In conducting the investment climate evaluation, we considered various indicators, including the ten indicators used by World Bank in conducting an evaluation on Chinese cities in 2003. We used 8 key indicators in the report plus the living environment to evaluate Wuhan’s investment climate from the perspective of the macro-economic conditions, industrial policy and government efficiency for domestic and foreign investors.

• Geographical Location: Centre of China and Advanced logistics
• International Integration: Continuing Open-up Policy and Encouraging Headquarters Establishment
• Infrastructure: Sufficient Land Supply and Convenient Facilities
• Human Resources: Local Universities and Abundant Talent
• Skills and Technology Endowment: Optics Valley of China and Leading Industries
• Financing: Sophisticated Financing Establishment Network of Financial Institutions
• Administrative Efficiency and Governmental Support: Seamless Service and Support
• Public Security and Court Efficiency: Sound Security and High Efficiency

Geographical Location

The development of regional economy can boost the growth of companies. Factors such as geographical location, transportation cost, etc. are important for enterprises when choosing investment locations.

Wuhan’ central location within China brings many advantages for its local enterprises helping to promote the expansion of downstream business and penetrate the consumer market.

Distinguished Advantages in logistics

A new logistic park zone, an industrial base infrastructure projects will be established in Wuhan New Port to support the establishment of a new city which constitute a fully equipped “Big Logistics” industrial zone. Logistics zone project include Linsifang coal distribution centre, Wuhan strategic coal reserve centre, Changhang logistics base, etc.

Geographical Centre

Wuhan is within the radius of 300 km from other major cities in central China such as Changsha, Zhengzhou, Hefei, Nanchang, etc.

Wuhan is also within the radius 1,200 km from 24 provinces and more than 70 cities in China including cities in Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Capital Beijing

Economic and Financial Centre

Wuhan is one of the largest inland circulation centre and cargo distribution centers, in which commodities could reach a population of 0.4 billion in the five nearby provinces. Wuhan is respected as China’s ‘Geo – Economic Heart” in this regard.

More than 2,00 financial institutions are set up in Wuhan currently making it the 3th largest financing centre in China after Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Transportation

Wuhan is located in the west of Shanghai, The east of Chongqing, north of Guangzhou and the south of Beijing, is one of the largest water, land and air transportation hubs in inland China

Wuhan enjoys comprehensive advantages’ such as short transportation radius, low cost, strong influence and radiation force in a wide span of the market.

During the period of 2006-2009, Wuhan has maintained a steady growth in volume of freight and passenger transportation.

Important Inland Port of China

The Yangtze river, the longest river in China and its largest tributary the Han River intersect  at Wuhan. Wuhan Port is an important pivotal port along the Yangtze River and the port opening to external trade.

Wuhan Port is the largest inland port in China, at which 5,000 to cargo could pass in and out all year and throughput of Wuhan port increases steadily every year.

Imported containers ad bulk cargoes can be delivered directly to Wuhan through the Yangtze river. Customs formalities can be completed in Wuhan with relative low transportation costs. Exported goods can be packed in Wuhan and shipped around the world via water transportation.

There are directly frequent shipping services from Wuhan to Shanghai Waigaoqiang (daily) and Yanhshan (weekly) directly.

Wuhan New Port

Wuhan new Port is an investment of 37 million RMB and expected annual throughput should reach 160 million tons.

The first two projects Yangluo Port containers projects Phase II and affiliated dock project for 800,000 tons ethylene are construction. Upon completion, the Yangtze waterway could be fully utilized to promote the export-oriented economic development of Wuhan and reduce enterprises transportation cost in foreign trade.

Development Strategy

Wuhan New Port will be constructed into a:

• Modern port: equipped with modern machinery and managed by advanced information technologies;
• International port: open direct international lines to Japan, South Korea, Taiwasn, Southeast Asian countries/regions and simplify the customs procedures to promote foreign trade in central and western regions;
• Pivotal port: become an output of shipping centre for key bulky goods collected from central western regions and an inland distribution centre for goods imported from coastal areas or foreign countries.

Large Airport in Central China

As one of the biggest airports in central China, Wuhan Tianhe International Airport is the only airport in central China offering visa services to foreign visitors.

The 2^nd terminal of Tianhe Airport, which started operating in March 2008, has an annual passenger capacity of 13 million and cargo capacity of 0.32 tons.

The 3th terminal of Tianhe Airport with a proposed passenger capacity of 30-40 million is under construction. Upon completion, Thianhe Airport will be an important hub of China and eligible to compete with the airports of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

As of the end of 2008 , 129 domestic and 12 international airliners provided their services t Tianhe Airport connecting  Wuhan to other major cities in China and abroad.

Railway and Highway Network

Four existing railway lines (i.e. Beijing-Guangzhou,  Beijing-Kowloon, Wuhan-Jiujiang, Wuhan-Danjiangkou) and two express railways (i.e. Beijing-Guangzhou, Shanghai-Chengdu) are under construction, coverage in Wuhan and form a railway network connecting the north, south-west, central-south and east China.

Wuhan will be on e of the four largest railway hubs in China, after Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

Hurong (Shanghai-Chengdu) express railway starts from Chengdu in the west to Shanghai in the east with a designed speed of 200km/hour. Hurong express railway is a national planned express railway channel linking the west and the east.

With a road transportation network extending to all directions, Wuhan has a convenient transportation.

International Integration

China’s increased openness to foreign trade and investment enhances the integration of domestic and international markets. The mechanism of a market economy which is in line with global standards is under way and foreign trade continues to increase. Enterprises could obtain the most recent information and market feedback in a more open environment. Enabling them to formulate their business strategies in a timely manner to cope with the chancing market landscape and market thereafter.

