General Economy

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

GDP for 2005 was 656.01 billion yuan, up 11.3% from the previous year. The per capita GDP stood at 18,621 yuan, up 10.6%.

GDP ratio (primary, secondary and tertiary industries)

The primary industry yielded a value added of 82.876 billion yuan, 4.0% more than that of the previous year; the secondary industry, 322.491billion yuan, a growth of 13.3%; the tertiary industry, 250.64 billion yuan, a growth of 11.3%. The GDP ratio of the three sectors is 12.6: 49.2: 38.2.

Revenue and expenditure

Provincial revenue was 78.683 billion yuan, an increase of 20.1% over the previous year. Provincial expenditure was 59.273 billion yuan, an increase of 14.7%.

Consumer Price Index (CPI)

CPI was up 2.2% from the previous year.

Investment in fixed assets

Fixed asset investment was valued at 234.473 billion yuan, up by 23.5% from the previous year.

Major Industries

Agriculture

In 2005, the province's total agricultural output value was 139.027 billion yuan, an increase of 4.6% from the previous year.

Industry

The industrial added value totaled 286.957 billion yuan, an increase of 14.2%.

High-tech

The output value from high-tech industries was 18.3% up from the 2004 figure.

Construction

Its added value was 35.534 billion yuan.

Transportation

Freight carried by various means of transport for the year was 12.6% up from the previous year to reach 157.711 billion ton-kilometers, which included 20.29 billion ton-kilometers by railway, down 7.4%; 23.825 billion ton-kilometers by highway, up 10.2%; 113.464 billion ton-kilometers by waterway, up 17.6%; and 127 million ton-kilometers by airway, up 18.8%.

The number of passengers carried by various means of transport was 9.0% up to reach 48.114 billion person-kilometers, which included 9.09 billion person-kilometers by railway, up 6.6%; 30.999 billion person-kilometers by highway, up 8.2%; 139 million person-kilometers by waterway, up 5.3%; and 7.854 billion person-kilometers by airway, up 15.1%.

Postal services

The annual turnover of postal operations totaled 2.56 billion yuan, 13.5% up from the previous year.

Telecommunications services

The annual turnover of telecommunications services totaled 50.397 billion yuan, up by 24.7%. At the end of 2005, the number of fixed line subscribers reached 13.99 million, an increase of 1.33 million from the previous year-end; and the number of mobile phone subscribers reached 13.02 million, an increase of 1.72 million.

Retail

The annual turnover from retail sales reached 234.582 billion yuan, an increase of 13.1% from the previous year.

Tourism

Foreign exchange earnings from tourism totaled US$1.305 billion, up by 22.5%. Revenue from domestic tourism totaled 57.8 billion yuan, up by 24.9%.

Continued Effects of Market Reform

Imports & exports

The annual value of imports and exports totaled US$54.431 billion, 14.5% up from the year before. Of this amount, exports valued US$34.845 billion, up 18.5%, and imports valued US$19.586 billion, up 8.0%.

Economic and technological cooperation

Business turnover from overseas project and labor contracts for the year totaled US$505 million, an increase of 0.6% from the previous year.

Foreign investment

The province approved the establishment of 1,988 foreign-funded projects during the year, down 12.7% from the previous year. The foreign direct investment which was materialized during the year stood at US$2.608 billion.

Urban Construction and Management

Road transport

In 2005, 159 km of railway line and 166 km of express highway were newly constructed and open to traffic.

Social Undertakings

Science and technology

The investment in scientific research and development totaled 5.23 billion yuan, up by 14.0% from the previous year, and accounting for 0.8% of the province's GDP. Technology contracts signed during the year numbered 6,510, with contractual value of 1.72 billion yuan, up 21.7%.

Education

The number of students enrolled in postgraduate schools and institutions of higher learning during the year stood at 7,400 and 146,700 respectively. About 35,200 students were studying in the province's various special schools for the handicapped.

Culture

By the end of 2005, the province had a total of 94 arts performance organizations, 74 cinemas and theaters, 98 cultural and arts centers, 84 public libraries, and 86 museums. About 96.1% and 97.9% of the province's population had access to radio and TV programs respectively. The number of cable TV subscribers reached 4.149 million at the year-end.

Public health

At the end of 2005, there were 8,800 health and medical institutions staffed with 102,000 people and equipped with 90,000 beds. 92% of the province's administrative villages had been provided with medical and health facilities.

Sports

A total of 500 community sports facilities were built during the year. The sports lottery reaped sales of 1.987 billion yuan.

Welfare and aid

Welfare units across the province were equipped with 1,700 beds. Various community service facilities set up in cities and towns during the year numbered 3,900. The funds raised through selling welfare lottery totaled 150 million yuan in 2005. Public donations totaled 104 million yuan.

Population, Employment, Social Security and Living Standards

Population

The year 2005 saw births of 410,000, or a birth rate of 11.60‰; and deaths of 200,000, or a mortality rate of 5.62‰. The natural growth rate of the population stood at 5.98‰. At the end of the year, the total population stood at 35.35 million, an increase of 240,000 people.

Employment

A total of 580,000 new jobs were created during the year, 30,000 more than expected. About 78,000 laid-off workers got re-employed.

