Zhuhai - Zhuhai

Zhuhai (/ˈdÊ'uːˈhaɪ/, Chinese: 珠海; pinyin: ZhÅ«hÇŽi; Yale: JyÅ«hói; literally: "Pearl Sea") is a prefecture-level city on the southern coast of Guangdong province in China. Located in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai borders Jiangmen to the northwest, Zhongshan to the north, and Macau to the south. Zhuhai was one of the original Special Economic Zones established in the 1980s. Zhuhai is also one of China's premier tourist destinations, being called the Chinese Riviera. While the city is located in the traditionally Cantonese-speaking region of Guangdong Province, a significant portion of population is now made up of Mandarin speaking economic migrants from inland Chinese provinces.

The northern area of the city, the Xiangzhou district, is now part of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen built-up area, the biggest built-up area in the world with more than 44,478,513 inhabitants at the 2010 census encompassing the whole Shenzhen, Dongguan, Foshan, Zhongshan, Macao cities, main part of Guangzhou, and small parts of Jiangmen and Huizhou cities.

According to a report released in 2014 by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Zhuhai is the most livable city in China.

Geography

Zhuhai borders the Macau Special Administrative Region (north and west), and is 140 kilometres (87 miles) southwest of Guangzhou. Its territory includes 146 islands and a coastline of 690 kilometres (429 miles).

The islands within the prefecture-level city of Zhuhai include a number of near-shore islands, often connected to the mainland by bridges or causeways (such as Hengqin, Qi'ao, or Yeli Islands), as well as some islands in the open South China Sea (the Wanshan Archipelago). Some of the latter are actually geographically closer to Hong Kong than to the Zhuhai mainland. The jurisdiction of Nei Lingding Island, located in the Pearl River estuary was transferred from Zhuhai to Shenzhen in 2009.

Zhuhai has a humid subtropical climate affected by the East Asian Monsoon (Koppen classification Cwa) and moderated by the South China Sea, with long, hot and humid summers with frequent thunderstorms, and short, mild and dry winters. Average highs in January and July are 18 and 32 °C (64 and 90 °F) respectively. It never snows and a frost has never been recorded in the city centre. Conversely, extreme heat waves do not occur as they do further inland.

Economy

Zhuhai became a city in 1979, a year before it was designated as one of the first Special Economic Zones of China (SEZ). Similarly to neighboring Shenzhen, which became the first Special Economic Zone of China in 1978, the implementation of Zhuhai as an SEZ was largely due to its strategic position facing Macau, a capitalist trading center similar to Shenzhen's position with Hong Kong.

The establishment of Zhuhai as an SEZ allowed the Chinese Central Government and economy to have easier access to the Macau and consequently, global market. As a result, Zhuhai is now a major city in the Pearl River Delta region according to the new general urban plan approved by the State Council. The implementation of Special Economy Zone intended for the city to become a key port city, science and education city, scenic and tourism city, and as a regional hub for transportation.

The outstanding geographic location, a wide range of supporting infrastructure and a deep-water port serve as a major attraction for foreign capital. Utilized foreign investment reached US$10.344 billion in 2008. Among the top 500 enterprises worldwide, 19 of them have investment projects in Zhuhai such as ExxonMobil, BP, Siemens, Carrefour and Matsushita. Hong Kong is the largest overseas investor in Zhuhai, accounting for 22% of total utilized foreign investment in 2002.

Manufacturing industries

Industrial development in Zhuhai focuses on 5 new high-tech and heavy industries including electronics, computer software, biotechnology and pharmacy, machinery and equipment as well as petrochemical industries. Aiming to strengthen the existing industrial base as well as to provide a better environment for the development of new high-tech industries, the local government has taken the initiative in developing five economic zones:

• Zhuhai High-Tech Industrial Development Zone

As one of the 4 earliest Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in China, Zhuhai SEZ was set up in the year 1980 and granted with a local legislative right. Zhuhai hi-tech zone is located in the north of Zhuhai, which is very close to downtown. Furthermore, technological resources are centralized in our zone; there is also a huge development in hi-tech industries which is leading by software and IC industries. The hi-tech zone is the showcase for Zhuhai's scientific development.

• Zhuhai Free Trade Zone

Zhuhai Free Trade Zone (Zhuhai FTZ) was founded in 1996 with the State Council's approval, occupying 3 km² (1.2 sq mi). A Zhuhai FTZ Administrative Committee was set up in June 1997. By the end of 2006, there had been over 200 companies registered in the Free Trade Zone, including more than 150 foreign-funded enterprises, and the total investment amount was 1 billion US dollars. Industries encouraged in the zone includes Electronics Assembly & Manufacturing, Telecommunications Equipment, Building/Construction Materials, Instruments & Industrial Equipment Production, Medical Equipment and Supplies, Raw Material Processing, Research and Development, Shipping/Warehousing/Logistics, Heavy Industry.

• Harbour industrial zone (provincial level)
• Wanshan ocean development testing zone (provincial level)
• Heng Qin economic development zone (provincial level)

• global printer consumables manufacturing centre

Zhuhai manufactured and supplied 70% of the world's ribbons, 60% of the world's aftermarket inkjet cartridges and 20% of the world's third-party laser toner cartridges. Their combined sales were worth more than 1.3 billion US dollars or 10% of all the sales in the world. Zhuhai owns a comprehensive supply chain and almost any of the raw materials needed by the printer consumables industry can be provided locally.