Foreign Direct Investment

As one of the first cities to open-up along the Yangtze River, Wuhan has always been favored to attract foreign investment, which is comparable to the cities in central and western China.

In 2008 the amount of actually used foreign capital in Wuhan reached the amount of 2.573 billion dollar, which is an increase of 14.4% in comparison with a year before.

Wuhan attracted 29 projects with investment value of 30 million USD or above in 2008. To date, the number of foreign investment enterprises approved by the Wuhan government has reached 5,328.

In comparison with other cities in central China Wuhan is leading in terms of attracting foreign investment.

Foreign Trade

In view of economic globalization, Wuhan has pushed forth to open policy on foreign trade an investment. As a result, it has achieved a sustained growth in foreign trade and thereby effectively contributing to the development strategy “Rise of Central China”.

Facing external challenges under the global climate in 2008, Wuhan has overcome various unfavorable factors to further expand its foreign trade.

The amount of foreign trade of Wuhan is 2008 reached 13.977 billion USD with an annual growth of 40.3%. Exports increased 45.3% and imports increased 35.8% with an amount of 6.904 USD and 7.073 USD billion respectively in 2008, maintaining a balanced proportion of import and export in foreign trade.

At the end of 2008, Wuhan has foreign trade relationships with 187 countries and regions. The total export amount of Wuhan ranked the cities in Central China.

Infrastructure

The cost of land/rental is one of the most important factors to be considered at the preliminary stage. High land/rental costs will greatly affect business operations.

The public services offered to enterprises include water, electricity, nature gas and telecommunications supply as well as waste management are all part of the daily operations costs of business. Moreover, well established infrastructure and high efficient public service system are the prerequisites to efficiently operate a company.

Sufficient Land Supply

Substantial land reserves in overall planning are available for industrial usage and development by large-scaled industries. According to the report on 2007 Wuhan land usage, the occupation rate of construction land reached 17.34%. Till the end of 2008, Wuhan had the capacity to supply around 72,200 acres of industrial land, which can satisfy demands of industrial development.

Development of Industrial Land

The government has already done some preliminary development to industrial land before it is made available to investors to ensure 6 key infrastructure elements are already in place.

• Sound ground transportation system
• Water supply and drainage system
• Electricity supply and network
• Piping for natural gas and heat
• Dressing up for uneven floor
• Set up of telecommunication system

The unit development cost from raw land to cultivated land is around 220 RMB per m2.

Land Acquisition and Construction of Plant

Land for industrial and commercial use could be acquired public bidding or by auction. The responsible department could build standardized plants in advance. Investors could also engage contactors to build plants with certain specifications. In comparison with other State Economic and development Zone’s in Shanghai Minhang, Beijing, Guangzhou, Xi’an and Chongqing the average costs of rental In Wuhan are relatively competitive.

Water Supply and Pollution Discharge

Wuhan is a typical garden city featuring mountains and water. With a water area making up 25% of its entire territory, Wuhan is ranked the first among major Chinese cities. @0 Wuhan water plants supply 4.185 million tons of water every day. Actual daily output is 2.646 million tons which has increased by 8.8% than last year. Each year on average city supply is now 100% converted. Compared with that of last year, the concentrated sewage treatment rate has increased from 4.9% to 80.9%. Wuhan emphasizes the importance of the development of infrastructure for water supply, 100% of its water meets national stander and is of good quality.

Electricity Supply

Wuhan electricity supply lines network is an important part of the power supply for Central China and is located at the centre of the electricity supply network for Central China. With the Three Gorges hydroelectric station being put into operation by stage, the power supply available to Hubei province will hopefully increase over time well. Wuhan, with a high power consumption, is continuously optimizing  efficiency of its regional network system urging the local electricity suppliers to upgrade its technology and improve operational efficiencies. The first key project in Wuhan’s electricity development for the 11^th Five-Year Plan is the 500 kv power transmission project in eastern Hubei which was completed in 2008. It is estimated that this electricity speedway ”will triple the electricity of the Wuhan city circle.

Natural Gas

Natural gas has been widely used in Wuhan after the announcement of the national-wide plan to “Transmit natural gas from Sichuan to the east”. Natural gas can help save power effectively, reduce environmental pollution, improve people’s living standards and quality, promote productivity, manage and promote the development of industry and commerce. At the end of 2008, the gas and pipeline network of Wuhan Natural Gas Company Limited was about 3,950 Km its service network covered the tree towns of Wuhan. The estimated consumption of natural gas in Wuhan is about 1 billion. In comparison with other national development zones, the price of natural gas in Wuhan is bout average.

Human Resources

To guarantee the business development, production expansion and technology advancement, adequate supply of talented labor force is essential. Labor costs is one of the key indicators to be considered when investment decision are being made.

Wuhan’s superior science and technology capabilities and relatively low labor cost provide strong support to its economic development. Meanwhile, an increased labor force from surrounding districts flows into Wuhan due to the high standard of living and a stable labor demand.

Labor Cost

Salary – The average salary in Central and Western China is usually lower than that of Eastern coastal and the Southern regions. In comparison with other big cities in China, the average is relatively low. The average salary of Wuhan residents was 27,213 RMB in 2008, and average salary of employees in Wuhan was 28,431 RMB in 2008.

Social Security- In Wuhan, enterprises incur mandatory social cost, including: pension, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, work- injured & maternity insurance, and housing fund.

Talent attraction and gathering

Good living environment and sable demand of labor force in Wuhan attract an increasing number of employees from neighboring areas. Wuhan has set up as “Expert” program to employ about 10 experts at home and abroad every year from key industries and key projects. These experts could enjoy special allowance of no less than 100,000 RMB a year. Municipal and district finance bureau is paying allowance to high-level talents from abroad who are employed by key enterprises in Wuhan.

