Special Economic Zones China

The Special Economic Zones of China are areas established by the Chinese government for foreign investment and industrial development. In the history of the reform and opening up in China, there are key words that Chinese people can not forget “Special Economic Zones”. Without Special Economic zones, the economy of china can not grow up so rapidly these years. In 1980, the fifth session of the standing committee of the National People’s Congress approved the decision of setting up special economic zones in Guangdong province Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Shantou and Fujian Xiamen. With the special economic zone Kashgar in Xinjiang, which is set up in 2010, there are 6Special Economic Zones totally in China. Now, please come with TopChinaTravel and start you trip on these beautiful cities.

Shenzhen , a sub-provincial cities lying at the southern part of Guangdong Province , mainland China , is one of the five cities with independent planning area of the People ‘s Republic of China. In May 1980, it became the first special economic zone in China.160km away from Guangzhou and 35km from Hong Kong , Shenzhen borders Dapeng Bay in the eastern, the Pearl River mouth in the west and New Territory of Hong Kong in the south.

Shenzhen is a long and narrow city, being 81.4km from east to west with the narrowest section from south to north being 10.8km. Covering a total area of 2,050 square kilometers, Shenzhen has a population of 1.32 million. The city stands against mountains and faces the sea. It is a beautiful coastal city. The winding Dapeng Bay has a coastline of more than 70km, linking Great Meisha, Small Meisha, Xichong, Diefu, Shuishatou and Xiyong snowy beaches together.

Shenzhen is one of China major ports for foreign trade and international exchanges, and China earliest special economic zone and newly-rising tourist city. Here visitors can enjoy advanced tourist facilities and convenient entry procedures. Its scenic spots are featured by both ethnicity and modernity. Many large events including China Hi-tech Expo are held here every year.

Famous attractions: Splendid China and Cultural Folk Villages, Window of the World, Minsk World, Dafen Oil Painting Village, Xiaomeisha Seaside Resort

Zhuhai is a important prefecture-level city. It is situated on the southern coast of Guangdong province. Zhuhai borders Hong Kong to the east, Macau to the south, Xinhu and Taishan to the west, Zhongshan to the north. It is one of the six special economic zones established in August, 1980.

The city lies in the south part of thePearl river Delta, which also called Zhujiang Delta, hence the name, Zhuhai. With 604 km long coastline, Zhuhai owns 147 islands of different sizes and it has the reputation of “the 100 Island City”. In the vast waters of the Pearl River estuary, dotted with 147 large and small islands, most of which are concentrated on the eastern coast of Wanshan Islands. In 2005, Zhunai was named the ninth most livable city. The living Environment of city is especially suitable for the elderly and children.

The symbol of Zhuhai is “Zhuhai Fisher Girl”. The city flower is Bougainvillea glabra, and its city bird is seagull.

Xiamen is one of the 5 earliest Special Economical Zone. Located in the southeastern coastal area of China, Xiamen is linked with Zhangzhou, presenting the landscape of the Golden Triangle in South Fujian, and faces Jinmen across the sea. It is a beautiful tourist city. Thanks to its picturesque scenery and abundant foods, it is home to a large number of egrets, hence the name ‘Egret Island’ The city has a sub-tropical maritime climate, and it is like spring all the year around. With various kinds of beautiful flowers, a great number of egrets flying leisurely and carefree, Xiamen id an ideal holiday resort, a paradise for tourists.

With convenient transportation facilities, Xiamen is easily accessed by air, railway and highway. The Xiamen Gaoqi Airport is one of the hubs of communications in East China, with scheduled flights going to all big and medium-sized cities in China , and 34 regional and International air routes have been opened.

In such a city full of vitality, tourists can feel the fast changes brought forth by modern civilization everyday, enjoy classical romance and warmth, and feel leisure and tranquility in a land of peace, away from the turmoil of the world. When you are accustomed to drinking Gongfu Tea leisurely like the people on Egret Island or are sentimentally attached to the san beached under sunshine, it means Xiamen ‘s spirits have been deeply impressed on the mind.

Famous attractions: Gulangyu Island, South Putuo Temple, Xiamen University, Hulishan Fort, Nanjing Tulou

Shantou is located at the eastern coast of Guangdong province, with a population of more than 5million people and an administrative region of 2,064 rectangular kilometers. Surrounded by Jieyang and Chaozhou, the metropolitan area is of 10,404 square kilometers. It is the fourth-largest populated city in China, right after Guangzhou, Shanghai and Beijing.

Shantou, a important city in 19th-century in China, one of the treaty ports set up for Western trade and contact, was one of the original 5 Special Economical Zones belonging to the People’s Republic of China set up in 1980. It failed to blossom like other towns that includeShenzhen, Xiamen and Zhuhai. However, it continues to be as Eastern Guangdong’s financial centre, and is the seat of Shantou University, a member of “Project 211” group.

Hainan Special Economic Zone

Founded in April 1988, Hainan Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is one of the five SEZs in China. Over the past two decades, remarkable progress has been made in Hainan’s economic and social development. The appearance of cities and villages has also undergone profound changes.

Hainan Island is China’s most southerly province and the second largest island after Taiwan, the largest ocean island and the smallest land province in China, located in the South China Sea about 60 minutes south of Hong Kong by air. The closest city by flight to Hainan Island is Guangzhou (Canton), only 50 minutes to Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Island, and 70 minutes toSanya.

With a landmass of about 34,000 sq km, Hainan Island is made up of Hainan, Xisha, Zhongsha and Nansha islands. The province has a total coastline of about 1,529 km and covers a sea area of about 2.1 million sq km. Except the capital city Haikou, Sanya is the second largest city on Hainan Island, where is the key attraction of the island, most tourists congregate and there is the most beach and famous tourism attractions.

Famous attractions: Qiongtai Academy , Five Official Temple, Hairui Tomb , Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden , Xinglong Tropical Botanical Garden , Nanwan Monkey Island , Wuzhizhou Island , Nanshan Temple , Yalong Bay , The End of the Earth

Kashgar Special Economic Zone was established in 2010. It is located in southwest of the Xinxiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, the northwest the People’s Republic of China and the central Eurasia.

Kashgar has been an important trading center since the days of the Silk Road, and still is today. The road from Eastern and Central China branches out to both the north and south of the Taklamakan Desert, and Kashgar is where the two branches meet again in the western part of the desert. The local population is a mixture of Uyghurs, Han Chinese, Kyrgyz, Tajiks and Uzbeks, boasting a colorful ethnic variety.

Ancient history records show that as early as the Qin (221-206 BC) and the Han (206 BC-220 AD) dynasties, Kashgar started dealings with the merchants from inner China. In 60 BC, Han established the West Region Protectorate in Xinjiang and Kashgar became a part of China. Until the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Kashgar was the important military and commercial center of Xinjiang. During the Five Dynasties (907-960) and the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Kashgar was under the control of the Qarakhanid Dynasty (a mysterious dynasty of which the founder is still unknown) and the Liao Dynasty (916-1125). During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) China was unified again and Kashgar was the most important port on the Silk Road until the 15^th century. It is said to have the largest bazaar in Asia.

The Chinese government has recently begun implementing its plan to “make the city earthquake proof” by tearing down the ancient old city and replacing it with tacky Chinese modernity.

Famous attractions: Apak Hoja Tomb, Id Kah Mosque , Karakul Lake Kashgar , Big Bazaar Kashgar , Kashgar Old Town, Zhiren Street Kashgar