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City Introduction of Guangdong, China: Chaozhou

Published: 10 Apr 2009 16:39:35 PST

Chaozhou

Major Economic indicators (2007)

Land Area	19,153 km²
Population	2.5 million
GDP	RMB 38.8 billion (US$5.2 billion), 14.2% up
GDP Composition
Primary Industry (Agriculture)	9.1%
Secondary Industry (Industry&Construction)	56.4%
Tertiary Industry(Service)	34.5%
GDP Per Capita	RMB 15,256 (US$2,028)
Unemployment Rate	2.4%
Fixed Asset Investment	RMB 12.1 billion (US$1.6 billion), 10.3% up
Utilized FDI	US$82 million, 21% up
Total Import & Export	US$2.2 billion, 4.3% down
Export	US$1.8 billion, 1.8% down
Import	US$430 million, 13.5% down
Sales of Consumer Goods	RMB 14.2 billion (US$1.9 billion), 19.8% up

Source: Chaozhou Economic and Social Development Report 2007

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, the largest city in Guangdong, covers an area of 19,153 sq m and has a population of 2.5 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 Port handled 2.87 million tons of freight in 2007.