Liaoyang
From China Liaoning Business Guide
Contents |
Ancient Town in the Heart of Liaoning
Liaoyang is a city with a rich culture and a long history of over 2,400 years. During this time, Liaoyang was once the capital of six regional kingdoms. In 2004, the city was listed as an "Outstanding Tourist City" by the China National Tourism Administration.
Situated in the southern part of Shenyang Metropolitan Area, Liaoyang has a total population of 1.8 million. The prefecture has an area of 4,741 square kilometers and administers five urban districts on county level (Baita, Wensheng, Hongwei, Gongchangling, and Taizihe), one city (Dengta City) and Liaoyang County.
Geographical Location and Transportation
The city enjoys a prime geographical location. The southeast of the city is located nearby the hills at the west foot of the Qianshan Mountain, the northeast neighbors upon the hills at the tip of the Longgang Mountain, and the west lies at the edge of the lower Liaohe River Plain, accounting for about half of the whole city. The Hunhe River and the Taizi River flow from Benxi into Liaoyang through Wayuxi gully in Jiguanshan Town in the city’s east area.
The city is surrounded by Anshan to the south, Shenyang to the north, Benxi to the east, and the Liaohe Oilfield to the west. Shenyang-Dalian Expressway and Changchun-Dalian Railway connect Liaoyang with Shenyang at a distance of 70 kilometers. The expressway is an artery to the ports and large enterprises, such as Angang Steel Co., Ltd. and Liaoyang Petrochemical Fiber Company. Oil pipelines and railways to Changchun and Harbin link with Daqing Oilfield, the largest in China. Liaoyang-Benxi Railway and Liaoyang-Benxi Highway lead to Benxi, 79 kilometers to the east. Nearby Shenyang International Airport and the Port of Dalian connect Liaoyang with the world.
Economic Development
Liaoyang is a highly industrialized region, which is reflected in the composition of its regional GDP. The total was 56.7 billion RMB in 2008 (about 8 billion USD), and the secondary sector had a share of 63.5 percent. The tertiary sector contributed 17.2 billion RMB (2.4 billion USD) or 30.3 percent, and the primary sector only 3.5 billion RMB (0.4 billion USD). Fixed assets investment was 23.5 billion RMB (3.3 billion USD). The average salary was 25,186 RMB (about 3,623 USD), the per-capita disposable income of urban residents 13,262 RMB (1,908 USD), and consumption 9,234 RMB (1,328 USD).
Most of the 860,000 employees of Liaoyang worked in manufacturing (59,906 persons), construction (22,805 persons), public administration (21,236 persons), education (18,065 persons), and health and social welfare (8,088 persons). According to the ownership of employers, 94,000 people or almost 11 percent were employed by private companies.
Industrial Pattern
Liaoyang is an emerging modern petrochemical and textile industry city. Liaoyang Petrochemical Fiber Company is a giant petrochemical fiber conglomerate with modern technical equipment (mainly imported) and advanced management. Liaoyang has the biggest pharmaceutical machinery factory in China and national papermaking machinery and industrial paperboard production bases. Liaoyang Ferroalloy Factory is a key enterprise in the domestic ferroalloy industry. Other industries present include textiles, metallurgy, chemicals, machinery, electronics, building materials, energy, pharmaceuticals, and food processing.
Reputed as a "granary", Liaoyang prefecture also has a well-developed agriculture and functioning value-chains in the rural economy. The eastern mountain areas abound in forest and fruit, such as hawthorn and pears. The prefecture is a national and provincial grain provider and breeds lean-type pigs and freshwater fish. Agriculture is marked by rapid development and features "high yield, high quality, and high efficiency". Priority is given to "five developments": grain, greenhouse vegetables, animal husbandry (cattle, live pigs, chicken), forestry and fruit industry, and freshwater aquaculture.
Nine high-quality agricultural products clusters, ten leading industries and ten industry chains have been established and developed across the rural areas. A large number of township and village enterprise groups are active in mining, building materials, iron and steel processing, agricultural sideline products, shoes and garments, steel formwork, textile bags, aluminum profiles, and leather.
Foreign Trade
Main export products of Liaoyang are light industrial products, arts and crafts, grain, edible oil, agricultural and sideline local specialties, minerals, machinery and chemical products, textiles and garments. They are exported to more than 90 countries and regions. In 2008, the city’s total foreign trade volume was 1,255 billion USD, with imports of 464 billion USD and exports of 791 billion USD. Foreign direct investment in Liaoyang increased quickly and totaled 200.4 billion USD in 2008.
Living in Liaoyang
Located in the middle of the highway from Shenyang to Dalian, Liaoyang is close to both cities. It takes only one hour from Shenyang Taoxian International Airport to the downtown area of Liaoyang. There are modern shopping malls and supermarkets, such as TESCO, Zhongxing, and Hongyan. The Liaoyang Jiahao International Hotel and Liaoyang New Century Hotel provide good accommodation and service to travelers.
