Special Supplement: Ordos notches up blistering growth

Most people in China would likely be surprised to hear that the city of Ordos in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region has some of the nation's greatest economic potential.

It is not a big city. Its population is smaller than Hohhot and Baotou, its neighbors in Inner Mongolia. Needless to say, it has far fewer residents than metropolises like Beijing and Shanghai.

Yet in 2006 the State Statistics Bureau rated Ordos 28th among the top 100 cities in China in comprehensive economic strength. The city ranked sixth among the top 10 cities in economic growth. In 2007, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and the Chinese University of Hong Kong ranked it the No 1 city in China for growth potential.