Name: Yanzhou

Population: 540,700 by the end of 2020

Area: 535 square kilometers

Culture

Yanzhou district in Jining was one of China's nine ancient provinces, with a long history and profound culture. It is influenced by Jiuzhou (nine ancient provinces) culture, Dayu (the hero who curbed the flooding of the Yellow River) culture, and Buddhism culture.

Transportation

Yanzhou district is an important transportation hub, at the intersection of the Jinghu (Beijing-Shanghai) and Yanshi (Yanzhou-Shijiusuo) railways. Dozens of highways such as Rilan (Rizhao-Lankao) Expressway and National Road 327 pass through the district and form a convenient traffic network.

Natural resources

Yanzhou has rich natural resources, with more than 20 billion tons of coal reserves and proven reserves of 1 billion tons of iron ore.

Administrative divisions

Yanzhou district governs six towns, four sub-districts, 37 communities and 437 villages.

Economy

In 2019, the district's GDP increased by 4 percent over the previous year. The public budget surpassed 4.65 billion yuan ($711 million), a 3.6 percent increase, of which tax revenue reached 3.81 billion, an increase of 8.3 percent, accounting for an increase of 3.6 percent to 82 percent. Fixed asset investment increased by 1 percent. Imports and exports totaled 16 billion yuan. The disposable income for urban residents averaged 41,188 yuan, up 6.9 percent, and that for rural residents averaged 19,329 yuan, up 8.6 percent. Yanzhou ranks the 67th in the National Top 100 Districts selection. Four new economic forms – technologies, industries, business forms and models – accounted for 36 percent of the district total investment.

A sea of flowers in Niulou in Yanzhou, Jining [Photo by Kong Lingfang/Official WeChat account of the information office of the Jining municipal government]

A warm spring day in Yanzhou, Jining [Photo by Wang Weidong/Official WeChat account of the information office of the Jining municipal government]