Wuhan government is making improvements to the education conditions for children of non-Wuhan residents by ensuring that schools are available in close proximity to the homes. There will be  4 international schools (of which 1 is finished and 3 are still under construction) in Wuhan for expatriate employees, which will all be located at either Wuhan Economic Development Zone or Wuhan East Lake Hi-tech Development Zone.

Skills and Technology Endowment

R&D power in science and technology reflects the level of the local productivity indirectly. With the rapid development of science and technology, the competitiveness of enterprises depends more on technological R&D capabilities. Relying on the environment of their own R&D capabilities, enterprises could develop more high value-added technology in products/services in order to strengthen their core competencies. In this regard, technology endowment is one of the key success for enterprises.

R&D Capability and Technological Output

Leveraging on local advantages of education and R&D environment in Wuhan, enterprises are incentivized to improve R&D and innovation capability and enhance high value-added technology in products/services. Until the end of 2008, Wuhan had 104 technology research institution, 71,000 R&D personnel to undertake 1,195 science and technology projects at state level 649 relevant projects at municipal level. The percentage of R&D expenditure of the regional GDP was 2.3% in 2008, which is 0.15% higher than last year. In 2008, 358 scientific and technological achievements and 11,270 patents applications were registered in Wuhan.

Wuhan Optic Valley – Gathering of High-tech Industry

East lake area, where is Wuhan Optics Valley of China located, is one of China’s talent-concentrated areas. It is the State’s leading area in R&D capabilities for optical communications, biological engineering, laser, microelectronics and new building materials. After more than 10 years of development, East Lake Hi-tech Development Zone has become an important scientific R&D and manufacturing centre in Central China.

Finance

The Maturity of financial market is one of the mist important indicators for investment decisions. It affects the activity of enterprises in capital market and business operation. The financial agents such as accounting Firms, law firm, consulting firms and appraisal companies, apply an important role in enterprises financial strength, management and decision making process.

After China’s entry into the WTO Wuhan was one of the first cities to open foreign retail companies.

Now a day’s Wuhan is the financial centre for the central region of China. Currently it has banks, security companies and insurance companies with both domestic capital and global finding. Foreign banks such as HSBC Bank, BEA Bank, Industrial Bank have set up branches in Wuhan.

Wuhan encourages rapid development of financial intermediary institutions, such as mortgage companies, investment companies, investment consulting firms, insurance companies, accounting firms, appraisal companies, venture capital, credit assessment institutions, etc.

Administrative Efficiency and Governmental Support

Governmental and support and administrative efficiency are of great importance in the initial stage of investment and ongoing daily operations Governmental support policies such as providing financial support, creating a liberal business environment and improving administrative efficiency have a positive effect in the growth and development of enterprises.

Governmental Support

Meet land use demand for encouraging industrial projects

• Support land use of projects that are in the line with industrial policy
• Strengthen coordination between enterprises and relevant authorities, simplify approval procedure and reduce approval time for land use right

Encourage the revitalization and development of key industries

• Support the revitalization of key industries by providing financial support, land use planning, auxiliary facilities, etc.

Encourage independent innovation of enterprises

• Set up fund to support investment in technology industries
• providing financial support to enterprise’s qualified R&D activities
• Build  a special approval procedure for patent applications

Encourage enterprise’s technological improvement

• Wuhan Finance Bureau and authorities of Wuhan’s two national economic development zones jointly contribute 100 million RMB to a special fund to support the development of the manufacturing industry.

Administrative Efficiency

Provide a one-stop-shop services to enterprises

• Build an online administrative approval system, which connects governmental services centers at district level and approval authorities at municipal level

- Set up one-stop-shop service centre to shorten all kinds of administrative approval period by 50 %.

Improve communication between enterprises and authorities

• Set up a ‘green channel for enterprise’s convenience”  on the official website of Wuhan Municipality.
• Build a system for government leaders to contact key enterprises. Government leaders pay visits to enterprises to understand and to help solve issues relating to administrative approval.
• Build a system for government leaders to communicate with entrepreneurs. Government leaders have monthly discussions with entrepreneurs to understand concerns of businesses.

Increase the transparency of government support policies.

• Build a management platform of special financial funds, which has links on the official website of Wuhan Municipal Government.
• Introduce an online  system for enquiries, applications, approvals and announcements for financial aid applications.

Public Security and Court Efficiency

Fair and efficient judicial environment, together with good service provided by police, prosecutors and judges, play an important role in protecting enterprises’ legitimate interests, ensuring businesses run smoothly and providing an environment for long term development.

Wuhan has a good public security and judicial environment. Public Security Bureau, Procurators and Court work efficiently, creating a good investment environment for enterprises.

Until the end of 2008 there were 133 law firms and 1,652 professional lawyers in Wuhan, providing a wide range of legal services for enterprises.

The secondary and tertiary industries tend to be rationalized. In 2008 the total revenue of Wuhan reached about 50.2 billion Yuan, this was an increase of more than 50% in comparisons to the previous year. The disposable income of the residents in cities in 2008 reached 16,360 Yuan, increased by roughly 14%.

Consumption market

Wuhan has long been the commerce and trade centre in central China. There is an old saying- “Goods sell well when they reach HanKou (The town of Wuhan). As Wuhan is one of the largest inland circulation centers and cargo distribution centers, the commodities sold in Wuhan can reach 0.4 billion people in five nearby provinces. 

Wuhan’s total retail sales of consumer goods has exceeded 100 billion Yuan (RMB)in 2005 and the figures of 2008 indicate and amount of 185.005 billion Yuan (RMB).  These figures indicate an annual increase of 21.8%. in addition, comparatively  Wuhan has a large potential consumer market in central China.

