A Sketch of Chaoyang

Chaoyang District, located in east Beijing, was under the jurisdiction of Jixian Country of Youzhou Prefecture during the Qin Dynasty more than 2,000 years ago. It became the East Suburban District in 1925 and renamed Chaoyang District in 1958.

Covering 470.6 square km and having population of 2.29 million, Chaoyang is the largest ang most densely populated urban district in Beijing. It takes the shape of a narrow polygon from north to south on the map. Averaging 34 meters above sea level, the district enjoys

a moderate continental monsoon climate, with clearly divided four seasons. With eight rivers flowing through it, the district offers fertile soil and picturesque scenes. With developed economy, the district is a base of complete branches of industries, including electronic, textile, chemical, machine-building, auto, and high-tech sectors, modern agriculture and diverse commercial, financial, tourism, material distribution and storage and real estate services. In 2000, the district registered 48 billion yuan in GDP and 13.2 billion yuan in tax payment, and ranked among Beijing's advanced urban districts and counties in terms of aggregate assets (900 billion yuan). The district's tremendous economic strength, sound investment environment and complete service facilities have attracted numerous domestic and overseas famous enterprises. According to available statistics, 13,000 enterprises have settles down in Chaoyang since the 1980s.

Chaoyang serves as a diplomatic window of Beijing. Construction of the CBD is now under way. It is home to more than 60 percent of the foreign business agencies in Beijing, over 3,000 foreign companies, 167 international news agencies, and two-thirds of the 158 of the global top 500 transnational companies that have invested in Beijing. Foreign embassies of different architectural styles nestle in the shade of quiet tree-lined Sanlitun, Chaoyangmen Wai and Liangmahe streets. Except for those of Russia and Luxemburg, all foreign embassies to China are located in the region. The CBD, which began construction in the 1990s, covers 3.99 square km. With a large number of business buildings, hotels, apartment houses and auxiliary structures, and fairly complete municipal administrative, transport and communication facilities, it has attracted the greatest number of foreign personages in Beijing.

Chaoyang's new and high-tech industries are full of vitality. The Jiuxianqiao Electronic Town, as a major component of the Zhongguancun High-Tech Experimental Zone, is advantageous in policy and industrial foundation. After many years of efforts, the town has developed not only a sound space and environment for expansion, but also a high-tech pattern composed of the Electronic Town, the Wangjing Industrial Park and the North South Industrial Park. It has become a major base for the industrialization of new and high technologies in Beijing.

Chaoyang features highly developed culture and education. In 2000, the region registered 310 primary and secondary schools and 53 institutions of higher education. With a large number of State-class cultural facilities such as Beijing Workers' Stadium, the National Olympic Sports Center and the Capital Library, the district boasts rich cultural resources. The China International Exhibition Center, the China the World Trade Center and the National Agricultural Exhibition Center hold various kinds of exhibitions each year, turning the district into a national exhibition and cultural center. The district has the country's largest district-level cultural center and more than 600 cultural and recreational venues. With 97 tourist hotels, the district yielded 12.6 billion yuan in tourism revenue in 2000.

The district, which enjoys rich resources and exceptional advantages for regional development, is an urban district with the strongest modern flavor in Beijing. According to Beijing's overall development plan, the district has more than 50 percent of the city's exploitable land for construction. Beijing plans to build 10 peripheral groups, with five (Wangjing, Beiyuan, Dingfuzhuang, Dongba and Fatou) located in Chaoyang. The district has built complete water-, power-, gas- and heat-supply networks. The 1,110 health care facilities provide convenient services for local residents. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th ring roads, the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu, Beijing-Shenyuang and Beijing-Changping expressways, the loop and 8th subways, and the Capital Airport have formed a three-dimensional transport system in the district. The 100-meter-wide shelterbelt project along the Airport Expressway and the 4th Ring Road has put a pretty jadeite necklace on Chaoyang. The over 60 brightly lit streets add color and charm to the district's night scene. During the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001-2005), green areas will take up 40 percent of the district's total land area, providing the district with a green ecological environment up to international standards.

The Beijing municipal government has attached great importance to the construction of the CBD, a major symbol for a modern metropolis. It will put forward a series of policies to support and encourage the quicker development of the CBD and promote the formation of industrial structures and economic functions in the CBD. Beijing's success in the bid for the 2008 Olympic Games has provided the city and particularly Chaoyang with great opportunities for development. The Olympic Green, located in the Wali and Datun area in north Chaoyang, covers 12.15 square km. The construction of the CBD and the Olympic Green will greatly expedite the process of the urbanization of rural Chaoyang, the modernization of urban areas and internationalization of the district as a whole.

There are several so-called "business circles" in Beijing, including those around the China World Trade Center, Chaoyangmen Wai Avenue, the Lufthansa Center and the Asia Games Village. The China World Trade Center business circle, centering on the planned "Golden Cross", has became the golden area in Beijing with a powerful economic strength and the most modern business buildings. The regions around Chaoyangmen Wai Avenue and the Lufthansa Center are closed to the embassy neighborhood and have huge development potentials with the many department stores, financial institutions and office buildings. The Asia Games Village business circle, newly emerged in north Beijing, has embraced the region into the traditional urban districts of the capital city after morn than 10 years of construction.

The bright prospect of Chaoyang District to become a major business center in China have attracted eyes of people from the world business circles. Many of then have decided to move in to the district or will shift their business there in the near future. In 2000 alon, 180 Sino-foreign joint ventures and solely foreign-funded enterprises settled in the district. There is a saying that anyone who has a patch of land here will own the market in the future.

It has become a scene of Chaoyang when thousands of foreign and Chinese employees rush into various office buildings in the morning.

The district has became such a land that businesspeople from all parts can realize their dreams here.