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with companies including Honda and Citroen. Wuhan’s diversification includes three national development zones, four scientific and technological development parks, over 350 research institutes and 1,500 hi-tech enterprises. Among them is the Chemical Industry Institute, which has investigated new sources of silicon.
HANGZHOU On the Yangtse river delta in eastern China just over 100 miles from Shanghai, Hangzhou’s reputation as one of the country’s most scenic cities belies its importance as a vehicle manufacturing centre. This was underlined by Ford when it announced in April the building of a US$760 million plant that will double its China capacity to 1.2 million cars by 2015. Hangzhou is also a key base for software and telecommunications, textiles, medicine and the food industry.
SHENZHEN
This southern Chinese city was the first to be designated a special economic zone due to its closeness to Hong Kong. In three decades, it grew from 30,000 people to an urban area of 10.5 million people and is now the south’s main financial centre and a major container port. It has also become a hub for design, with more than 6,000 creative companies. The Shenzhen Virtual University Park has fostered more than 600 start-up companies. Shenzen Airlines is Star Alliance’s latest member.
TIANJIN
Airbus chose Tianjin, 70 miles south-east of Beijing, as the site of its first factory outside Europe, where it recently completed its 100th aircraft. Manufacturing is big here, with textiles, cars and petrochemical industries. The city is also the largest free port in northwest China.
ZHENGZHOU A major textiles city about 400 miles south west of Beijing, whose airport now has its own
Tianjin: the location of Airbus’s first factory outside Europe
Coca-Cola present. Hydro- and thermal-power equipment is also manufactured here, and vehicle and motor parts manufacturing are key following the establishment of a dedicated zone. Perhaps its most famous brand is Hafei, a producer of mainly small cars and vans.
SUZHOU A few miles west of the Shanghai conurbation but not quite consumed by it, Suzhou Industrial Park houses factories producing brands like Samsung at a fraction of the labour costs found in their home countries. Seagate has just produced its one billionth Chinese-made hard-drive there.
Nanjing: a major producer of electrical goods
budget terminal serving a catchment of 8 million people. The area is a major centre for coal mining and electricity generation, and for food production, including flour and instant noodles from farms around the Yellow River Valley. Foxconn, which makes Apple products, is also based here and Nissan has an SUV factory.
DALIAN
This city, on the tip of the peninsula roughly 250 miles across the Bohai Gulf from Beijing, is perhaps most famous for the 2010 oil spill that contaminated an
estimated 50,000sq km of the Yellow Sea. The offshore oil reserves mean the city is a centre for petrochemicals and refining, as well as being the northern region’s leading shipping centre. Heavy industries such as ballbearing manufacturing are also found here.
HARBIN This north-eastern city is renowned for its ice sculpture festival, but is also a key trading centre and its hinterland is an especially fertile agricultural region, with brands like Nestlé and
CHINA: QUIRKS AND TIPS
• Global online booking tools are not available in China – the standard system is the government-owned GDS Travelsky.
• An over-supply of quality hotels means some good rates in certain cities, but check the location – you can drive for an hour and still be in the same city, so make sure the hotel is where you need to be.
• Hire cars need a chauffeur, as foreigners are generally not permitted to drive. Rail travel presents challenges due to a lack of English signage.
• Remember etiquette. Carlson Wagonlit Travel recommends reading guidebooks such as Terri Morrison and Wayne Conaway’s Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands to avoid blunders.
NANJING Roughly 200 miles north-west of Shanghai, Nanjing is a major producer of TVs, electrical items, computers and trucks, the latter via a joint venture with Iveco. Building materials, including cement and plate glass, are also made here. Lufthansa serves the city.
XIAMEN This port on the Taiwan Strait is a KLM route thanks to its IT, plastics, chemicals and heavy machinery manufacturing sectors. Dell has a major plant here, as do Panasonic, TDK and NEC. The city is the world’s largest producer of energy-saving lightbulbs. It is also home to Xiamen Airlines, Skyteam’s latest member in the region.
SHENYANG AND QINGDAO Shenyang and Qingdao, both in eastern China, became Lufthansa destinations in March 2012. Shenyang is a heavy industry centre, particularly for machine tools which power China’s manufacturing industries. Aerospace and vehicles are also important. In contrast, Qingdao is best known for Tsingtao beer, a result of the city being under German control until 1914. Qingdao also makes a fifth of all China’s refrigerators. ■
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