Chifeng

Chifeng (Chinese: 赤峰; pinyin: Chìfēng; Mongolian:), also known as Ulanhad, is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Inner Mongolia.It borders Xilin Gol to the north and west, Tongliao to the northeast, and Chaoyang prefecture of Liaoning and Chengde prefecture of Hebei to the south. The city has an area of 90,275 km² and a population of 4.48 million (2004).

History

According to archeology studies, human existence in Chifeng area can be traced back to almost ten thousand years ago, and the cultural history can be traced back to eight thousand years ago. The representative ruins and relics of Hongshan Culture, Grassland Bronze Culture, Qindan Nationality-Liao Culture and Mongolian-Yuan Culture had been discovered in Chifeng. The ruins of the ancient village, named “Xinglonggou Culture”, are regarded as “the first village of China” by historians. The biggest jade dragon unearthed in the area is known as “the first dragon of China”. Up to now, the discovery of ruins and relics of ancient culture has come to more than 6,800 sites. Chifeng was the political, economic and cultural center of Liao Dynasty, therefore, the amount of ruins and relics of Liao Dynasty in Chifeng is ranked the most important in China.

Geography

Chifeng City, Wulanhada in Mongolian is a southeast city in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. It was named by the Red Mountain in the northeast conner of this city. The ancient Xilamulun River and Laohahe River run from east to west like two main veins in human body. The long and short rivers in this land intertwine together, accompanied by the Xing’anling Mountain, winding Yanshan Mountain and the vast prairie.

Mineral resources

In mineral resources, there are over 70 mineral deposits. The area is rich in coal, oil and gas; nonferrous metal and ferrous mental, namely iron, tin, zinc, lead, gold, silver, molybdenum etc have large reserves. Non-metal minerals include limestone, marble, fluorspar, silica, pearlite, bentonite etc.

In agricultural and animal husbandry products, besides the dominant crops of corn, rice, millet, there are cash crops like beans, buckwheat, oil-used sunflower seeds, sugar beets, tobacco, and Chinese herbals. Yearly yield of grains can reach 6 billion Jin. The facility agriculture featured by greenhouse and cold-keeping shed has come to 220,000mu. The area of natural grassland in the municipality is over 8,900mu. The raising livestock is over 14 million all over the municipality.

Power generation

In wind and water resources, there are many large and ideal national-grade wind power plants, and more than 60 large and middle size reservoirs. The ground water amounts to 5 billion m3.

Industries

Major industries include finance, insurance, telecommunications, distribution, logistics, hotels and restaurants, leisure and entertainment. High-tech industrial zone spans 24 square kilometers.

Economy

During the period of “the 10th Five-year Plan”, Chifeng conducted the strategy of “found the municipality by ecology, strengthen the municipality by industry, prosper the municipality by science and education”, by strengthening the development of resources, and seizing the historic opportunity of Western Development.

Following the strategy, Chifeng started tightening up ecological and infrastructure construction, actively promoting the process of agricultural and animal husbandry industrialization, industrialization and urbanization, greatly encouraging the development of service industry and county-level economy, trying to expand the general economy volume, increasing industry level, enhancing the core competition.

As a result, the social economy got fast development. Currently, the industrial economic system dominated with minerals, energy, medicines and foods and the agricultural and animal husbandry industrialization development structure dominated with meat, milk, vegetables and grass in Chifeng has been initially taking into shape. Chifeng has become the base of agriculture and animal husbandry and industry of the eastern part of Inner Mongolia. Compared with those of the end of “the 9th Five-year Plan”, GDP of the municipality, average regional GDP and the fiscal income doubled, the investment of fixed asset quadrupled.

In 2005, GDP of the municipality reached 34.56 billion Yuan, fiscal income reached 3.15 billion Yuan, the investment of fixed asset reached 23.1 billion Yuan, the general retail amount of social consumption reached 13.7 billion Yuan, the urban per capita disposable income came to 7,572 Yuan and average pure income of farmers and herdsmen was 2,817 Yuan. Chifeng had been cited as “Pacesetter of National Sand Control and Ecological Construction”, “National Sanitary City”, “National Model City of supporting army and cherishing the people”, ‘National Perfect Tourism City”, “National perfect City in Social Security”, “Perfect Area of Spiritual Civilization” and “China’s 50 Credit security areas in investment environment”.

During “11th Five-year Plan”, Chifeng is further conducting the development strategy of “found the municipality by ecology, strengthen the municipality by industry, prosper the municipality by science and education”, by speeding up the process of new type industrialization, Agriculture and animal husbandry industrialization and urbanization, putting stress on industrial economy, project construction and investment introduction, in order to conscientiously increase fiscal income, average income of urban residents and farmers, try to create harmonious Chifeng.

It is planned that, by 2010, GDP will come to 85 billion Yuan, by around 20% up averagely; fiscal income will come to 10 billion Yuan, around 26% up averagely. Through the fast development during “11th Five-year Plan”, Chifeng will be built as a producing base of green agricultural and animal husbandry products, energy supply base accessing to northeastern and northern China, important raw material and deep-processing base of nonferrous metal, tourism site of grassland, central city and goods interflow center between Inner Mongolia and Hebei.

Transport

Air: Chifeng Airport

Chifeng is a transport hub Connecting Chifeng, the eastern and western area of Inner Mongolia, north-east part of China and the north part of China. There is only 315 km from Beijing to Chifeng, so it is nicknamed as the "back garden of Beijing." Tianjin, Beijing, Shenyang and other big cities are only 500 km away from Chifeng. While Jinzhou, Huludao, Qinhuangdao, are less 300 km away from Chifeng. There are 8 provincial or national highways linking Chifeng with surrounding cities. In the south, the railway between Beijing to Tongliao and the railway between Yebaishou to Chifeng converge at here, connecting the north-east part and the north part of China closely. In the north, the railway between Jining to Tongliao and the railway between Chifeng to Dalian intertwine together and run through the hinterland; there are direct train from Chifeng to Beijing, Harbin, Shenyang, Dalian, the city of Shanhaiguan, and non-stop civil aviation flights to Beijing, Hohhot and other cities.

Chifeng is at the junction between Northeast and North China, 400-600 km away to cities of Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang and Dalian etc, less than 300 km away to some coastal ports of Jinzhou, Qinhuangdao etc. It is easily got affects from the two economic areas of northeast and Beijing-Tianjin-Tangshan. Referring to the transportation, there are railways (Beijing-Tongliao, Jining- Tongliao, Yebaishou-Chifeng) and national and provincial highways (111, 305, 306 and Great passageway) within the boundary of Chifeng. And there are airlines to Beijing and to Huhhot. Currently, Railway Chifeng-daban-baicheng and the two express highways Chifeng-Tongliao and Chifeng-Daban are in construction. The express highway Chifeng-Chaoyang is around construction this year. Thereafter, Chifeng will access to northern China and Northeastern China express highway nets. Chifeng will become an express passage between northern and northeastern China, and will also become the important passage way of goods from northern leagues of Inner Mongolian and Mongolian Republic.

Education

Chifeng University

Famous people

* Bao Xishun, recognized as world's tallest man from 2005 until 2007, is from Chifeng, as is his wife.

* Siqingaowa, actress.