The city of Taizhou is located in the heart of Jiangsu Province on the northern bank of the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. With the approval of the State Council, Taizhou was founded in July 1996 by the Jiangsu Provincial Government and Party Committee in order to speed up the regional economic development of middle Jiangsu. Owing to its constructors' painstaking effort over the past 6 years, the city has stood out among the cities in the Changjiang River Delta.

A City with a Long History and Brilliant Culture

Taizhou, 2,100 years old, is a city of historical and cultural significance. It has played an important role throughout history due to its advantageous geography, convenient transportation, and prosperous economy. It is also home to many eminent literary figures, painters, calligraphers, geologists, and politicians, who have made considerable contributions to the development of the country.

Its long history has endowed the city with hundreds of historical sites, ancient architectural structures, and stone carvings, of which 134 are now under provincial-level protection. The city has five museums that house over 10,000 cultural relics, some of which are internationally precious. The Guangxiao Temple, with a history of 1,000 years, is a well-known Buddhist temple.

Taizhou is known nationwide as the Land of Fish and Rice, the Home of Gingko, and the Land of Aquatic Products. It is also China's major production base for grain, cotton, and aquatic products. It has four ecological farming bases for Jiangyan Green Rice, Taixing Gingko, Xinghua Rice, and pollution-free vegetables. Xinghua and Jiangyan, both under the jurisdiction of Taizhou, have been listed among the province's County-Level Cities of Ecological Agriculture.

A City with Great Industrial Strength

Since industry plays a key role in the development of a city, the municipal government of Taizhou has given top priority to the industrialization of the city. In 2002, the increase of industry contributed half of the city's GDP.

So far, Taizhou has 28,000 enterprises, including188 large or medium-sized ones, and has turned machinery, electronics, chemical industry, textile, food, pharmacy, and building materials into the mainstays of its industry. According to statistics, nearly 100 kinds of Taizhou's products lead China in production scale and market share, of which 56 are the top three of their kind in both production and sales volumes, and 17 hold first place.

Taizhou's industry features a scale economy. It has 65 large enterprises, including the Chunlan Group, the Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group, the Huifeng Group, and the Guangmang Group. In 2002, the Chunlan Group earned a business return of 16.1 billion yuan. The same year, the Yangtze River Pharmaceutical Group achieved profits and taxes totaling 708 million yuan. It led Jiangsu Province in business scale and profit earnings during five successive years, and held third place across China.

While pursuing the maximum scale and profit of its enterprises, Taizhou pays special attention to strengthening their competitiveness through hi-tech upgrades. The increasing rate of its investments in technological upgrades ranked first among other cities, thus being listed among the first batch of the National Pilot Cities of Technological Innovation. By the end of 2002, the city had had 90 hi-tech enterprises, 200 research institutes, and 100,000 scientific and technological staff. In China, it is known as the city with the oldest and the most postdoctoral centers and the most postdoctoral students. In 2002, its postdoctoral education was named the Taizhou Pattern at the National Conference on Postdoctoral Work.

A City with the Greatest Investment Value

According to international economic circles, the Changjiang River Delta will be one of the regions in the world to experience the most rapid economic development. Why does Taizhou-a newly established city-have the advantage over other cities in the delta? It has the advantage because the people of Taizhou are applying themselves to improving both hard and soft investment environments.

One can find Taizhou at the intersection between the Changjiang Golden Waterway and the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway. After the Jiangyin Changjiang River Bridge was opened to traffic, an express route linking Taizhou and Shanghai and southern Jiangsu was formed. It is only a 135-minute drive from Taizhou to Shanghai. The Nanjing-Nantong, Nanjing-Jingjiang-Yancheng, and Tongjiang-Sanya Expressways run through the city. It also benefits from the Taizhou River-Channeling Canal Project. With an investment of 1.19 billion yuan, the project includes a complex of river harbors, with Taizhou Port as the center, the Xinyi-Changxing Railway that is about to be put into use, and the Nanjing-Qidong Railway that is under construction.

Taizhou's architecture is attractive, which is proven by the high praise it has received from German architects who are strict critics of architectural styles. Since its establishment, the city has invested over 10 billion yuan in the construction of more than 50 landmark buildings and in a number of infrastructure facilities. Its urban facilities have been optimized, and its image improved. A new, modern Taizhou is making its way toward us. Up to present, the urban area has increased from less than 20 square kilometers to 40 square kilometers, while the urban residents have increased from 260,000 to 600,0000.

The administrative structure of Taizhou has been formed in accordance with the requirements of the "small government and large society" rule. Taizhou was also the first city in Jiangsu to carry out the reform of the administrative examination and approval system. Thanks to a favorable policy-making environment, quality and efficient service, impartial and normative laws, and a healthy and civilized culture, Taizhou has attracted countless investors from abroad.

Reputed to be the Educated Land, Taizhou boasts a large number of skilled laborers. Compared with those in Shanghai and southern Jiangsu, the cost of these laborers is much lower.

A Riverside Industrial Corridor with Great Potential

Those who constructed Taizhou know quite well that outside elements can be used as motivation in developing the local economy. Therefore, they have tried their utmost to attract foreign investments and develop a foreign-oriented economy. The city has now established more than 1,200 foreign-funded enterprises and has utilized foreign capital totaling US$727 million. Many world-famous industrial giants, including the Mitsui & Co., Ltd., the Yamaha Corporation, and the LG Corporation, have set up subsidiaries in Taizhou. A total of 157 enterprises have the right to independently develop import and export businesses, and 944 kinds of its products are exported to 142 countries and regions throughout the world. Its five provincial-level economic and technological development zones have attracted 400 projects with a total investment of seven billion yuan from 10 countries and regions, such as Germany, Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Some of its large enterprises, such as Chunlan, Linhai, and Huifeng, have established business offices and production bases in other parts of the world.

Nowadays, the world's manufacturing center is moving to China, and more and more foreign capital is being invested in the Changjiang River Delta. In view of this situation, the municipal government and the Party committee of Taizhou have decided to "seize the opportunity and push forward the development of riverside areas." A fight to utilize riverside resources and build a riverside industrial corridor is ongoing.

At present, ten major infrastructure projects, including the Riverside Highway (Taizhou Section), the Taizhou Riverside Power Plant, and the River Crossing Tunnel, are under construction. In addition, there are other campaigns, such as the Yangtze River Pharmaceutical City and the Oil Wharf of the Lingguang Group, that have been scheduled or are under construction. The China Taixing Park of Fine Chemical Industry, the Taizhou Economic Development Zone, and the Jingjiang New Port Industrial Park have made breakthroughs in attracting investment and projects.

We can foresee that the riverside areas of Taizhou will become some of the most important regions in the Manufacturing Corridor along the Yangtze. 2,100-year-old Taizhou will soon be part of an economic miracle and stand out of the Changjiang River Delta.

(China Pictorial)