Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Changzhou Economic & Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Changzhou, located on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, neighbors Nanjing to the west, Zhenjiang to the northwest, Wuxi to the east and Anhui to the south. Situated in the southern part of Jiangsu, it is about 170 km from Shanghai, the economic and commercial hub in China. It enjoys a humid monsoon climate.

Changzhou Airport, 15 km away from downtown, offers domestic routes to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Kunming, Harbin and Dalian. Shanghai Pudong International Airport and Nanjing Lukou International Airport are 200 km and 120 km away respectively. The Beijing-Shanghai Railway, the Shanghai-Nanjing Expressway and the Grand Canal go through the city, connecting it with other major domestic cities. Changzhou Port is one of the major inland river ports along the Yangtze River. It is 150 km from Shanghai Port, the largest port in China. In 2007, the cargo throughput in Changzhou Port exceeded 20 million tons.

Economic Features

In 2007, the GDP of Changzhou increased by 15.6% year-on-year to RMB 188 billion, ranking fifth among all the cities in Jiangsu. The industrial sector, dominated by heavy industries, achieved an added value of RMB 112.2 billion, contributing 59.6% to the city's economy. In 2007, the gross industrial output from the heavy industries rose 35.1% year-on-year to RMB 322.2 billion, accounting for 75.8% of the GDP of the city.

The major industries - ferrous metal refining and processing, chemical, electronic machinery,  textile and general equipment manufacturing, have achieved an industrial output of RMB 235.5 billion, making up 55.4% of the city's total industrial output from enterprises with the designated size and above.

ZENITH Group, the largest steel maker in Changzhou, generated RMB 17.8 billion worth of industrial output in 2007, representing an increase of over 25% year-on-year. CNOOC, the largest offshore oil refiner in China, has a coating research institute in Changzhou. In 2008, it decided to set an environment-protection coating production base there, with an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons.  

Changzhou sees stable growth in foreign trade. In 2007, the foreign trade value of the city edged up 26.6% year-on-year to US$13.2 billion, including exports of US$9.9 billion and imports of US$3.4 billion. The export value of electronic and mechanical products reached US$4.9 billion, accounting for 49.9% of the total. The major foreign trade partners are the E.U. (US$2 billion), the U.S. (US$1.88 billion) and Japan (US$1.2 billion).

It attracted over 401 new foreign-funded projects in 2007. The FDI topped US$4.4 billion, up 33.5%, and the utilized FDI increased 46.6% to US$1.83 billion. The state and province-level development zones generated US$2.86 billion FDI, accounting for 65% of the city's total.

Cultural Highlights

Changzhou's history can be traced back to over 3,000 years ago, when it was a walled town at the beginning of the West Zhou Dynasty. It got its present name (“ordinary prefecture” in Chinese) in 589AD. It served as a canal port and transfer point for agricultural products after the construction of the Grand Canal.

Tourist Attractions

The town of Yancheng, with a history of 3000 years, is the most famous tourist attraction in Changzhou. Three moats in the town are used from spring to autumn. The Tianmu Lake, Combs Alley, China Dinosaur Park and Maoshan Mountain have also attracted numerous tourists. Steamed Crab Baozi, Glutinous Rice Ball and Three-Flavors Steamed Buns are well-known traditional dishes in its cuisine.

Major Development Zones

There are 2 state-level development zones, namely Changzhou Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone and Changzhou Export Processing Zone.

State-level Development Zones in Changzhou

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

Honors

National Garden City (2007)
--- Ministry of Construction of P.R. China