Registered unemployment rate

The registered urban unemployment rate was 4.0%.

Social security

In 2005, insurance plans for endowments, unemployment and medical treatment covered a population of 4.101 million, 2.666 million and 3.325 million respectively. These figures were respectively 320,400, 1,800 and 465,400 more than those in 2004. About 203,000 urban residents and 742,000 rural residents received minimum living allowance from the government.

Residents' income

The disposable income of urban residents was 12,321 yuan per capita, up by 8.2% from 2004. Rural residents' per capita net income was 4,450 yuan, up by 5.8%.

Geography and Natural Conditions

Topography

Mountains and hilly areas constitute over 80% of Fujian's land area. Plains are concentrated in its southeast coastal areas.

Climate

Fujian has a subtropical humid monsoon climate, with annual temperature averaging between 17-21℃. The average temperatures in the coldest month (January) are 10-13℃ in the southeast coastal parts and 5-8℃ in the inland mountainous areas. In the hottest month (July) the temperature averages 26-29℃. The average annual precipitation is 1,000 mm and frost-free period lasts 240 to 330 days a year.

Natural resources

Fujian possesses 86 kinds of minerals with verified reserves, including 34 kinds of metallic minerals and 47 nonmetallic minerals. Among those with considerable reserves are gold, silver, lead, zinc, manganese, kaolin, limestone, granite, alunite, pyrophyllite and sulfur. Its reserve of quartz-sandstone ranks among the national tops in both quantity and quality.

Forests cover 52.4% of Fujian's total land area. Plant species are abundant. There are 1,943 kinds of woody plants, including 400 species of timber tree and 140 varieties of bamboo. Fujian has 400 million cubic meters of timber reserved, its timber production ranking third in China.

Incomplete statistics show that there are several thousand species of terrestrial wild animals in Fujian, including 100 species of beasts, 540 species of birds, 115 species of reptiles and 44 species of amphibians. There are also more than 5,000 kinds of insects. The Wuyi Mountain Nature Reserve is abundant in wildlife resources. It is also a world-renowned specimen base for new species of vertebrates and insects. The Meihua Mountain Nature Reserve in Longyan City is home to large numbers of birds and animals.

Fujian has five big fishing grounds which abound in marine resources. Among the more than 3,000 species of marine organisms, 750 are fishes, accounting for 50 percent of the country's total marine fish species.

By the end of 2005, 95 nature reserves had been established in the province, covering a total area of 540,500 ha, accounting for 4.5% of the province's total area.

Fujian is rich in water resources, and its annual rainfalls total 201.1 billion cubic meters. More than 500 rivers in the province have their drainage area of over 50 sq km each. The total volume of river runoff stands at 115 billion cubic meters a year on average. The province's theoretical waterpower reserves total 10.46 million kw which can generate 91.6 billion kwh of power annually. There are 1,000 places suitable for building a hydropower station with a generating capacity of over 500 kw. Their combined generating capacity can reach 7.05 million kw and their annual power generation, 32 billion kwh, both ranking first in eastern China. The existing generating capacity accounts for only 30% of the province's total potential, leaving big room for development. Fujian also has rich underground water resources. More than 100 hot springs have been discovered, their water temperatures ranging from 40℃ to 60℃.

Tourism resources

Fujian is rich in tourism resources, abounding with numerous places of historical and cultural interest, and beautiful scenic spots.

Fujian preserves many cultural sites from the Qin (221-207 BC), Han (206 BC-AD 220), Tang (618-907), Song (960-1279), Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties. There are numerous ancient temples, pagodas, bridges and castles, as well as former residences of celebrities. Fujian has a wide variety of navigation relics and religious legacies thanks to its long history of navigation and frequent contacts with the outside world.

There are many beautiful mountains in the province. The famous seaside resorts include Wuyi Mountain, Gushan (Drum Hill) in Fuzhou, Tailao Mountain in east Fujian and Wanshiyan in Xiamen. The province also has many beautiful beaches, such as the bathing beach on Gulangyu Islet of Xiamen, the Luanwan Beach on Dongshan Island, the Longwangtou Beach at Pingtan and Meizhou Island at Putian. Its numerous rivers offer many picturesque water spots, including the Jiuqu (Nine-Bend) Stream in Wuyi Mountain and Jinhu Lake, the largest artificial lake in Fujian. Northwest Fujian is noted for danxia and karst landforms, with countless grotesque rocks and fantastic caves. The Wuyi and Meihua mountain nature reserves preserve vast expanses of virgin forests, with rich fauna and flora resources. These reserves and other scenic resorts are ideal places for enjoying the charms of nature, making holidays and conducting scientific explorations. In addition, Fujian has a host of gardens, parks and hot springs of different types.

Colorful ethnic customs, unique local cultures and rich products also add attraction to the province's tourism resources.

Currently, Fujian encompasses two national tourist holiday resorts, nine national scenic spots, four national nature reserves (forest parks), four national-level famous historic and cultural cities, 29 key cultural sites under state protection, 19 provincial-level scenic spots, six provincial tourist economic develop areas, and 204 cultural sites under provincial protection.