Shangqiu |
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Located in eastern Henan, Shangqiu is at the junction of four provinces of Henan, Shandong, Jiangsu and Anhui. The city covers an area of 10,704 square kilometers and  has a population of 8.1 million with 1city, 6 counties and 3 districts under its jurisdiction.
Shangqiu is regarded as the gateway to eastern Henan. It is situated not only at the juncture of southeast coastal provinces and the central and western areas of China, but also at the intersection between the Eurasian Continental Bridge Economic Zone and the Economic Zone around Beijing-Kowloon Railway, serving as a bridgehead to implement the strategy of "Introducing from the East and Advancing towards the West."
Shangqiu is one of the cradles of the Chinese nation. There are 2 key units of cultural relics under state protection and 39 key units of cultural relics under provincial protection in the city. In 1986 Shangqiu was designated as a famous national historical and cultural city and it was elected the Excellent City of Tourism of the country.
Longhai Railway, the Eurasian Continental Bridge from Lianyungang in the east to Rotterdam of Netherlands in the west, passes through the city and meets the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, which is the longest artery from the north to the south in China. No. 105 National Highway from Beijing to Zhuhai and No. 310 National Highway from Lianyungang to Huoerguosi of Xinjiang also meet here in Shangqiu.
As one of China's major production bases of grain and a manufacturing base of subsidiary agricultural products, Shangqiu also enjoys the prestige of being "Home to Paulownia".
Shangqiu is a rising industrial city and a large coal base in the country. Its ample resources have laid a solid foundation for the development of industry in this region. The Yongxia Coal Mine in Shangqiu, with 10 billion tons of coal reserves, is one of the six bases for producing anthracite in China. The GDP of the city in 2005 was RMB£¤55.72 with an increase of 19.9% as against the previous year.
In recent years, Shangqiu has actively increased cultural and economic exchanges with foreign countries. It has established friendly relationship with Port Harcourt, Nigeria, Hisai, Japan and Mireille, France.
The city flower of Shangqiu is Chinese rose and the city tree is Chinese scholartree. |
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