A province rich in natural and cultural resources

Name: Guizhou

Population: 38,562,148 (2020)

Area: 176,000 square kilometers

Location: The province lies at the eastern end of the Yungui Plateau in Southwest China.

Economy

In 2018, Guizhou continued to report one of the fastest economic growth rates nationwide last year. Its GDP expanded at an annual pace of 9.1 percent to over 1.48 trillion yuan ($217 billion) in 2018. The rate was 2.5 percentage points higher than the national GDP growth. Guizhou's economic growth has been among the top three fastest in the country for eight consecutive years.

The general trade in Guizhou was valued at 26.7 billion yuan, accounting for 53.3 percent of the province's total foreign trade. Processing trade rose by 9.6 percent to 21.06 billion yuan, accounting for 42.1 percent, while bonded trade surged by 33.5 percent to 1.22 billion yuan, accounting for 2.4 percent.

The total value of Guizhou's foreign trade reached 50.07 billion yuan ($7.41 billion), of which imports accounted for 16.33 billion yuan and exports accounted for 33.74 billion yuan. The trade surplus reached 17.41 billion yuan, according to Guiyang customs.

Private trade made up 38 percent (19.02 billion yuan) of the total foreign trade value in 2018, while State-owned enterprises accounted for 33.2 percent (16.61 billion yuan) and foreign-funded enterprises accounted for 28.8 percent (14.43 billion yuan).

Resources

Guizhou is a province with abundant resources. Its power relies mainly on water and coal mines. There are 984 rivers that are longer than 10 kilometers or with a drainage area larger than 20 square kilometers. The province's coal reserves are over 50 billion tons. It is a key province for the nation's "West-to-East Electricity Transmission" project. Coal mine resources in Guizhou are comparatively concentrated. There are 128 kinds of minerals and subclass minerals, 76 of which have measured reservation volumes. All resources in the province enjoy convenient exploration conditions.

Climate

The province features a subtropical monsoon climate, which in most regions is mild and wet. Climates vary based on altitude in the province. As a local puts it, "One can experience all four seasons climbing a mountain, and all different kinds of weather exist within 10 miles." Due to its special geographical environment, the province has distinct seasons. Spring is warm and windy. Summer does not suffer from searing heat, and winters are relatively mild. Guizhou has ample rainfall as most regions have a precipitation of about 1,100 to 1,300 millimeters. The average hours of sunshine total between 1,200 and 1,600 with an annual temperature of 14 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Ecology

The province boasts more than 3,800 species of wild flora and about 1,000 species of wild fauna. It is an important center for flora and fauna in the nation country and one of the nation's four production regions of Chinese herbal medicine.

Culture

There are 17 aboriginal ethnic groups inhabiting the province, including the Miao, Bouyi, Dong, Shui, Gelao, Yi and Tujia. Their colorful cultural relics and customs makes Guizhou a popular destination for heritage-based tourism. Francesco Frangialli, former secretary-general of the World Tourism Organization, said "Guizhou is a province of culture, eco-environment, folk songs and dances, and wine."

Environment

There are four major mountains in the province: Wumeng Mountain, Dalou Mountain, Miaoling Mountain and Wuling Mountain. The mountainous areas account for 92.5 percent of the province's total. Among them, the 109,000 square kilometers of karst landscape make up 61.9 percent of the total land area in the province. For this reason it is known as a "natural encyclopedia" of the karst landform.

Guizhou is home to many national 5A-level tourist attractions and UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Huangguoshu Waterfall, Fanjing Mountain, Loong Palace, and Qingyan Ancient Town. Official statistics of 2018 show an annual visits of 744.17 million, up 40 percent year on year. The tourism revenue increased by 41.6 percent to 711.68 billion yuan.

Administrative divisions

Guizhou province governs six county-level cities (Guiyang, Zunyi, Liupanshui, Anshun, Bijie and Tongren), three autonomous prefectures (Qiandongnan, Qiannan and Qianxinan) and 88 counties.