In reasoned years numerous of international retail companies have invested in Wuhan such as Wal-Mart (United States), Carrefour (France) and Metro (Germany). These FDI’s have greatly contributed to the development of the local retail sector. It is even so that the IKEA Group (Sweden) has build Asia’s largest shopping centre with an investment of 300 million (USD) in Wuhan. After they invested in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Dalian, Nanjing and Shenzhen.

 Industry

Wuhan is the birthplace of Chinese modern industry. After the founding of the new China, Wuhan became one of the six industrial hubs in China. The 11^th five-year plan (2006-2010) of Wuhan states that Wuhan should transfer from an old industry hub and traditional trade and goods town to an advanced manufacturing hub and state-if-the-art service centre. Given the fact that it is 2010, it must be said that the five-year-plan succeeded for a large part.

 The cluster effect of Pillar industries

Emphasis has been put on five industry clusters in Wuhan’s 11^th Five-Year Plan which create a cluster effect.

Steel and iron industries as well as environmental protection industries are centralized in northeast part of Wuhan (Qingshan- Yanggluo- Zuoling). Wuhan is one of the three largest iron and steel hubs in China. Wuhan Iron and Steel group is one of the largest producing base of steel slab in China. Industrial chain relating to Wu steel’s business achievements further development. Currently, metallurgical machinery designing ability representing by Wisdri has further improved over the last years.

Automobile industry and electromechanical industries, centralized in the southwest part of Wuhan-Wuhan Economic and technological Development Zone (Hanyang- Caidian-Hannan). Wuhan is one of the three largest automobile Manufacturing hubs in China. The automobile industry achieves gross annual value of 63.556 Billion RMB in 2008 with an increase of 13.1%. Currently, leading companies such as Dongfeng Peugeot and Dangfeng Honda have formed certain competitiveness in this market.

Optoelectronics information as well as bioengineering and medicine, centralized in the southeast part of Wuhan-Wuhan East Lake Hi-tech Development Zone (Wuhan East Lake Hi-tech development zone- Hongshan- Jiangxia. Wuhan is currently the largest optical communication industry hub in China which is reputed as ‘Optics Valley of China”.

The bio-pharmaceutical industry achieves gross annual value of 7.834 billion RMB with an increase of 25.5%.

The food industry is centralized in southwest part of Wuhan – Wujiashan Taiwan Businessman invested Zone (Dongxihu- Huangjinku). It is one of the tree economic growth poles of Wuhan, one 5 key foreign investment-intensive zones, one of the three automobile parts export hubs and one of the three logistical parks. The cigarette and food industry achieves gross annual value of 48.803 billion RMB in 2008 which shows am increase of 30.9% from last year.

Urban industry cluster zone, featuring with medium and small private-owned enterprises. It is designed to promote the transition of old industry zones to a series of industrial of industrial zones in the urban area.

Limited impact of the Global Financial Crisis

Wuhan’s economy does not rely heavily on cross-border trade. They heavy chemical industry has been paying an important role in economic development. The national revitalization plan for key industries could enhance enterprises competences to protect them against a financial crisis.

Taking advantages if the geographical location, human resources and sizeable market of the central region of China, Wuhan’s local enterprises continues to expand their market share.

Wuhan’s economy was not heavily impacted by the global financial crisis that began in 2008. Foreign invested enterprises are operating smoothly although the inventory increased and profitability eroded due to the decrease of the market demand.

Wuhan taking positive measures

To help broaden financing channels for enterprises, explore existing financial resources, optimize the creditors’ composition, maintain a balance credit and establish better platform for financing.

To develop better policies to promote technology innovation and high-tech industry, encourage local enterprises to develop key technology with self-owned IP right, enhances R&D capability and core competence.

To provide fallow-up service to local enterprises, explain and enact support to help solve actual problems.

To establish open information platform to facilitate local enterprises in innovation, branding, market development, cooperation and risk management.

Highlights of the positive measures undertaken by the Wuhan economic development zone.

Strengthen the support of encouragement industries

• To provide the manufacturing enterprises, state-of-the-art service enterprises, real estate enterprises and newly invested projects in the form of development.

Encourage enterprises’ independent innovation

• To strengthen the support of “scientific and Technical innovation Fund of Wuhan Economic Development Zone”. New and high-tech projects could enjoy finds of no less than 30 million RMB from Wuhan economic development zone.
• To provide support to new and high-tech enterprises and make the best use of “Venture Capital Fund of Wuhan Economic Development Zone” to provide start-up financing to small and medium sized enterprises.

Providing financing service to enterprises

• To explore the financing channels for enterprises en providing financing guarantees to small and medium sized enterprises.
• To build a platform for enterprises to seek financing by going public, provide guidance to mergers, acquisitions and restructuring of listed companies, encourage different types of financing such as acquiring a public shell company, share placement, issuance of new shares, bonds issuing and trust.
• To help the enterprises to get financial support from provincial and municipal government with emphasis on supporting funds such as funds for potentiality explore and technical innovation of enterprises, three science and technology funds are talents funds.

Encouragements to explore the marke

• To encourage enterprises to explore overseas market, Wuhan Municipal Government and development zone offer certain rewards to the export enterprises.
• To perform the bonded logistics function of the export processing zone.
• To provide support to enterprises in “Sate Export Bases of Automobiles and Parts and Components”.
• To encourage enterprises to expand their domestic market shares.

Further improvements on the environment for enterprises development

• To reduce the operating costs of enterprises.
• To encourage enterprises to employment.
• To improve the production and the living environment of the development zone.

Further enhancing the standard of governmental service

• To implement a system for offices of the development zone to directly contact entrepreneurs to understand and help solve their issues.
• To provide service efficiency, build a service green channel and reduce the review and approval time.

