Gansu-China Permanent Virtual Exhibition and Business Directory

Gansu is famed throughout China for many of the wild herbs used in Chinese medicine, but most of Gansu’s GDP is driven by mining and mineral extraction, particularly the extraction of rare earth elements. The province has significant deposits of antimony, chromium, coal, cobalt, copper, fluorite, gypsum, iridium, iron, lead, limestone, mercury, mirabilie, nickel, crude oil, platinum, troilite, tungsten and zinc. Gansu is also home to significant oil fields, including Yumen and Changqing. Key industries other than mining include electricity generation, petrochemicals, oil exploration, machinery, nuclear power and building materials.

Despite recent growth in Gansu and the booming economy throughout China, Gansu is still one of the country’s poorest provinces. Nominal GDP in 2009 was about 338.2 billion Yuan (49.5 billion USD), with per capita GDP of 12,836 RMB (1,879 USD). Tourism is becoming a key contributor to GDP – the province offers a wide array of has been a bright spot in contributing to Gansu's overall economy. As mentioned below, Gansu offers a wide variety of interesting sights and experiences for domestic and international tourists.