Sichuan
Sichuan is located in western China and is the important joint of southwest, northwest and central China. It is also a traffic corridor that links south and central China, connects southwest and northwest China and channels Central, South and Southeast Asia. Sichuan is bordered by Hubei and Hunan in the East, Guizhou and Yunnan in the south, Xizang (Tibet) in the West and Qinghai, Gansu and Shanxi in the North. The capital of Sichuan province is Chengdu, situated in the middle of the Province. Sichuan has more than 70 universities and two state level hi-tech industries development zones-The Chengdu New and Hi-tech Industries Development Zone (CDDZ), and the Mianyang New and Hi-tech Industries Development Zone (MYDZ). These zones have attracted a number of internationally renowned IT companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, IBM and Motorola to set up R&D centers. The private sector in Sichuan has grown fast in recent years. Sichuan has developed a number of famous local enterprises and brands, including the country’s largest color TV producer-Changhong Electric Group Company Limited; steel company-Panzhihua Steel Group, alcohol manufacturers-Wuliangye Group, Jiannanchun Group and Luzhoulaojiao; medicine manufacturers-Di’ao Group Company and Di’kang Group; and animal feed company- New Hope.
Geography
The terrain of China’s mainland forms a flight of three steps in terms of altitude. Sichuan lies between the first step, namely Qinghai-Xizang Plateau and the second step, namely the Middle-lower Yangtze Plain. It is high in the west while low in the east, demonstrating a distinct disparity in terms of altitude. The whole province can be divided into three parts: the Sichuan Basin, Sichuan Northwest Plateau and Sichuan Southwest Mountains. Sichuan has a complex and varied topography with mountains and plateaus being the most outstanding feature. There are four geomorphic types, that is, mountainous areas, hilly areas, plains and plateaus.
Climate
Sichuan is generally divided into three major climate zones: humid subtropical climate zone of Sichuan Basin, sub-humid and subtropical climate zone of southwest Sichuan’s mountainous regions, and alpine climate zone of high mountains and plateaus of northwest Sichuan. The overall characteristics of Sichuan’s climate can be summarized as follows: monsoon climate is obvious and rain and heat happens in the same seasons; regional climate differences are prominent in that, the east is characterized by warm winters, early springs, hot summers, rainy autumns, much cloud and fog, little sunshine and a long growing season while the west is characterized by coldness, long winters, almost no summer, sufficient sunshine, concentrated rainfall and distinct dry and rainy seasons; vertical climate changes are significant and climate types are varied; meteorological disasters happen in various forms with a high frequency and large scope, which are mainly droughts, rainstorms, floods and cold weather.
Mineral Resources
Sichuan has favorable geological conditions for mining. The reserve volume of 43 minerals rank top 5 in China and 11 minerals such as titanium, vanadium, natural gas, etc rank first in terms of reserves.
Tourism
Sichuan has five world heritage sites, including three natural heritages (Jiuzhaigou Valley, Huanglong and Giant Panda Habitat), one natural and cultural heritage (Mount Emei-Leshan Giant Buddha) and one cultural heritage (Mount Qingcheng-Dujiangyan Irrigation System). Four natural reserves (Jiuzhaigou Valley, Wolong Natural Reserve, Huanglong and Daocheng Yading) are listed into the World Man and Biosphere Reserve Network.
Population
Sichuan has a resident population of 80.5 million by the end of 2011. The urban population is 33.67 million and the rural population is 46.83 million.
Ethnic Composition and Distribution
Sichuan Province is inhabited by multiple ethnic groups. There are 55 ethnic groups with a population of 4.22 million. The Yi, Zang, Qiang, Miao, Hui, Mongolian, Tujia, Lisu, Manchu, Naxi, Bouyei, Bai, Zhuang, and Dai are indigenous ethnic groups. Sichuan is the only habitation for the Qiang ethnic group, the largest habitation for the Yi ethnic group as well as the second largest habitation for the Zang ethnic group in China. The major habitations for ethnic groups are Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Ganzi Zang Autonomous Prefecture, Aba Zang and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Muli Zang Autonomous County, Mabian Yi Autonomous County, Ebian Yi Autonomous County and Beichuan Qiang Autonomous County.