Wuhan lies in the middle latitude zone of the north of the Tropic of Cancer. The City has a subtropical monsoon climate with sufficient sunshine, plentiful rainfall and four distinct seasons. The temperature of Wuhan on a average is 16.6 Celsius degrees an annual reaches 1.269 millimeters. Meanwhile, the hours of sunshine in Wuhan reaches an average of 1,928.5 hours per annum.

There are 13 administrative districts and 3 store level development zones in the city, which holds a population of approximately 9,7 million people including a population of 5 million people in the centre urban area.

Located in central China, Wuhan is not only the capital of Hubei Province, other than Being  the capital it also serves as the political, economic, finance, science and technology,  and cultural centre of Hubei Province.

Wuhan is famous for its geographical position it is known as “the gateway to nine provinces”. The city is located within a radius of 1,000km from other major cities in China such as Beijing, shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Xi’an.  The city’s geographical position gives the advantage to link the east and west, and as a pivot providing easy excess between the north and the south. And off course Wuhan  is capable to provide easy excess to both lakes.

There are three state-level economic and technological development zones in Wuhan. The East Lake Hi-Tech Development Zone focus on optical and electronic communications, bioengineering, material research and laser technologies, while the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone emphasizes on the production of automobiles and spare parts, food and beverages. Similarly, Wujiashan State-Level Industry Development Park puts emphasis on food and beverages; in addition, it also focuses on agricultural products for further processing, and bioengineering. Together, these three Development Zones in Wuhan play a critical role in its development and growth

Over a hundred hills and about 200 lakes are scatters around Wuhan, Wuhan’s water area accounts for a quarter of the city’s land area. The East lake Scenic Area’s lake covers 33 square kilometers, which is the largest “lake within a city” in China. It is one of the famous scenic spots in Wuhan. The area covers a range of 82 square kilometers. Characterized by beautiful landscape and abundant plants, the area boats more than 100 scenic spots, which attracts many tourists every year. Besides this all, it is known as the biggest tourist centre of the ancient Chu culture.  The plum blossom and lotus in East Lake rank top in China. This is also where the China Plum Blossom Research Centre and China Lotus Centre are located.

Wuhan has a long and rich history. According to archaeological studies and records of ancient books, there are trances of civilization of more than 10,000 years old. The unearthed Panlong Town Heritage proved to be to be the place of the Fang State in Shang Dynasty built about 3,500 years ago, and it was the only town in Shang Dynasty discovered in Yangtze River Valley, On October 10 1911, the Xinhai revolution started in Wuhan, which ended the feudal society lasted 5000 years in China.

Wuhan has plenty of attractions such as Yellow Crane Tower, Baotong Zenist Temple, Guiyuan Zenist Temple, Qingchuan Pavilion, East Lake, etc. The Yellow Crane Tower was built in 223 AD. It is renowned for its poetry. Many famous poets such as Li Bai, Bai Juyi and Lu You have written poems there. Wuhan also boasts some museums like Zhongshan Warship Museum and Qingchuan Pavilion.

Wuhan has its own unique food culture. There, Jingzhou Cuisine meets Huangzhou local cuisine. There are many renowned delicacies, such as “steamed blunt snout”, “braised soft-shell turtle”, and typical snacks, like steamed dumplings from “Sijimei”, Doupi from “Laotongcheng”, hot dry noodles from “Cailinji”, and sweet dumplings from “Wufangzai”.

 Wuhan plans to construct six new suburban residential districts. The plan is to construct the districts around the central urban area, with the new Wuhan city composing of one urban centre and six satellite districts.

How to understand Guanxi

Whenever you read or hear about China you cannot get around the Chinese word Guanxi (关系).

For non- Chinese it is difficult to understand what this little word really stands for.

The original meaning is “relationship”. But most dictionaries mention that it can also mean “concerning something”, “condition” or “involvement”. And that is where most foreigners have trouble understanding how relationship can also mean “condition”.

Guanxi is used as a term for a personal network. Those networks influence almost all decisions made in China while contracts and agreements are seen as guidelines which can be questioned or changed.

Most foreigners find it hard to believe that Guanxi is not a synonym for the Western term “corruption”. In China they use the word Huilu (贿赂) for this illegal process.

So what is Guanxi, if it doesn´t mean corruption?

Guanxi- Relationships are unlike corruption not based on unions, groups or institutions but are concerning the link between two individual persons. From there on the network can be expanded to the people the other one has Guanxi with.

The dangerous thing about introducing other people to the people you have Guanxi with, is that you could lose your face (honor, credibility) in case the introduced person is not trustworthy or reliable.

This kind of relationship needs a long time to be built up but when established it can be on a very high level. Some of the relationships are based on living together in the same village or because two people were studying in the same university.

But unlike the western definition of friendship or companionship, Guanxi can only exist if the help one gives to the other is equal to the received favor. Eventually you have to “pay back” your Guanxi- Partners.

Time and consistence play an important role in this process which involves work and caretaking. It could be compared to a fire. You have to put wood into the flames to keep it going.

People you have good Guanxi have the skill to know when to get new wood and when it is time to use the fire. That’s why it is very important for Chinese to categorize people as family, friends or foes.

All this is normally unnoticeable for foreigners who are most of the time outside of this very Chinese network.

Interesting enough “Mei Guanxi” which could be wrongly translated as “no relationship” means actually “don´t worry”, “never mind” or “doesn´t matter. So don´t be insulted if someone on the street appears to tell you “We have no relationship”.