Administration

The prefecture-level city of Zhuhai administers 3 county-level divisions and 4 special economic districts, all of which are districts.

Transportation

Air

• Zhuhai Jinwan Airport (IATA: ZGSD, ICAO: ZUH), international airport hosting an annual air show and an exhibition hall, with Chinese space rockets located in Jinwan District.
• Jiuzhou Heliport (九州机场) (ICAO: ZGUH), is located in Jiuzhou district, near the harbour, and has short plane runway and a helipad. Its place inside Jiuzhou inner district, permits quick transport of injured people from surrounding islands to the city hospitals.

Railway

Zhuhai Railway Station is located at the western end of Gongbei Port of Entry and Portas do Cerco at the border of Zhuhai and Macau. There are frequent high speed trains to Guangzhou, Guilin and Beijing.

A three-line tram network is planned, with the first phase of Line 1 to open in November 2014.

Sea

An attractive and clean environment and good deep-port condition are advantages of Zhuhai. Endowed by a long coastline, Zhuhai is the only city on the western Pearl River Delta with natural deep-water ports.

Zhuhai has two international seaports: Jiuzhou (九州港) and Gaolan (高栏港). Gaolan Port is one of the leading ports in Guangdong province, while Jiuzhou Port focuses on heavy passenger sea transport.

Chu Kong Passenger Transport operates a ferry service between Zhuhai's Jiuzhou Port, Hong Kong and Shekou Passenger Terminal, in the Nanshan District of Shenzhen. A service between Jiuzhou Port and Hong Kong International Airport for air passengers using the airport began on 10 July 2007.

Road

At present, there is an expressway linking Zhuhai and Foshan. Heavy traffic between Zhuhai and Macau has led to the construction of a new cross-border corridor, the Lotus Bridge, built in November 1999 to divert traffic away from the congested Gongbei Port of Entry (Portas do Cerco). As part of the Pearl River Delta integration, a Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is under construction.

Tourism

Zhuhai's and surrounding landscapes has a reputation within China of being a garden city and having a quality of life. In 2002, the city attracted 1.3 million international tourists and 3.64 million domestic tourists. Following Guangzhou and Shenzhen, Zhuhai has the third largest amount of foreign tourism in the Guangdong province, which amounted to billion in 2002.

Zhuhai hosts the China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition biannually in November. It is the largest Air Show in China and a huge tourist attraction.

Realizing the benefits brought by tourism, the local government is expanding tourist destinations and is developing new spots such as Hengqin (横琴岛/橫琴島), Dong'ao (东澳/東澳), Hebao (荷包), Qi'ao (淇澳岛/淇澳島) and Yeli (野狸).

New Yuan Ming Palace

The New Yuan Ming Palace (simplified Chinese: 圆明新园; traditional Chinese: åœ"明新åœ') is a park of 1.39 square kilometres (0.54 square miles), including an 80,000 m² (861,113 sq ft) lake. It features a partial reconstruction of the Old Summer Palace in Beijing, destroyed in 1860 by French and British troops during the second Opium War, which was never rebuilt on its original site.

• The New Yuan Ming Palace in Zhuhai

Coast of Xianglu Bayâ€"Fisher Girl Statue

Coast of Xianglu Bay is the 'symbol' of Zhuhai. It has a good view of Zhuhai (Pearl River) Delta with brownish water, rocks, beach, fishing people. The famous landmark of the city â€" Fisher Girl Statue is standing elegantly at Xianglu Bay, the statue drapes a fishnet and holds a pearl high in the air with both hands up to the sky. It symbolizes a vigorous and lively Zhuhai welcoming visitors from all over the world.

Education

Strategic development

Developing a university park is part of Zhuhai's strategy to strengthen its high-tech and IT industries. Compared with Beijing and Shanghai, Zhuhai and other cities in Guangdong province face a serious shortage of talent and professionals. The local government is taking significant initiatives to set up a university park with an area of 20 square kilometres (8 square miles) (the only such plan in the western Pearl River Delta).

Colleges and universities

• Zhuhai Campus of Jinan University
• Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus
• Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhuhai Campus
• Sun Yat-Sen University, Zhuhai Campus
• Zhuhai College of Jilin University
• United International College
• Zhuhai Radio & TV University

A number of other colleges and universities are also located in or near Zhuhai. Beijing Normal University Zhuhai Campus was created as a new model university. Besides its high quality of education, it is more internationally oriented than many universities in China. Many students here prepare to go abroad to finish their junior and senior years.

Sports facilities

Zhuhai is the first city in China to have constructed a motor racing circuit. The Zhuhai International Circuit (Chinese: 珠海国际赛车场; pinyin: Zhūhǎi Guoji Sai Che Chang) was built in 1996 and is located at Jinding, near the border to Zhongshan. ZIC has held the BPR Global GT Endurance Series in 1996, the FIA GT Championship in 1997, 1999, 2004 and 2005. It hosted the championship's 2007 opening round on 24 and 25 March. ZIC had planned to host a round of the Champ Car World Series on 20 May 2007, but agreement was not reached. ZIC held an A1GP race in 2007 for the first time in series' history. ZIC became the first venue in China to host the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup on 7 November 2010 when the 2010 1000 km of Zhuhai was staged.

Zhuhai has also a new excellent tennis center which hosts WTA Elite Trophy, the last tournament of the year for players that are in the top 20 but did not qualify to WTA Finals.