Shanwei achieves rapid development

Thanks to its efforts in strengthening reform and opening up, the city of Shanwei has made great progress in social and economic development.
Located in the eastern part of Guangdong Province, Shanwei developed into a prefecture-level city in 1988, with the Urban District, Haifeng County, Luhe County and Lufeng City under its jurisdiction.
Shanwei has a population of over 3 million and covers a land area of 5,271 square kilometres.
It is only 150 kilometres from Hong Kong. Shanwei Port, the 324 National Highway and the Shenzhen-Shantou Expressway have connected the region to the rest of the country and the world.
During the past 15 years, the city has witnessed rapid economic growth.
The city's gross domestic product (GDP) last year increased by six times what it was in 1987.
As well, added value in the manufacturing, agricultural and service sectors has caused an annual growth rate of 23.3 per cent, 9.1 per cent and 16 per cent respectively.
In the past 15 years, the city has invested a total of 20 billion yuan (US$2.4 billion) in infrastructure construction including energy, telecommunications, transport and urban facilities.
It has built a number of power stations, with a total annual power generation volume of 750 million kilowatt-hours.
It has more than 400,000 fixed-line phone users and 360,000 mobile phone subscribers.
Also, substantial growth has been achieved in highway, seaport and urban construction, as well as water supply development.
To offer a destination for foreign investors, the city has established a number of development zones and industrial parks.
Foreign investment has helped the city form an industrial system covering electronics, garments, textiles, jewellery and energy.
Large-scale investment projects, including the 28.4-billion-yuan (US$3.4 billion) Shanwei Power Plant, a 100,000-ton deepwater harbour, a US-funded plastic project, the Xinli Electronics Base, and a forestation and paper-making project are all now under construction or will be built in the near future.
Relying on its rich resources, the city has prioritized the development of tourism and high-quality agriculture.
Shanwei is now the largest cultivation base of abalone and sea horses in China. It is also an important supplier of vegetables, fruit and livestock in Guangdong Province.
To make itself an attractive tourist destination, the city has recently developed a number of tourism resorts such as the Honghai Bay Bathing Beach, and the Lianhuashan Hot Spring. Shanwei is also renowned for the temples in the Xuanwu Mountain area.
Based on its existing achievements, the city is planning for even greater development.
It is estimated that the city's per capita GDP in 2010 will be 1.5 times what is was in 2000.
In 2015, its per capita GDP is expected to reach US$3,000, marking that the city will enter a Xiaokang (well-off) society as proposed by the central government.