Le gouvernement du Hubei tient à exploiter pleinement les possibilités touristiques de la province, et vise à faire du secteur touristique l’un des piliers de la croissance de la province à l’avenir. L’administration provinciale a ainsi publié hier un livre blanc intitulé « développer le tourisme pour donner une nouvelle vitalité au développement de la province ». L’objectif est d’atteindre le chiffre de 350 millions de visiteurs chinois et étrangers en 2015, ce qui représenterait selon l’administration environ 300 milliards de yuans de recettes touristiques, soit le double du chiffre réalisé en 2009.

A l’heure actuelle, la province ne compte que deux sites touristiques classés « 5 A » (AAAAA) : la Tour de la Grue Jaune à Wuhan, et le barrage des Trois Gorges à Yichang. Dans 5 ans, la province en comptera 8. Les aéroports de Yichang et de Xiangfan seront rénovés et agrandis, et celui de Shennongjia verra bientôt le jour. La province envisage même de faire construire un aéroport à Wudang Shan, ce que la ville de Shiyan réclame depuis longtemps.

Chutian du shibao, lundi 28 juin 2010

Wuhan, CHINA – October 22, 2009 – BASF, Official Partner of the “Germany and China – Moving Ahead Together” initiative, will show its commitment to sustainable urban development in China. With a wide range of innovative solutions BASF will demonstrate how chemistry contributes to consumer products in daily life and supports infrastructural projects.

Download News Release

Media Contacts:

Tanya Tian (Beijing)
Tel: +86 10 6587 6768
Fax: +86 10 6587 6790
lijun-tanya.tian@basf.com

Joanna Shen (Shanghai)
Tel: +86 21 2320 3053
Fax: +86 21 2320 3099
jiahong-joanna.shen@basf.com

Stella Chiu (Hong Kong)
Tel: +852 2731 1228
Fax: +852 2731 5645
stella.chiu@basf.com

The BASF Pavilion features solutions for energy-efficient construction and fuel-efficient automobiles, while young visitors can participate at the BASF Kids’ Lab, an interactive chemistry laboratory for children aged 6 to 12. BASF Kids’ Lab will be in Wuhan for the first time.

The BASF Pavilion will be open to the public on Sanyang Square at the Hankou Jiangtan Park in Wuhan from October 23 to 31, 2009. Wuhan is the fifth and last German-Chinese Promenade after Nanjing in 2007, Chongqing and Guangzhou in 2008 and Shenyang in June 2009.

“We see the ‘Germany and China’ initiative as an important opportunity to show how innovative products from the chemical industry can benefit everyday life. Together with our customers and partners in China, we help enable a higher living standard with less impact on the environment. A commitment to sustainability and energy efficiency can also help fight the economic downturn by creating both cost efficiencies and new business opportunities,” said Dr. Martin Brudermüller, member of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF SE, responsible for Asia Pacific.

Wuhan as central China’s largest city is an important traffic junction. More than ever before the city is now trying to combine this growth even more closely with sustainability to boost the “Rise of the central Region”, China’s plan to accelerate development of its central provinces.

“In China, we have already introduced a series of initiatives supporting sustainable urban development and climate protection, Wuhan has great potential for the future in this area. We encourage people from Wuhan and the surrounding community to visit our pavilion and to discuss their ideas on how we can achieve the goal of a new model of urbanization that combines economic growth and ecological improvement”, said Johnny Kwan, Chairman of the BASF Greater China Country Board.

Pavilion shows sustainable solutions for daily life

The BASF Pavilion shows how BASF’s solutions help to make cars more environmentally friendly with exhibits such as emission-control catalysts, eco-friendly waterborne coatings and low-weight, heat-resistant plastics that cut fuel consumption and help to improve engine performance.

BASF is going to run a bus meeting the stringent Stage IV national emissions standards. The bus equipped with eco-friendly emission control solutions from BASF will be used to transport visitors to the German-Chinese Promenade in Wuhan and is going to set an example of green vehicle in the city.

With a strong focus on ecological development, Wuhan as a rising city is also seeking for innovative, energy saving construction solutions. BASF solutions displayed at the Low-Energy Apartment, including polyurethane spray foam and Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems (EIFS), help to greatly reduce heating costs and CO2 emissions and thus are energy-efficient.

A display of household articles such as cosmetics, diapers or biodegradable plastic bags shows that chemicals play an important role in shaping many areas of daily life more eco-efficiently.

The unique Sustainability Balance will be on display, explaining BASF’s concept for sustainable development: BASF is convinced that economic success can only be achieved by taking environmental and social responsibilities seriously. The balance shows visitors the efforts required to achieve the perfect equilibrium of economic growth, environmental protection and social responsibility.

At the pavilion, BASF is introducing the educational initiative Kids’ Lab to Wuhan for the first time. Children between 6 and 12 years are invited to perform safe and specially designed experiments by themselves, to playfully discover the world of natural science and learn about the importance of environmental protection and the fun of chemistry. More than 100,000 kids have taken part in this activity in China over the past eight years.

The Pavilion attracted more than 250,000 visitors at the previous four stations. Now BASF expects that number to exceed 300,000 in Wuhan.

The “Germany and China — Moving Ahead Together” initiative was announced on August 27, 2007 in Beijing by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao. The initiative is being organized by the German Foreign Office in close cooperation with the Goethe-Institut as project coordinator, the “Germany – Land of Ideas” initiative and the Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA). “Germany and China – Moving Ahead Together” enjoys the joint patronage of Federal President Horst Köhler and Chinese President Hu Jintao. More information about the initiative can be found at www.germany-and-china.com.

About BASF Greater China

BASF has been a committed partner to Greater China since 1885. It is one of the biggest foreign investors in the Chinese chemical industry. BASF has about 6,300 employees in Greater China and posted sales of about €4.2 billion in 2008. The company operates 19 BASF wholly owned subsidiaries and 10 BASF joint ventures in Greater China. For further information, please visit www.greater-china.basf.com.

