General Economy

Gross domestic product (GDP)

GDP for 2004 was 349.59 billion yuan, up 13.2% from the previous year.

GDP ratio (primary, secondary and tertiary industries)

The primary industry yielded a value added of 71.17 billion yuan, 8.0% more than that of the previous year; the secondary industry, 159.57 billion yuan, a growth of 18.6%; the tertiary industry, 118.85 billion yuan, a growth of 9.6%. The proportion of the three sectors is 20.4: 45.6: 34.0.

Revenue and expenditure

Provincial revenue was 35.08 billion yuan, an increase of 22.7% over the previous year. Regional expenditure was 45.41 billion yuan, an increase of 18.8%.

Consumer price index (CPI)

CPI was up 3.5% from the previous year.

Investment in fixed assets

Fixed asset investment was valued at 182 billion yuan, up by 31.9% from the previous year.

Major Industries

Agriculture

In 2004, the province's total agricultural output value was 105.49 billion yuan, an increase of 8.0% from the previous year.

Industry

The industrial added value totaled 111.07 billion yuan, an increase of 19.3%.

Construction

Its added value was 48.5 billion yuan, up by 17.1%.

Transportation

Freight carried by various means of transport during the year amounted to a total of 85.3 billion ton-kilometers, 14.5% up from the previous year. Passengers carried by various means of transport numbered 56.6 billion person-kilometers during the year, up 17.5%.

Postal services

The annual turnover of postal operations totaled 1.5 billion yuan, 10.7% up from the previous year.

Telecommunications

The annual turnover of telecommunications services totaled 19.2 billion yuan, up by 52.2%.

Retail

The annual turnover from retail sales reached 105.99 billion yuan, an increase of 14.8% from the previous year.

Tourism

Revenue from tourism totaled 24.08 billion yuan, up by 22.0% from the 2003 figure.

Continued Effects of Market Reform

Imports & exports

The annual value of imports and exports totaled US$3.53 billion.

Economic and technological cooperation

Overseas project and labor contracts signed during the year numbered 119 and were valued at US$142 million, up 8.2% and 12.7% from the previous year. Business turnover for the year totaled US$168 million, up by 13.3% from the previous year.

Foreign investment

The foreign direct investment which was materialized during the year stood at US$2.05 million, up by 26.6%.

Urban Construction and Management

Road transport

By the end of 2004, a total of 1,422 km of expressways had opened to traffic.

Social Undertakings

Science and technology

The number of technology trade agencies had reached 850 by the end of the year. A total of 3,114 technological contracts were signed during the year, with the business turnover standing at 937 million yuan, an increase of 12% from the year before.

Education

The nine-year compulsory education system has covered 98% of the school-age population. The number of students enrolled in postgraduate schools and institutes of higher learning during the year stood at 3,185 and 188,000 respectively, an increase of 623 and 46,400 from the previous year. A total of 79,000 people got rid of illiteracy during the year, dropping the illiterate rate of the province to below 5%.

Culture

By the end of 2004, the province had a total of 76 arts performance organizations, 113 cultural and arts centers, 104 public libraries, and 85 museums.

Public health

At the end of the year, there were 12,076 medical and health institutions staffed with a work force of 118,000 people.

Sports

The sports lottery reaped sales of 262 million yuan, raising a total of 92 million yuan of public funds.

Welfare and aid

A total of 2,086 welfare units across the province at the end of 2004 were equipped with 10,030 beds and put up 86,400 homeless and vagrant people during the year. There were 3,053 urban community centers at the end of the year, an increase of 799 from the previous year-end. The welfare lottery reaped sales of 326 million yuan in 2004. Public donations totaled 15.59 million yuan.

Poverty relief

About 40,000 people from poverty-stricken villages in the reservoir and mountainous areas were relocated during the year. The provincial government allocated 72 million yuan during the later half of the year to improve the living standard of rural childless and infirm old people.

Population, Employment, Social Security and Living Standards

Population

The year 2004 saw a birth rate of 13.61‰. The natural growth rate of the population stood at 7.62‰. At the end of the year, the total population stood at 42.84 million.

Employment

A total of 259 million of micro-finance loan slanted for re-employment endeavor were granted during the year in the province. Some 162,000 laid-off workers received free training. About 424,000 new jobs were created during the year.

Registered unemployment rate

The registered urban unemployment rate was 3.56%.

Social security

In 2004, insurance plans for endowments and unemployment covered a population of 999,000 and 102,000 respectively. About 1.005 million people shared 750 million yuan of minimum living allowances.

Residents' income

The disposable income of urban residents was 7,560 yuan per capita, up by 9.5% from 2003. Rural residents' per capita net income was 2,953 yuan, up 20.1%.

Residents' consumption

Urban residents' per capita expenditure was 5,338 yuan, up by 8.6% from the previous year while that of rural residents was 2,127 yuan, up by 11.5%.

