Prosperous Economy

Throughout history, Laiwu has always been valuing morality and practicality, while attaching importance to industry and business.

Nowadays, the city carries on its tradition of steel casting: the 14-million-ton annual steel output won Laiwu the title of “Green Steel City”, and over 60% of its industries are committed to steel casting.

This steel-prominent city also boasts its new materials, supported by 10 key enterprises nominated by the Department of Science and Technology, and a vast range of mineral reserves: 440 million tons of proved coal and 550 million tons of proved iron ore. Furthermore, the granite reserve in this region surpasses 1 cubic meter, among which the “Laiwu Black Granite” is hailed as precious.

The location of the city also won itself a foothold in the economic zone developed around Jinan, the capital city. The three highways, especially since connected with Jinan-Qingzhou Highway at the end of last year, put Jinan (1 hour) and Qingdao (2 hours) within easy reach, while the two railways are linked with Tianjin-Pukou Railway and Qingdao-Jinan Railway separately.

Hongshi Park

Famous Tourist Resort

Graced by its natural beauty and cultural heritage, Laiwu is known far and wide as a destination of ecotourism and a great place for revolution education, with its important position in Shandong culture and the Campaign Museum, one of the “100 Classic Red Tourism Scenic Spots”. In recent years, nearly 300 million yuan has been invested to develop a provincial forest park, as well as a provincial-level and two AAA state-level scenic spots.

Perhaps more impressive is the 27-km2 Laiwu Grand Canyon, one of the four characteristic tourism lines in Shandong, and the largest canyon groups in the province, or rather, in East China: Fanggan, a eco-scenic spot here, is recognized as the “No.1 Eco-Village in China”; Wangmingshi, another, is praised as “Fairyland Family”; while Heilong Pool and “Linhai Gaoyuan” (a sea of trees and a land of grass) provide visitors with exoticism and grandeur.

Jiulong Grand Canyon

Charming City

Laiwu has witnessed new progresses in a wide range of fields such as technology, education, culture, sanitation, and sports. This “Green Steel City” is now flourishing: urbanization level has reached 42%, and a provincial-level high-tech development zone, with an area of 35 square kilometers, is under construction.

In recent years, the city has won a series of honors for the quality of its environment, including a National Sanitary City award, a Garden City of Shandong Province award, and has been acknowledged as one of the best tourism city in China. In 2008, it was chosen as a National Garden City, one of the Advanced Cities of Creating Civilized City Program of China, and more.

By Yuan Yue (Shandong Bureau)