About BASF

BASF is the world’s leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals as well as oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF helps its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than €62 billion in 2008 and had approximately 97,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.

Maxxelli blog presents an investment update for mainland China after a finished 1st quarter.

The update has been made by DTZ research and is based on reliable information.

Enjoy!

DTZ+Investment+Market+Update+Mainland+China+Q1+2010 –

Was ist das Taxi-Book?

Um sowohl für den Nutzer als auch für den Taxifahrer eine höchst mögliche Übersichtlichkeit zu schaffen, haben wir uns für eine sehr klare und simple Darstellung der Zielorte entschieden. Das Lokalisieren der gewünschten Zielkategorie erfolgt problemlos dank der unterschieldlich gefärbten Register. Auf jeder einzelnen Seite finden Sie zudem, den einleitenden Satz „Bitte bringen Sie mich nach /zu…“.
Außerdem finden Sie eine kleine Karte im Taxi-Book, mithilfe welcher Sie schnell und problemlos Ihren Standort und das gewünschte Ziel lokalisieren können.
Unsere allgemeingültigen Symbole werden den Taxi-Book Nutzer zum nahegelegensten Anlaufpunkt dieses bekannten Beispiels bringen.
Des Weiteren haben wir einige nützliche Ausdrücke abgedruckt, welche eine, wenn nötig, einfach Konversation mit dem Taxifahrer ermöglichen.
Concluding with some facts about the city and emergency information we are confident to provide essential information to foreigners in this Taxi-Book.
Abgerundet durch Fakten über die Stadt sowie Notfallnummern, finden Sie in unserem Taxi-Book alle für Ausländer relevanten Informationen.
Wer sind die Kunden?
Das Taxi-Book dient als Werbemittel für Unternehmen, welche auf den ausländischen Markt zielen. Das Aktuelle Wachstum neuer Metropolen in China hat die Nachfrage nach fundiertem Informationsmaterial enorm verstärkt. Die Kultur- und Sprachbarriere ist chinaweit eine nach- wie vor alltägliche Hürde und verlangt aus diesem Grund nach einem Hilfsmittel, wie es das Taxi-Book ist. Der wachsende ausländische Markt in China, macht das Taxi-Book zu einem wertvollen Werbemittel Wir bieten unseren Kunden individuell angefertigte Taxi-Books an. Dies ermöglicht es, ein persönliches Produkt zu präsentieren, welches gleichzeitig eine Vielzahl wertvoller Informationen enthält. Es ist von großem Marketingwert, auf oder in einem solchen, sehr hochwertigen, weitverbreiteten und vor allem unvergänglichen Werbemittel platziert zu sein. Aus diesem Grund bieten wir verschiedene Wege der Zusammenarbeit an. Neben der Breitstellung eines persönlich zugeschnittenen Booklets bieten wir außerdem die Möglichkeit, darin genannt zu werden oder zu werben.
Welche Vorteile bringt dies für Ihr Unternehmen?
- ein auf Unkompliziertheit und Effizienz basierendes Produkt
- ein langlebiges, hochwertiges Produkt, zur freien Vergabe oder gar zum Weiterverkauf geeignet
- die Möglichkeit maßgeschneiderter Markenführung.
- The opportunity to get a large quantity of long lasting brand-exposure
- ein hochwertiges Firmengeschenk und / oder ein Produkt zum
- ein Produkt, welches für eine vielzahl von Städten erhältlich ist (siehe unten)

Was sind die Vorteile für den Endverbraucher?
- Effizientes Vortbewegen in einer unbekannten Stadt
- ein Nutzfreundliches Hilfsmittel
- alle relevanten Adressen sind beinhaltet
- ein verlässliches Produkt mit vielen nützlichen Eigenschaften
- etwas, das man haben muss in einer unbekannten Stadt, ohne Sprachkenntnisse

Wo ist es erhältlich?
Unser Ziel ist es, das Produkt in ganz China anzubieten. Qualität wird in jeder Hinsicht immer unsere höchste Priorität sein; das macht unser Produkt zu einem verlässlichen Standard für Besucher in China. Ihr Ziel ist unser Bestreben.

Aktuelle Städte:

Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Chongqing, Dalian, Foshan, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Guilin/ Yangshuo, Haikou, Hangzhou, Harbin, Jinan, Kunming, Lhasa, Lijiang, Nanchang, Nanjing, Nanning, Ningbo, Qingdao, Sanya, Shanghai, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Taiyuan, Tianjin, Wenzhou, Wuhan, Wuxi, Xi’an, Xiamen, Zhengzhou

Contact
sales@taxi-book.com
Tel: +86 28 8535 3133
Fax: +86 28 8531 9680
Bitte besuchen Sie www.taxi-book.com für weitere Informationen

Preisliste

Kurzanleitung: Guanxi

Wann immer Sie etwas über China lesen oder hören, werden Sie über das Wort Guanxi (关系) stolpern.

Für nicht-Chinesen ist es schwer, wirklich zu verstehen, für was dieses scheinbar kleine Wörtchen eigentlich steht.

Im herkömmlichen Sinne heißt Guanxi “Beziehung”, die meisten Wörterbücher erwähnen jedoch auch “sich beziehen auf”, “Bedingung” oder “Verbindung” als weitere Bedeutungen. Und hier kommt es für uns als Ausländer zu Auffassungschwierigkeiten: wie kann Beziehung gleichzeitig Bedingung heißen?

Guanxi wird als Begriff für persönliche Kontakte genutzt. Diese Kontakte nehmen in China Einfluss auf nahezu alle zu fällenden Entscheidungen, wohingegen Verträge und Abkommen lediglich als Richtlinien angesehen werden, welche bei Bedarf geändert werden können.

