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Home » City specials » Qingdao
Heading for a promising future
By Hu Min |
June 14, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
IT'S not only Qingdao's natural beauty that is helping the coastal city thrive. As Hu Min discovers, the continuing construction of its port, foreign investment in local projects and the local government's efforts to improve living conditions are all adding to the allure.
Qingdao has always been crowned a natural paradise for its sapphire blue waters, beautiful beaches and breathtaking landscape. It is also witnessing extraordinary economic performance and unprecedented social development. The city has a beguiling and intricate past, a burgeoning present and a promising future.
The port city, lying across the Shandong Peninsula, was established in 1891. Over the past 120 years, it has been built into one of the happiest cities in China and one of the nation's most livable cities.
The city, sprawling 11,282 square kilometers, is home to 8.71 million permanent residents and migrants, according to recently released results of last November's census. It indicated an increase of 1.22 million compared with the last census in 2000.
It has seven districts and five county-level cities.
Qingdao boasts vigorous and thriving economic development. It has become an important economic center in China.
The city has made significant progress in marine science and technology, as well as energy conservation. A modern industrial structure supported by modern manufacturing, service and farming sectors is taking shape.
Qingdao's economy achieved a year-on-year growth of 12.9 percent in 2010.
The city's gross domestic product soared to 567 billion yuan (US$87 billion) last year, running at a double-digit pace for 14 consecutive years.
Residents' disposable income jumped 11.8 percent to 24,998 yuan.
The continuing construction of Qingdao Port will turn the city into an international shipping center for Northeast Asia. The port is the world's seventh-largest and China's second-largest in terms of foreign trade.
The Qingdao Port has large container berths and conducts trade with 450-plus ports in 150 countries and regions worldwide.
Its throughput capacity reached 350 million tons and container, throughput hit 12 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) last year, ranking No. 7 and No. 10 respectively in the world.
A total of 95 enterprises on the Fortune Global 500 list have invested into 190 projects in Qingdao, with direct foreign investment totaling US$36 billion.
Its export-import volume reached US$56.2 billion, among which US$33.4 billion are exports.
More than 2,000 overseas corporations and financial institutions have offices in the city, which has national-level economic and technological development zones as well as high-tech industrial zones, bonded ports and export-processing zones.
It is home to a number of well-known brands such as appliance maker Haier Group, Hisense Electric Co Ltd, one of China's biggest TV manufacturers, and Tsingtao Beer, China's largest brewery.
The coastal city has reinforced its image as the "sailing capital of China" by hosting a raft of water sports events, such as the sailing program of the 2008 Olympic Games, the Volvo Ocean Race, the Clipper Race and the latest Double Star Cup Extreme Sailing Series of the International Sailing Federation.
Qingdao will invest more than 600 billion yuan over the next five years to construct the Qingdao Blue Economic Zone, bringing together marine-based industries, science and technology, pharmaceuticals and biological products.
It will serve as the backbone of the city's marine economy.
Marine-based chemical engineering, logistics, species research, aquatic products, new-energy development, ecological protection, tourism and equipment manufacturing will be highlighted.
The city government is giving priority to its seven core industries (electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, food and beverage, steel and iron, auto, and locomotive and shipping) as well as five emerging sectors - new energy, new materials, medicine and biotechnology, energy conservation and information technology.
The city spares no efforts in improving people's livelihood and making it more equitable. The city government will also spare no effort to develop tourism, trade, real estate and housekeeping services.
Fourteen key construction projects concerning modern agriculture, service industry, strategic emerging industries and social security will be developed as well.
In the next five years, 500 city-level key projects within the service industry, which reaches a total investment of 600 billion yuan, will be promoted by the local government.
Meanwhile, the city government is also improving its affordable housing system, compulsory education system, social welfare system, medical care system and public sanitation system.
Qingdao is a popular tourist destination. Its Laoshan Mountain offers an enchanting view of the sea. Its scenic spots include Great Peak, Taiqing Palace and Chessboard Rock, among others.
The Badaguan scenic site gathers a cluster of buildings representing the architectural styles of more than 20 countries such as Russia, France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Greece and Japan, hence presenting an architectural exposition.
