Laiwu, lying in central Shandong Province, is adjacent to Zibo to the east, Tai'an to the south, Mount Tai to the west and the provincial capital Jinan to the north. The city is situated in the upper reaches of the Dawen River. Enjoying a temperate monsoon climate, it has four distinct seasons.

The transportation in Laiwu is convenient. The Bolai Highway, the Tailai Highway and the Laixin Highway are connected with the Jinan-Qingdao Highway, the Bejing-Fuzhou Highway and the Beijing-Shanghai Highway, respectively, making Laiwu easily accessible from other major cities in mainland China. The Xingtai Railway and the Cilai Railway run across the city, linking it with other cities in Shandong Province.

Laiwu has plentiful natural resources, such as fresh water and minerals. It is rich in iron ore, gold, copper and lime. Over 450 species of Chinese traditional herbal medicines have been found in the city's lands.

History of Laiwu
Laiwu's history dates back to the Spring-and-Autumn Period (770BC-403BC), when it belonged to the Mu Kingdom and to Yingyi and Pingzhou. During the Qin Dynasty (221BC-206BC), Ying County was set up in the region. During the Western Han Dynasty (206BC-AD24), Laiwu County was set in the northeast part of Mu County, as it was located in the Laiwu Valley. In AD 704, the Tang emperor established Laiwu County in the old town of Yingxian. In 1941, Laiwu was combined with Boshan, Qiyuan and part of Xintai into Laiwu County, Laidong County and Lainan County. Laiwu County became a county-level city in 1983 and into a prefecture-level city in 1992.

Laiwu Tourist Attractions
The hottest tourist destinations in Laiwu are Huashan Mountain National Forest Park, Lotus Mountain Scenic Spot, Qilu Grand Canyon Scenic Spot and Xueye Three Gorges Scenic Spot. Huashan Mountain National Forest Park, consisting of the White Dragon Pond Scenic Spot, Big Boat Yard Scenic Spot and Yongninggu Scenic Spot, features cragged hills, deep valleys, and thick forests with abundant species of trees, such as pine, cypress and oak. Qilu Grand Canyon Scenic Spot, including Panggan Zoological Tourist Scenic Spot, Wangshimen ?Family in the Heaven? Scenic Spot, Black Dragon Pond Scenic Spot and Dulu Woods Plain Scenic Spot, is surrounded by mountains and contains diverse trees and flowers.

The most characteristic local dishes include Jin's Mutton Soup, Laiwu Sausage, Laiwu Three Spicy Food (ginger, garlic and green Chinese onion are the main seasonings), and Snowing Night Fish Banquet. The Snowing Night Fish Banquet uses freshwater fish such as crucian, chub and carp as the major ingredients and applies different cooking techniques, such as frying, stewing and baking.

Economic Features of Laiwu
The GDP of Laiwu paced up 16.9% year on year to RMB 36.7 billion in 2007, making Laiwu the smallest economy in Shandong Province. As the largest contributor to the GDP, the secondary industry generated value-added output of RMB 24.2 billion, accounting for 66.0% of the city's GDP.

The industrial value-added output from heavy industry grew 21.7% year on year to RMB 20.3 billion, while that from light industry rose 21.2% year on year to RMB 2.1 billion in 2007. Heavy industry and light industry contributed 95.6% and 4.4% to the city's total industrial value-added output, respectively.

Laiwu's major industries are coal mining, metallurgy, pharmaceuticals, food processing, textiles, construction materials and petrochemicals. The major industrial enterprises in the city include Laigang Group, Taishan Steel and Iron Group and Wanxing Group.

Laigang Group, a leading steel and iron producer and supplier in China, was set up in 1970 in Laiwu. It has an annual production capacity of 10 million tons of steel and steel products. By the end of 2007, it had 25 subsidiaries and stakes in 2 listed companies. The assets of the group totaled RMB 62 billion in 2007.

Taishan Steel and Iron Group, a company specializing in steel and iron processing, had total assets exceeding RMB 8 billion in 2007. Its businesses also cover energy supply, equipment manufacturing and trade. The total sales revenue of this group was about RMB 11.3 billion in 2008.

The value-added output from the service sector grew 17.9% year on year to RMB 10.2 billion in 2007, constituting 27.8% of the city's GDP. The consumer market is active. The sales of consumer goods exceeded RMB 11.1 billion, with a rise of 18.4% year on year. It comprised 1.3% of Shandong's total sales of consumer goods.

The city's foreign trade value rose 34.8% year on year to US$1.6 billion, including US$1.2 billion in export value and US$433 million in import value. The exports of mechanical and electronic products, steel products and agricultural products added up to US$95.7 billion, accounting for 79.8% of the city's total export value. Exports to South Korea were US$305.3 million, one quarter of the city's total export value.

In 2007, the utilized FDI in Laiwu topped US$131 million, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 23%. Fuji from Japan and Wal-Mart from the U.S. decided in 2007 to invest in the city. Wal-Mart started construction on a supermarket in Laiwu in May 2007.

(Source: Alibaba.com April, 2009)