Vielen Ausländern fällt es schwer zu glauben, dass Guanxi nicht einfach die Bedeutung des westlichen Ausdrucks „Korruption“ hat. Tatsächlich wird für dieses illegale Vorgehen das Wort Huilu (贿赂) verwendet.

Was ist also dieses Guanxi, wenn es nicht für Korruption steht?

Anders als bei Korruption, basieren Guanxibeziehungen nicht auf Vereinigungen, Gruppen oder Einrichtungen, sondern betreffen die Verbindung zwischen zwei unabhängigen Personen.

Gefährlich wird es, wenn Sie jemanden einem Ihrer Guanxi-Partner vorstellen, der sich als nicht vertrauenswürdig oder verlässlich herausstellt. Dadurch könnten Sie Ihr „Gesicht“ (Ehre, Vertrauenswürdigkeit) verlieren.

Es benötigt viel Zeit, diese Art von Beziehung aufzubauen. Wenn sie jedoch einmal besteht, dann auf einem sehr hohen Niveau. Einige der Beziehungen basieren auf dem Zusammenleben im selben Dorf oder darauf, dass man zusammen an der selben Universität studiert hat.

Im Gegensatz zur westlichen Definition von Freundschaft oder Kameradschaft kann Guanxi nur dann zustande kommen, wenn die Hilfe, die man erhält, im gleichen Umfang erwidert wird. Im Endeffekt müssen Sie sich bei Ihren Guanxi-Partnern revanchieren.

In diesem Prozess, welcher durch Arbeit und das erweisen von Diensten für einander bestimmt wird, spielen Zeit und Ausdauer eine wichtige Rolle. Man könnte das ganze mit einem Feuer vergleichen: sie müssen stetig Holzscheite nachlegen, um das Feuer am brennen zu halten.

Personen mit gutem Guanxi, wissen genau, wann es an der Zeit ist Holzscheite nachzulegen und wann das Feuer genutzt werden kann. Daher ist es für Chinesen von Bedeutung, Menschen in Familie, Freunde oder Feinde zu kategorisieren.

Diese Vorgänge sind meist unsichtbar für Ausländer, die sich meist außerhalb dieses sehr chinesischen Netzwerks bewegen.

Interessanterweise heißt “Mei Guanxi”, was man fälschlicher Weise mit “keine Beziehung” übersetzen könnte, “keine Ursache” oder “macht nichts” in seiner tatsächlichen Bedeutung. Seien Sie also nicht beleidigt, wenn Ihnen jemand auf der Straße sagt, „Wir haben keine Beziehung“.

A chaque fois que vous entendez parler de la chine, vous ne pouvez pas passer à coté du mot Guanxi (关系).

Pour les non – Chinois il est très difficile de comprendre que ce petit mot est d’une très grande importance ici.

Son sens général est « Relation ». Mais les dictionnaires mentionnent  que cela peut aussi signifier « être concerné par quelque chose », «condition » et « participer ».Et c’est précisément cela que les étrangers ont le plus de mal à comprendre : que « relation » veut aussi dire « condition »

Guanxi est un terme utilisé principalement pour son réseau personnel. « Ces réseaux influencent presque toutes les décisions prises en Chine, tandis que les contrats et les accords sont vus comme des directives qui peuvent être modifiées ou changées.. »

Les étrangers trouvent  que la frontière entre le « Guanxi » et la corruption est finalement bien mince, et c’est la raison principale  pour laquelle nous avons relativement du mal à comprendre le sens de cette particularité national.

Mais qu’est ce que le Guanxi si ce n’est pas de la corruption ?

Les relations avec « Guanxi » sont différentes de la corruption car elles ne sont pas basées sur des groupes, des entreprises ou des institutions. Le « Guanxi » concerne exclusivement les relations qui existent entre deux personnes. A partir de là, Cette plateforme relationnelle peut être étendue à d’autres personnes.

Il existe cependant  un risque dans ce type de relation : quand vous présentez une personne à une autre personne avec laquelle vous avez une relation Guanxi, vous pouvez perdre la face (honneur, crédibilité)  dans le cas ou cette personne ne se montrerait pas digne de confiance ou  tout simplement peu fiable.

Ce type de relation a besoin de temps pour se construire mais quand elle est établie elle peut atteindre un très haut niveau. Certaines de ces relations ont trouvé leur origine dans le fait que deux individus avaient vécu dans le même village ou qu’ils avaient étudié dans la même université.

Mais à la différence de la définition  occidentale de l’amitié et de la camaraderie, le Guanxi ne peut exister que si l’aide que l’on fournit est égale aux faveurs que l’on reçoit. Il se peut dans certains cas que l’on doive « rembourser » notre partenaire Guanxi.

Le temps et la constance jouent un rôle important dans les processus professionnels. Cela pourrait être comparé à un feu : vous devez mettre régulièrement des buches pour qu’il ne s’éteigne jamais.

Les personnes qui possèdent un bon Guanxi savent quand il faut remettre une nouvelle buche et quand il faut utiliser le feu. C’est pourquoi il est important pour les chinois de classer leurs relations selon différentes catégories comme la famille, les amis ou les adversaires.

Cela n’est pas très important pour les étrangers car ils sont la plupart du temps exclus de ces relations typiquement chinoises.

Détail intéressant : “Mei Guanxi” qui a pour sens littérale ”nous ne nous connaissons pas”  dans se cas présent signifie ”pas grave” ”pas importance” ou ”cela n’est pas grave”. Donc ne vous sentez pas offenser si quelqun dans la rue vous dit ”nous ne nous connaissons pas”