City Introduction of Guangxi, China: Baise

Major Economic Indicators (2007)

Source: Baise Economic and Social Development Report 2007

Introduction

Baise is located in the western part of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, bordering Guizhou Province, Yunnan Province and Vietnam. It covers an area of 36,252 sq km. Its population is 3.8 million.

Baise has a subtropical monsoon climate with plentiful rainfall, and no extremely hot summer or bitter cold winter. The average temperature is 19-22°C, while the average annual precipitation totals 1,200-2,000 mm.

Baise is rich in natural resources. It is a famous subtropical fruit and vegetable base in Guangxi and in China. Forests cover 58.6% of the city’s lands. Baise is replete with mineral resources such as bauxite, copper, crystal, lignite, and gold. Prospective reserves of bauxite total 1 billion tons, accounting for almost one third of China's total.

Baise has a very convenient transportation system. The Baise Airport, 38 km from the city’s downtown area, operates flights to cities such as Guilin, Nanning, and Guangzhou. The Nanning-Kunming, Shantou-Kunming, and Baotou-Youyi Pass Expressways, State Highway 323 and State Highway 324 run through the city. In addition, the Nanning-Kunming Railway, the trunk railway in southwest of Guangxi, also runs across Baise and connects the city with Nanning and Kunming, the capitals of Guangxi and Yunnan, respectively.

Economic Features

Baise realized GDP of RMB 34.9 billion in 2007, representing a rise of 18.7% year on year. The city's GDP accounted for approximately 5.9% of Guangxi's total and ranked fifth in the autonomous region.

The value-added output of secondary industry (industry and construction) amounted to RMB 17.6 billion, accounting for 50.4% of the city's total.

Aluminum and aluminum-related industries are the pillar industries of the city. In 2007, industrial output of these industries contributed half of the city's total. In addition, petrochemicals, energy, coal, manganese smelting, building materials, sugar production and paper making have also been developing rapidly.

According to the eleventh five-year development layout (2006-2010), Baise is expected to realize industrial output of 5 million tons of alumina (worth RMB 20 billion) and 2 million tons of electrolytic aluminum and aluminum alloy (worth RMB 40 billion) by the end of 2010.

The service sector contributed 27.5% of the city's total GDP in 2007. During 2007, 5.6 million tourists visited the city, 5.7 times as many as in 2002, while tourism income totaled RMB 2.5 billion, increasing 8.8 times compared to that of 2002.

In 2007, the total value of imports and exports amounted to US$439 million (comprising export value of US$171 million and import value of US$268 million), up 35.2% year on year. The city’s major trading goods are aluminum, electrolytic manganese and pre-baked anode. They realized export value of US$92.4 million, accounting for 56.7% of the total export value. Exports sell primarily to countries in the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Cultural Highlights

Baise has a revolutionary history. Youjiang Revolutionary Base, established by Deng Xiaoping in 1929, has become one of the red tourism (revolutionary tourism) spots in China. Baise Uprising Memorial is also ranked as one of the country's 100 Patriotism Educational Demonstration Bases by China’s Publicity Department.

In addition, Baise is a multi-cultural city with 7 ethnic minority groups, including the Zhuang, the Miao, the Yi, the Molao and the Yao. They live together harmoniously and retain their cultural legacy and life practices. The minority groups account for almost 80% of the city's total population.

Tourist Attractions

Baise not only has a profound revolutionary history, but also has beautiful scenery. Chuandong Heavenly Pit, Daweishi Heavely Pit, Naling Cave, Shuiyuan Cave, Chengbi Lake, and Jiangmei Debao Short Horse Paradise are worth traveling to.

Mango from the Youjiang river valley, hawthorn from Jingxi County, fennel from Debao County and pekoe from Lingyun County are popular in the city.

Honor

Top Tourist City of China (2007)

--- National Tourism Administration of China