¡¡¡¡If you are looking for a small out-of-the-way coastal town, Huludao may be just the place for you. Huludao was established as a municipality in 1990 and includes the surrounding population centers of Xingcheng, Suizhong, Jianchang, Lianshan, Longgang and Nanpiao with a total population of 2.6 million people.
¡¡¡¡Geography and Resources ¡¡¡¡Huludao is situated in southwestern Liaoning on the Bohai Sea near the cities of Jinzhou and Shanhaiguan. Shanhaiguan is famous as the location where China¡¯s Great Wall meets the sea. Being the first city on the ¡°outside¡± of the Great Wall, Huludao serves as a kind of gateway to the northeast. Huludao enjoys a moderate climate with a frost-free period of 175 days and annual rainfall in the range of 550-650mm.
¡¡¡¡Huludao is rich in mineral resources with considerable reserves of molybdenum, lead, zinc, oil and natural gas. There are also tremendous timber and fruit resources including Asia¡¯s largest orchard, the Qian-suo Fruit Orchard. With a location on the coast, Huludao also enjoys diverse underwater resources. The waters surrounding Huludao are rich in fish, shrimp and shellfish and the ocean floor is yielding large quantities of oil and natural gas. In fact, the largest offshore oil and gas field in all of China has been uncovered in the sea that surrounds Suizhong County.
¡¡¡¡Industry and Tourism ¡¡¡¡There are many significant enterprises in Huludao but three of the most important are Jinxi General Oil Refinery and Chemical Complex, Huludao Zinc Processing Plant, and Jinxi General Chemical Plant.
¡¡¡¡The relatively small city of Huludao boasts some tourist attractions to rival places like Beijing. The Great Wall at Jiumenkou is famous for spanning a river. Xincheng is known as the ¡°Second Beidaihe¡± ¨C the traditional resort for Chinese leaders of the past as well as today. Additionally, there is Jieshi Palace which was used by the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty for his imperial palace and by Wu Di of the Han Dynasty. These historical sites can be compared with their much more famous cousins in Beijing (Imperial Palace and Great Wall). |