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| Introduction |
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Longnan is located in the southeastern part of Gansu Province, bordering Sichuan province to the south. It covers an area of 27,900 sq km. Population of the city amounted to 1.46 million by the end of 2009.
Longnan comprises mountain areas and basin areas with very complicated climates. Average temperature varies largely from north to south. In the northwestern area of Longnan, average temperature is lower than 7° C, while in river valley area, average temperature reaches 15° C.
Longnan is rich in natural resources. There are approximately 1,200 various traditional herbal medicines can be found in the city. In addition, mineral resources such as lead, zinc, antimony, copper, manganese, gold, silicon and barite are abundant. Proven reserves of gold in Wenxian County amount to 100 tons, ranking first in Gansu Province. There are 3,760 rivers and streams running through the city with average runoff of 27.9 billion cubic meters. Theory reserves of hydro-energy amount to 4.3 million kw.
Transportation in Longnan is convenient. The State Highway 212 (Lanzhou-Chongqing) runs through the city. The Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway, the Chengdu-Lanzhou Railway, the Lanzhou-Chongqing Railway and Hanzhong-Wuhai Railway, also cross the city and currently are under construction.
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| Economic Features |
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Longnan realized GDP of RMB 16.94 billion in 2010, representing a rise of 11.8% year on year. The city's GDP accounted for approximately 5% of Gansu's total and ranked eleventh out of fourteen prefecture-level cities in Gansu province.
The agricultural sector generated value-added output of RMB 4.45 billion in 2010, accounting for 22.8% of the city's GDP. Grain output of Longnan totaled 978,800 tons in 2010, accounting for 10.9% of the province's total.
In 2010, secondary industry (industry and construction), the biggest contributor to the city's economy, realized value-added output of RMB 4.85 billion, accounting for 46.4% of the city's total.
During 2010, value-added industrial output of industrial sector amounted to RMB 3.36 billion, while total value-added industrial output of the enterprises above designated size reached RMB 2.53 billion, accounting for approximately 75% of industrial sector's total. Heavy and light industries realized value-added industrial output of RMB 2.2 billion and RMB 325 million, contributing 87% and 12.8% respectively to the total generated by enterprises above designated size.
Metallurgy, electricity and pharmaceuticals are pillar industries of the city. Local representative enterprises of these pillars include Gansu Chengzhou Metallurgical Group, Bikou Power Plant, and Shenzhen-listed Gansu Duyiwei Biological Pharmaceutical<002219>, principally engaged in the research and development, manufacture and sale of traditional Chinese medicines. The traditional Chinese medicines producer realized net profit of RMB 47.3 million in 2009, up 6.3% year on year.
The service sector generated value-added output of RMB 7.64 billion, accounting for 30.8% of the city's total GDP in 2010.
In 2010, the sales of consumer goods reached RMB 4.12 billion, rising 17.5% from the previous year.
Tourism is also an important pillar of the service sector. During 2010, 2.6 million tourists visited the city, up 25.6% year on year, while tourism income totaled RMB 540 million, representing a rise of 45.4% compared to the previous year.
In 2010, total import and export value of Longnan amounted to US$4.45million, down 27.2% year on year (comprising export value of US$4.25 million and import value of US$0.2 million). Agriculture and sideline products and mineral products are major export goods of the city. The E.U., Russia, India, South Korea, and Japan are major export destinations of the city.
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| Cultural Highlights |
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Longnan regions' history can be traced back to distant ages. In Zhou Dynasty, Longnan had become the cradle of the Qin State which developed into the Qin Dynasty. Wudu Special District was established in 1949 and was changed into Longnan Region in 1985. In 2004, the region became a prefecture-level city.
Every year, Longnan holds many tourist and cultural festivals including a peach blossom festival in April, tea picking festival around the Qingming Festival, and tourist festivals in Qianba Grassland and Wanxiang Cave.
In July, there is a tourist festival held there to show the unique way of life of Baima Tibetans. The Baima Tibetans are famous for their singing and dancing. They lead simple lives, inhabiting traditional houses, wearing beautiful costumes and following their own folkways. They shepherd, keep bees, grow hemp and weave cloth for a living.
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| Tourist Attraction |
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The city is well-known for the Yinping Heaven Lake (Tian Chi), one of the three great pools in China. The lake is like an emerald inlaid among mountains.
Longnan's Wanxiang cave is the largest limestone cave in Northwest China. Baishuijiang National Nature Reserve, the only land in Gansu with a northern subtropical eco system and a beautiful natural landscape.
Except for scenery spots, Longnan snacks such as Potato Paste, Douhuazi, which is made of bean curd, pepper, ginger and dried small shrimps attracts lots tourists from home and abroad.
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