In ancient times, Xinxiang county, lying in the center of the northern Henan Plateau, with the Taihang Mountains to the north and the Yellow River to the south, was hailed as a place of "success and prosperity".

That epithet still holds good for the 375 sq km county that is home to 327,000 people and includes six townships and the Xinxiang Economic Development Area.

Long history

Xinxiang is associated with many historical figures.

Emperor Zhouwu, the second emperor of the Western Zhou Dynasty (c. 11th century-771 BC) laid the foundation of the Zhou Kingdom, after a successful battle there.

Emperor Hanwu, the second and the most important emperor of the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD24), was also victorious in battle and is credited with establishing the county.

During the Sui Dynasty (AD 581-618), Central China was unified and Xinxiang county, as we know it today, came into being.

The county remained in the spotlight after the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

Chairman Mao Zedong once paid a visit to Qiliying in the county.

A map of the four major industrial areas of Xinxiang

In the past 50 years or so, many national and Party leaders have inspected the county and some 100 foreign groups have made a visit.

The county is also the birthplace of many of the nation's model workers including Liu Zhuang, Jing Hua and Long Quan.

Since China's reform and opening-up in the late 1970s, it has been listed as a model county in these respects.

The county has consistently ranked ahead of others in the city of Xinxiang for many years in terms of overall economic strength. In 2005, it ranked 17th in terms of overall comprehensive development in Henan Province.

Rapid growth

Located 50 km from Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, and adjacent to the urban areas of the city of Xinxiang, the county is now an important base for the city's economic take-off and plays an important role in the Zhengzhou-Xinxiang Industrial Belt.

The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway, the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway, the State Highway 107 and the Xinxiang-Jiaozuo, Xinxiang-Heze railways all cross the county.

The Zhengzhou-Yellow River rail line is expected to greatly shorten the distance between Xinxiang and Zhengzhou after completion.

The county is located just an hour of driving from the Zhengzhou International Airport.

It now serves as a key logistics hub for the Zhongyuan Oilfield and Jiaozuo Coal Mine, and is also an important passageway for the transportation of coal in Shanxi Province.

In addition, it is a key base for power transmission in Central China, with nine high-voltage power sub-stations and two power switch stations. The county's power generation capacity is expected to reach 720 million kilowatts-hours per year.

The county also boasts abundant water resources, and is crucial to the South-to-North Water Diversion Project and Introducing Yellow River Water to Tianjin Project.

After years of steady development, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, machinery, textiles and paper-making have emerged as the key industrial pillars of the county.

Vibration machinery and bronze material processing are two industries that the county is uniquely positioned to support.

It supports 12 provincial-level hi-tech enterprises and 35 enterprises have an annual industrial output of more than 100 million yuan.

In a bid to improve the infrastructure of the four industrial areas in the county, 133 projects in road, transportation, water supply, power, communication and housing were implemented last year, involving a total investment of 1.25 billion yuan.

A state-of-the-art waste-water treatment plant has been put into service, with a daily waste-water treatment capacity of 60,000 tons.

The first phase of a water supply plant with a daily water supply capacity of 80,000 tons is now under construction.

The county offers an optimal investment climate for both domestic and foreign investors.

(China Daily 10/19/2007 page18)