features

In 2007, the GDP of Foshan increased by 19.2% to RMB 358.9 billion, ranking eleventh among the cities in mainland China and third overall in Guangdong. The added value from the industry sector rose 22.7% to RMB 118 billion in 2007, contributing 64.9% to the city's GDP.

The gross industrial output from the light industry rose 30.3% year-on-year to RMB 406 billion in 2007, while that from the heavy industry soared 30.6% year to RMB 434.8 billion in the same period. Foshan has developed equipment manufacturing, metallurgy, chemicals and petrochemicals, plastic products-manufacturing and electronics as its major industries. The gross industrial output from these major industries exceeded RMB 532 billion, comprising 63.3% of Foshan's total industrial output.

Foshan is an important home appliance-producing base in China. In 2007, Foshan produced 4.3 million household refrigerators, 14.6 million air-conditioners and 32.8 million electric fans, accounting for 9.8%, 18.2% and 21.2% of China's total respectively. Foshan serves as headquarters to many home appliance giants in China, such as Midea, Macro, Kelon and Glanz.

Guangdong Macro, established in 1985, specializes in the manufacturing of gas heaters, stoves, ovens, electrical water-heaters, extractor hoods and other kitchen appliances. It has an annual production capacity of 2 million gas heaters and 1.5 million gas ovens, being the largest gas apparatus-producer in China. Midea Group was founded in 1968 and commenced producing electrical home-appliances in 1980. Major products include air-conditioners, refrigerators, microwave ovens, dishwashers, electric fans and other household appliances. In 2007, its sales revenue hit RMB 75 billion.

The foreign trade value of Foshan rose 22.2% year-on-year to US$37.8 billion in 2007, ranking fifth in Guangdong. The export value hit US$26.2 billion, up 23.9% year-on-year. Major export products are mechanical and electrical products, which totaled US$16.7 in 2007 and accounted for 63.7% of the total export value in Foshan. The largest foreign-trade partner of Foshan is Hong Kong, with foreign-trade value of the two cities climbing 26.4% year-on-year to US$6.8 billion.

Foshan attracted US$2.7 billion FDI in 2007, with an increase of 50.4% year-on-year. The utilized FDI amounted to US$1.6 billion in the same year, a rise of 38.3% year-on-year. Hong Kong is the largest investor in Foshan. Since 1997, nearly two-thousand Hong Kong-based companies have set foot in Foshan, with the utilized FDI accumulating to US$4.8 billion in the period of 1997 to 2007.

Cultural Highlights

Foshan has a long history of stretching back approximately five-thousand years, when the Baiyue Tribe started to live in the area of what is currently known as Foshan. During the Tang Dynasty (AD618-917), Foshan, which means “Buddha Mountain” in Chinese, got its current name when three Buddha statues were discovered in the area. Due to the temperate climate and abundant rainfalls, Foshan has been a land of fish and rice since ancient times. Foshan is also known as one of the homes to Chinese ceramics and Cantonese opera. 

Tourist Attractions

Highlights of tourist attractions in Foshan include Xiqiao Mountain, Sanshui Lotus World, Bruce Lee's Ancestors' House, Foshan Zumiao (Ancestral) Temple and Nanhai Kwan-yin Temple. Xiqiao Mountain, located in the south-west of the Nanhui District, has seventy-two peaks, thirty-six caves, two-hundred springs and twenty-eight waterfalls. The local cuisines in Foshan feature diversity of local flavors and specialties. The most popular cuisines in Foshan consist of Foshan Manggong (Blind Man) Cake, Double-skin Milk, Wonton Noodle and Jidi Porridge. 

Major Development Zones

There is one state-level development zone in Foshan; namely, Foshan High-tech Industrial Development Zone.

State-level Development Zones in Foshan

Source: National Development and Reform Commission of P.R. China

Honors

National Environmental Protection Model City (2008)
- National Environmental Protection Bureau of P.R. China

National Hygienic City (2007)
- Ministry of Health of P. R. China  

Historical and Cultural City (1994)
-State Council