Last year, Qingdao received as many as 45 million visitors, among whom 1 million came from overseas. A total of 58 billion yuan was generated from the tourism industry, accounting for about 10 percent of its GDP.
Qingdao has always been crowned a natural paradise for its sapphire blue waters, beautiful beaches and breathtaking landscape. It is also witnessing extraordinary economic performance and unprecedented social development. The city has a beguiling and intricate past, a burgeoning present and a promising future.
The port city, lying across the Shandong Peninsula, was established in 1891. Over the past 120 years, it has been built into one of the happiest cities in China and one of the nation's most livable cities.
The city, sprawling 11,282 square kilometers, is home to 8.71 million permanent residents and migrants, according to recently released results of last November's census. It indicated an increase of 1.22 million compared with the last census in 2000.
It has seven districts and five county-level cities.
Qingdao boasts vigorous and thriving economic development. It has become an important economic center in China.
The city has made significant progress in marine science and technology, as well as energy conservation. A modern industrial structure supported by modern manufacturing, service and farming sectors is taking shape.
Qingdao's economy achieved a year-on-year growth of 12.9 percent in 2010.
The city's gross domestic product soared to 567 billion yuan (US$87 billion) last year, running at a double-digit pace for 14 consecutive years.
Residents' disposable income jumped 11.8 percent to 24,998 yuan.
The continuing construction of Qingdao Port will turn the city into an international shipping center for Northeast Asia. The port is the world's seventh-largest and China's second-largest in terms of foreign trade.
The Qingdao Port has large container berths and conducts trade with 450-plus ports in 150 countries and regions worldwide.
Its throughput capacity reached 350 million tons and container, throughput hit 12 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) last year, ranking No. 7 and No. 10 respectively in the world.
A total of 95 enterprises on the Fortune Global 500 list have invested into 190 projects in Qingdao, with direct foreign investment totaling US$36 billion.
Its export-import volume reached US$56.2 billion, among which US$33.4 billion are exports.
More than 2,000 overseas corporations and financial institutions have offices in the city, which has national-level economic and technological development zones as well as high-tech industrial zones, bonded ports and export-processing zones.
It is home to a number of well-known brands such as appliance maker Haier Group, Hisense Electric Co Ltd, one of China's biggest TV manufacturers, and Tsingtao Beer, China's largest brewery.
The coastal city has reinforced its image as the "sailing capital of China" by hosting a raft of water sports events, such as the sailing program of the 2008 Olympic Games, the Volvo Ocean Race, the Clipper Race and the latest Double Star Cup Extreme Sailing Series of the International Sailing Federation.
Qingdao will invest more than 600 billion yuan over the next five years to construct the Qingdao Blue Economic Zone, bringing together marine-based industries, science and technology, pharmaceuticals and biological products.
It will serve as the backbone of the city's marine economy.
Marine-based chemical engineering, logistics, species research, aquatic products, new-energy development, ecological protection, tourism and equipment manufacturing will be highlighted.
The city government is giving priority to its seven core industries (electronics, textiles, petrochemicals, food and beverage, steel and iron, auto, and locomotive and shipping) as well as five emerging sectors - new energy, new materials, medicine and biotechnology, energy conservation and information technology.
The city spares no efforts in improving people's livelihood and making it more equitable. The city government will also spare no effort to develop tourism, trade, real estate and housekeeping services.
Fourteen key construction projects concerning modern agriculture, service industry, strategic emerging industries and social security will be developed as well.
In the next five years, 500 city-level key projects within the service industry, which reaches a total investment of 600 billion yuan, will be promoted by the local government.
Meanwhile, the city government is also improving its affordable housing system, compulsory education system, social welfare system, medical care system and public sanitation system.
Qingdao is a popular tourist destination. Its Laoshan Mountain offers an enchanting view of the sea. Its scenic spots include Great Peak, Taiqing Palace and Chessboard Rock, among others.
The Badaguan scenic site gathers a cluster of buildings representing the architectural styles of more than 20 countries such as Russia, France, Germany, Denmark, Spain, Greece and Japan, hence presenting an architectural exposition.
Last year, Qingdao received as many as 45 million visitors, among whom 1 million came from overseas. A total of 58 billion yuan was generated from the tourism industry, accounting for about 10 percent of its GDP.
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