Datong, in the northern part of North China's Shanxi Province£¬ is China's biggest coal production base and the second biggest city of the province.

But recent statistics show that the power base, playing a key role in Beijing's energy supply, have lacked behind in overall economy development.

Feng Lixiang, mayor of the city, told a group of Internet media reporters gathered in the city on Tuesday that he is confident to lead his city out of the embarrassment.

In addition to the power industry, he has abundant tourist resouces.

With a 2,400-year-old history, Datong is famous for its Yungang Grotto. Thirteen kilometers west to the city, the grotto was included into World Cultural Heritages list by United Nations Educational Scientifically &Cultural Organization in 2001.

Datong, almost as the same lattitude of Beijing, is 327-kilometer away west from Beijing and 258-kilometer north of provincial capital of Taiyuan. With an average height at 1,000 meter, the city has a much cooler climate than Beijing.

Like most other big cities in the province, the basic industry of the Datong is coal production and its related power generation, which all together make up nearly half of local economy.

Private sector accounts for less than 30 per cent of the economy while the percentage in developed southern Chinese provinces may reach 80 per cent, the city's mayor explained and promised more efforts in the sphere.

The city government awakens by its surprisingly low rate of foreign-trade dependence, is making efforts to attract overseas investments on its rich mining resources and broaden foreign market.