Geography and Natural Conditions

Topography and geomorphology

The topographies of Jiangxi are dominated by mountainous and hilly land, with mountains covering 36% of the province's total territory, hills, 42%. The remaining 22% is composed of plains and waters. Most of its mountains lie on the provincial borders. Mount Huaiyu in the northeast has the province's largest copper reserve; Wuyi Mountain, a World Cultural Heritage site, lies in the eastern part; the Dageng Ridge and Jiulian Mountain in the south are known as the "capital of tungsten"; in the west there is the Luoxiao Mountain; and in the northwest lie the mountains of Mufu and Jiuling.

Climate

Jiangxi's annual average temperature is around 18°C. Temperatures in the northeastern and northwestern areas and that along the Yangtze River are lower than other parts of the province, ranging from 16°C to 17°C. The other parts of the province are warmer, with temperatures ranging from 18°C-20°C.

Jiangxi has plentiful rainfall. The average annual rainfalls range between 1,341 mm and 1,940 mm. Precipitation is richer in its southern, eastern and mountainous regions and less in the northern, western and basin areas. The average annual rainfall in the mountains of Wuyi, Huaiyu and Jiuling can be as high as 1,800-2,000 mm while that of the area along the Yangtze River and the Poyang Lake and the Jitai Basin is between 1,350 mm and 1,400 mm. The other parts of the province have average annual rainfalls of 1,500-1,700 mm.

Natural resources

Jiangxi has abundant mineral resources. Of the 150 known minerals, more than 140 have been found in Jiangxi. Among these, the deposits of 89 have been verified, with 33 of them ranking among the top fives of the country. Ferrous metals in Jiangxi include iron, manganese, titanium and vanadium. Among the 13 non-ferrous and precious metals are copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver. There are also 29 rare and rare-earth minerals, such as niobium and tantalum. The province has developed the largest copper mine in Asia and its copper smelting base is the largest in China.

59% of Jiangxi's territory is covered with forest. Its timber reserve amounts to 250 million cubic meters, in addition to 1 billion plants of bamboo, both figures taking leading positions in the country. Most of the forests in the province belong to natural secondary forests. Coniferous forests occupy a larger proportion, with pine and masson pine being the major species. Tea-oil tree, tung tree and Chinese tallow tree are the major economic species scattering across the province.

The province boasts more than 4,000 species of seed plants, some 470 types of pteridophyte and over 100 types of bryophyte. Among the low plants, the varieties of large fungus alone are as many as 500. There are more than 2,000 species of woody plants, including over 400 kinds of arbor. Jiangxi is also home to many ancient trees, such as ginkgo, known as the "living fossil" of plants.

The good ecological environment characterized with rich water resource, changing topographies and wide coverage of vegetation ensures Jiangxi's abundance in wildlife. And its protection of the environment and wildlife has shown effective results in recent years.

Jiangxi now has over 600 kinds of vertebrates, including over 170 species of fish which account for 21.4% of the national total of freshwater fish. There are more than 40 species of amphibious animals, accounting for 20.4% of the national total; some 70 species of reptiles, accounting for 23.5% of the country; 270 species of birds, accounting for 23.2%; and 50 species of beasts, accounting for 13.3% of the nation's total.

Fish and birds, large in number of species, have great economic value and therefore have the priority for protection. Poyang Lake presents an ideal winter shelter for migratory birds.

Jiangxi boasts more than 2,400 rivers and streams, some 160 of which, totaling 18,400 km in length, having water running all year round. Ganjiang, Fuhe, Xinjiang, Xiuhe and Raohe are the five largest rivers in the province. Jiangxi's total water reserve is 141.6 billion cubic meters; both the figures of per capita and per unit of cultivated land are higher than the national average. The abundant water resources have created a favorable condition for Jiangxi's industrial and agricultural production.

Tourism resources

Jiangxi has beautiful landscapes with green mountains and clear waters. The major scenic spots include: Mount Lushan, Jinggang Mountain, Longhu (Dragon and Tiger) Mountain, Sanqing Mountain, Poyang Lake, and the cities of Nanchang and Jingdezhen.

Mount Lushan has been listed as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO. Together with Jinggang and Sanqing mountains, it offers charming peaks and quiet valleys.

Guifeng Peak and Dragon Palace are noted for their precipitous cliffs and deep caves. The landscapes of Poyang Lake and Ganjiang River are attractive while ancient temples at Longhu Mountain, Qingyuan and Donglin attract visitors with unique religious architectures.

Other scenic attractions or sites of historical interest include Tengwang Tower, Bajing Terrace, the former residences of historical nobilities in Linchuan and Jiujiang, headquarters of the Red Army on Jinggang Mountain, Memorial Museum of Nanchang Uprising and Ruijin, the first capital of the Communist administration in China.

The northern Jiangxi triangle tourism zone comprising Nanchang, Lushan Mountain, Jiujiang, Poyang Lake and Longhu Mountain is one of the 14 major international tour routes in China. The province has 11 cultural relics put under state protection and 2,406 of its scenic spots or tourism areas have been registered as major provincial projects.