Economy
Sichuan has been historically known as the ‘Province of Abundance’. It is one of the major agricultural production bases of China. Grain crops, including rice and wheat, and Commercial crops like citrus fruits, sugar cane, sweet potatoes, and peaches are widely grown in the Province. Sichuan also had the largest output of pork among all the provinces and the second largest output of silkworm cocoons in China in 1999. Sichuan is rich in mineral resources. It has more than 132 kinds of proven underground mineral resources of which reserves of 11 kinds including vanadium, titanium, and lithium are the largest in China. The Panxi region alone possesses 13.3% of the reserves of iron, 93% of titanium, 69% of vanadium, and 83% of the cobalt of the whole country. Sichuan also possesses China’s largest proven natural gas reserves, the majority of which is transported to the eastern regions. Sichuan is one of the major industrial centers of China. In addition to heavy industries such as coal, energy, iron and steel, the province has also established a light industrial sector comprising building materials, wood processing, food and silk processing. Chengdu and Mianyang are the production centers for textiles and electronics products. Deyang, Panzhihua, and Yibin are the production centers for machinery, metallurgical industries, and wine, respectively.
To develop the province into a modern hi-tech industrial base, the provincial government started encouraging both domestic and foreign investments in electronics and information technology, machinery and metallurgy, hydropower, pharmaceutical, food and beverage industries. The auto industry is an important and key sector of the machinery industry in Sichuan. Most of the auto manufacturing companies are located in Chengdu, Mianyang, Nanchong, and Luzhou. Other important industries in Sichuan include aerospace and defense (military) industries. A number of China’s rockets (Long March rockets) and satellites were launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, located in the city of Xichang.
In 2011, the GDP of Sichuan amounts to 2102.67 billion yuan, increasing by 15%. The per capita GDP of Sichuan is 21,633 yuan. The per capita disposable income of urban residents is 17,899 yuan and the rural per capita net income is 6,128.6 yuan. In 2011, the contribution rates of the primary, secondary and tertiary industries to economic growth are 4.5%, 20.7% and 10.9% respectively.
Foreign trade
In 2011, Sichuan achieved a total import and export value of $ 47.78 billion, a YoY growth of 46.2%. The total exports volume was $ 29.04 billion and the total imports volume was $ 18.74 billion. In 2011, Sichuan utilized $ 11.03 billion foreign capital, a YoY growth of 57.2%. There are 322 newly-approved foreign direct investment enterprises, adding up the total number to be 9,615.
Economic and technological development zones
Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone
Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone was approved as state-level development zone in February 2000. Chengdu Economic and Technological Development Zone (CETDZ) lies 13.6 km east of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan Province and the hub of transportation and communication in southwest China. Industries encouraged in the zone include mechanical, electronic, new building materials, medicine and food processing.
Chengdu Export Processing Zone
Chengdu Export Processing Zone was ratified by the State Council of China as one of the first 15 export processing zones in the country in April 2000.
Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Established in 1988, Chengdu Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone was approved as one of the first national hi-tech development zones in 1991. In 2000, it was open to APEC and has been recognized as a national advanced hi-tech development zone in successive assessment activities held by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology. It ranks 5th among the 53 national hi-tech development zones in China in terms of comprehensive strength. Chengdu Hi-tech Development Zone focuses on the development of software industry, electronic information, biomedicine and precision machinery.
Mianyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone
Mianyang Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was established in 1992. The zone is situated 96 kilometers away from Chengdu, and is 8 km away from Mianyang Airport. The zone is a leader in the electronic information industry, biological medicine, new materials and production of motor vehicles and parts.
Culture
The Sichuanese are proud of their cuisine, known as one of the Four Great Traditions of Chinese cuisine. The cuisine here is of ‘one dish, one shape, hundreds of dishes, hundreds of tastes’, as the saying goes, to describe its acclaimed diversity. The most prominent traits of Sichuanese cuisine are described by four words: spicy, hot, fresh and fragrant. Sichuan cuisine and Sichuan chefs are popular all over the world. Some of the famous Sichuan dishes include Kung Pao chicken, Mapo Tofu, Hot pot in Mala style, Dan dan noodles and mixed sauce noodles.
