PREFACE

 

I. China Statistical Yearbook 2005 is an annual statistics publication, which covers very comprehensive data in 2004 and some selected data series in historically important years and the most recent twenty years at national level and local levels of province, autonomous region, and municipality directly under the central government and therefore, reflects various aspects of China’s social and economic development.

II. The yearbook contains the following twenty-five chapters, l. Division of Administrative Areas and Natural Resources; 2. General Survey; 3. National Accounts; 4. Population; 5. Employment and Wages; 6. Investment in Fixed Assets; 7. Energy; 8. Government Finance; 9. Price Indices; 10. People’s Livelihood; 11. General Survey of Cities; 12. Environment Protection; 13. Agriculture; 14. Industry; 15. Construction; 16. Transport, Post and Telecommunication Services; 17. Domestic Trade; 18. Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation; 19. Tourism; 20. Financial Intermediation; 21. Education, Science and Technology; 22.Culture, Sports and Public Health;  23. Other Social Activities; 24. Main Social and Economic Indicators of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR); 25. Main Social and Economic Indicators of Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR). Two chapters listed as the appendices are Main Social and Economic Indicators of Taiwan Province and A Comparison of Economic and Social Indicators among the People’s Republic of China and Other Countries/Areas. In brief introduction at the beginning of each chapter, main coverage of this chapter, data sources, statistical coverage, statistical methods and historical changes are concerned. In addition, Explanatory Notes on Main Statistical Indicators are provided at the end of each chapter.

III. The national data in this book do not include that of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region and Taiwan Province except for divisions of administrative areas, territory and forest resources.

IV. Statistics of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region constitute an integral part of the national statistics of China. According to the principles set forth in the Basic Law of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and  the Basic Law of Macao Special Administrative Region, statistically Hong Kong, Macao and the mainland of China are three mutually independent regions, and follow their own and different statistical systems in carrying out independent statistical operation. Statistics on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Macao Special Administrative Region as included in this yearbook are provided by the Department of Census and Statistics of the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Department of Census and Statistics of the Government of Macao Special Administrative Region, and edited by National Bureau of Statistics.

V. Compared with the China Statistical Yearbook 2004, some statistical indicators are modified in the current yearbook, including the following:

1)   Information on physical independence in daily life and major source of income for the elderly aged 60 and over is added in the chapter on population.

2)   Data on investment in urban energy industries of recent years and by province are added in the chapter on investment in fixed assets.

3)   Information on China’s overseas direct investment by countries is included in the chapter on foreign economic relations and trade.

4)   Information on prisoners serving their sentences in prisons is included in the chapter on other social activities.

In addition, changes are also made in statistics on the investment in fixed assets and on education statistics due to the reform of methodology concerning these two areas.

VI. As the results of the first national economic census have not been formally released, the 2004 data as published in the yearbook on national accounts, industry, construction, and investment in real estate development, wholesale and retail trades are preliminary statistics.

VII. The units of measurement used in this yearbook are internationally standard measurement units.

VIII. Statistical discrepancies due to rounding are not adjusted in the yearbook.

IX. If a table in the yearbook occupies more than one page, the footnotes pertaining to the table are placed at the end of the last page.

X. Notations used in the yearbook:

(blank space)  indicates that the figure is not large enough to be measured with the smallest unit in the table, or data are unknown or are not available;#” indicates a major breakdown of the total; and “*”or  “①” indicates footnotes at the end of the table.