Brief Introduction

I. Main Content

Data in this chapter reflect the development of China’s domestic market, circulation of commodities through wholesale and retail trades, and the operation, management and financial situation of hotels and catering services. Main contents include basic condition of wholesale and retail trades, hotels and catering trade above designated size; circulation of commodities (in operation and financial terms); total retail sales of consumer goods; turnover of large commodity transaction markets (with transaction over 100 million yuan); development of chain stores of retail trades, hotels and catering services above designated size, etc.

II. Coverage of Statistics

Included in this chapter are wholesale and retail sale trades, hotels and catering services, large commodity transaction markets, and chain stores of retail sales above designated size.

Based on results from the 2004 economic census, adjustments were made for total retail sales of consumer goods from 1993 to 2004. Total retail sales of consumer goods do not include means of agricultural production, purchase of housing by residents, direct sales of commodities by manufacturing corporations, establishments or self-employed industries to households (including to their employees) or institutions, or sales of farm products by farmers in or beside the fields.

Criteria for wholesale and retail sale trades, hotels and catering services above designated size is defined as follows: wholesale trade, having 20 or more employees at year-end with annual sales over 20 million yuan; retail sale trade, having 60 or more employees at year-end with annual sales over 5 million yuan; hotels, certified hotels with star-ranking; catering services, having 40 or more employees with annual income over 2 million yuan.

III. Sources of Data

Data in this chapter are collected and processed in accordance with the statistical reporting scheme on wholesale and retail sale trades, hotels and catering services by the Department of Trade and External Economic Relations of the National Bureau of Statistics.

IV. Survey Methodology

Data on basic conditions for all corporate enterprises of wholesale, retail, hotels and catering services above the designated size are collected through comprehensive reporting systems and data are reported level by level. Data on small-size enterprises and individual enterprises below the designated size are collected through sample surveys.

In this chapter, the sum of total retail sales of consumer goods of all provinces is not equal to the national total, as the national total has been adjusted and modified in line with national accounts data and data from other departments.