Weifang City

I. Facts about Weifang
Situated in the middle of Shandong Peninsula, Weifang City is the world famous hometown of kite. It enjoys the temperate continental semi-humid monsoon climate. Weifang has distinctive four seasons with hot summer and cold winter. Its annual average temperature is 12.3℃, with an annual frost-free period about 200 days, annual accumulated temperature of 4700℃, and annual average rainfall of 700 mm above. Approved by the State Council, Weifang became a prefecture-level city in 1983, with Quiwen District, Weicheng District, Fangzi District, Hanting District, Shouguang City, Qingzhou City, Anqiu City, Zhucheng City, Gaomi City, Changyi City, Linqu County and Changle County under its jurisdiction. Weifang covers an area of 15,900 sq. km with a population of 8.47 million.

By year of 2002, the city’s GNP was up to RMB 89.5 billion yuan. All the 12 cities, districts and counties reached the well-off level. Weifang borders the Tai-Yi Mountain Range on the south. The mountains and hills account for 28.7% of the total area of Wenfang and the flat and broad plain in the middle covers 57.7% of that. To the north is Laizhou Bay of Bohai Sea, with a 113 km long coastline. The beach and shoal account for 13.6% of the total area of Weifang.

Weifang City is a region abundant in natural resources, with great potential in development. The land area of the city accounts for 10.1% of that of Shandong province. There are thirty-nine kinds of minerals proven with exploitation value, of which the reserves of communalizebentonite, zeolite and sapphire etc are the largest in Shandong province. Besides, Weifang is also the biggest producer of crude salt and the base of salt chemical industry.

II. Infrastructure
Located in the middle part of Shandong Peninsula, Weifang is the transportation pivot axis. In recent years, it accelerates the construction with highways as the backbone, sea, and road and air transportation as the main channels, port and station as the pivot axis. A three-dimensional transportation network of sea, road and air transports has been formed. By the end of 2002, up to 7,475 km mileage road (excluding that in towns and villages) had been opened to traffic and the density of highways has reached to 47.1 km/100 sq. km. Jinan-Qingdao Expressway crosses the city from west to east. Weifang-Laiyang Expressway was opened to traffic in 1999. Jiaozhou-Jinan Railway goes through the whole territory. The three local railways in Yiyang, Zhaiyang and Qinglin have been opened to traffic. As the second-class open port, Weifang Port accomplished a handling capacity of 2.37 million tons in 2002, increasing 68.1% over the last year. Weifang Airport, the 4D-level civil airport, has opened 3 air routes. In 2002, the post and telecommunication industry contributed total operation quantity RMB 2.25 billion yuan, 39.1% over the last year. The number of mobile phone customers reached to 1.31 million, 76.3% over the last year. The popularization rate of telephone amounts to 35.7%. In terms of energy source, Weifang is one of the areas abundant in power in Shandong province. The number of substation, the capacity of per capita power, the length of per capita cable and per capita power supply all rank the first in Shandong province. The city’s living environment has been improved greatly. The capacity of daily water supply reaches to 410,000 tons. Great development has been made in prevention and cure of water pollution. Air and noise pollution has been controlled effectively. The city’s afforestation coverage is up to 32.08%. Per capita greenery patches are 6.18 sq. m.

III. Economic Development
Agriculture
Weifang is one of the largest producers of agricultural and sideline products. It is also the original place of agricultural industrialization in the state. The agricultural overall productivity, the extent of peasant systematization, the scientific and technological level of agriculture and the output of agricultural products rank in the top ones in Shandong Province as well as in China. Planting industry is a major part of Weifang’s agriculture. The main crops are wheat and corn. It is the key production area of wheat in China. The sown area of corn and the per unit area yield are among the tops in Shandong Province. Weifang is the key production area of melons and vegetables. It has complete varieties of melons and vegetables with fine planting technology, gaining fame throughout the nation for its land protection and pesticide-free planting. Weifang is one of the key fruit production areas in Shandong Province. The main varieties are apple, pear, grape, hawthorn, persimmon, peach, apricot and chestnut etc. Animal husbandry is the mainstay industry of the agricultural economy in Weifang. The production value of animal husbandry has accounted for half of the agricultural gross production. The main species are pig, chick, horse, cow, sheep and rabbit etc. Besides, Weifang enjoys good natural conditions for aquatic development. The shoal in the north is a pleasant place for the breeding of prawn, clam and seashell etc. There is still a water area of over 500,000 mu which can be put to use inland. The seawater cultivating area for prawn breeding reaches 320,000 mu, freshwater cultivating area 290,000 mu. The productivity of ocean fishery and seawater and freshwater breeding capacity take the lead in Shandong Province.

Industry
Weifang is a handicraft city historically, and also one of the industrial bases in modern China. An industrial system with products of 10 categories has taken shape. The 10 categories are ocean chemical industry, telecommunication and infomation processing, dynamic machinery, vehicles for agriculture transportation, garment and upholstery fabrics, chemical fiber, food and drink, papermaking and packing, new building materials, medicine and health-care products. The main products cover over 5,000 varieties, more 600 varieties of which are sold to over 140 countries and regions throughout the world. The main economic technological indexes rank the top ones in the province. There are 60 county-level or above industrial enterprises groups, among which is Shandong Ocean Chemical Group. The group is listed among the 120 national trial enterprises groups that are carried the further reforms. It is also one of the 8 key enterprises groups supported by the province. The company, together with Yaxing Group and Chenming Group is ranked among the 512 enterprises supported by the state. The Ocean Chemical Group, Juli, Chenming, Zhucheng Foreign Trade, Julong Chemical Fiber and other enterprises achieve over RMB 1 billion yuan sale revenue and more than RMB 100 million yuan in profit and tax. The products such as diesel engine, tractor and sodium carbonate are well known in the domestic and international markets and have a big share in the market.

Tertiary Industry
Weifang is a commercial city historically. Since China opened up to the outside world, the city has based itself upon constructing a big city, enlivening extensive circulation, developing big trade, smoothing market channel and reviving purchase and sale. The Peninsula business and trade town has been taken a primary shape. The framework of it consists of business and trade center, tourism and entertainment center, transport info center and science, technology, culture and public health center. Till the end of 2002, there were 1,274 commodity exchange markets and the volume of business was RMB 31.12 billion yuan. The construction of Weifang’s commercial service facilities tends to reach high-grade, multi-function and perfection. It practices the combination of large, medium and small sizes and the integration of the specific with the comprehensive in markets and commercial network. So far, there are 38 stores with an over 10,000 sq. m business area and 36 markets with the volume of business over RMB 100 million yuan. Among these markets, Shouguang Vegetable Wholesale Market has an annual volume of business over 2 billion yuan, and thus becomes the largest exchange center for vegetables.

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