For the U.S. official whose Chinese name is Zhao Xiaolan, see Elaine Chao

Elaine Chao

Elaine Lan Chao served as the 24th United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2009. She was the first Asian Pacific American woman and first Chinese American to be appointed to a President's cabinet in American history. Chao was the only cabinet...

.

Xiaolan is a small town situated at the northwest periphery of the city of Zhongshan

Zhongshan

Zhongshan , also spelled Chungshan and historically known as Xiangshan or Siangshan, is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province in southern China. Zhongshan, one of the few cities in China with an eponymous name, is named after Dr. Sun Yat-sen who was...

, Guangdong Province

Guangdong

Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...

, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

.

The population of Xiaolan Town is of an estimation of 150,000 permanent residents and 100,000 temporary residents. The total area of the town is 71 square kilometre. Xiaolan Town is successful in establishing a well-balanced environment

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

 on both industrial development and tourism.

Primary industries

Agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 is the main type of primary industry found in Xiaolan Town. The bloom and specified horticulture

Horticulture

Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...

 of Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemum

Chrysanthemums, often called mums or chrysanths, are of the genus constituting approximately 30 species of perennial flowering plants in the family Asteraceae which is native to Asia and northeastern Europe.-Etymology:...

 makes the town a famous name “the City of chrysnathemum”. A grand fair on the blossom of the chrysanthemum was held on November 23, 2003 and over 40,000 pots of chrysanthemum in different species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 were exhibited. The grand fair was held in every 60 years as a local tradition

Tradition

A tradition is a ritual, belief or object passed down within a society, still maintained in the present, with origins in the past. Common examples include holidays or impractical but socially meaningful clothes , but the idea has also been applied to social norms such as greetings...

.

Manufacturing industries

Xiaolan Town is dubbed “Lock City of the South” as well as “Electronic Acoustic Industrial Base” in China. The two industries are the pillar industries of Xiaolan.

Xiaolan controls 23% of the national market share. Indeed, there are production lines of such famous brands as Vantage gas stoves, Guli locks and St. Allen nail clippers in Xiaolan. Over 30% of manufacturing enterprises

Business

A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...

 in Xiaolan are engaged in locks

Lock (device)

A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object or secret information , or combination of more than one of these....

 and hardware production. Such production accounted for nearly 50% of the total industrial outputs of Xiaolan and employed more than 30,000 people in 2002. The success of Xiaolan in this sector brought it an unprecedented honour of being certified as the critical hardware industrial base by China National Hardware Association in 2002.

In the meanwhile, a dynamic growth in the sector of electronic

Electronics

Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...

 acoustics

Acoustics

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of all mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician while someone working in the field of acoustics...

, which has taken place in recent years, has made Xiaolan the first “Electronic Acoustics Industrial Base”in China. Between 2000 and 2002, over a hundred enterprises started business in Xiaolan. Both local and foreign enterprises which specialize in production of domestic stereos, DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

s, laser

Laser

A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

 heads, high-tech digital audio equipment, loudspeakers, circuit boards and aluminium panels are clustered in this small town. Production bases of such foreign brands as ADS and Boston operate in Xiaolan while Philips, Toshiba, JBL, Onkyo and Jamo also run their OEM production there. In 2002, the industrial outputs of this sector reached RMB

Renminbi

The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...

 4.6 billion, accounting for almost one third of the town's industrial output.

In order to upgrade their products and production techniques, both sectors are restlessly engaged in R&D. For example, a technology development centre specializing in the production of locks and hardware was set up in February 2003. Post-doctoral work stations and partnerships with universities also contribute to technological upgrades of Xiaolan's hardware industry. On the other hand, an enterprise-based technology development centre with investment from a US-based acoustics stereo enterprise, AVlight was also established in Xiaolan Industrial Zone in 2002, aiming to upgrade the technology in the electronic acoustics industry of the town. To expand its sales of hardware products and electronic acoustic appliance at home and abroad, Xiaolan also needs to put greater effort into product promotion and marketing with possible participation of Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 companies.

Culture

The residents in Xiaolan Town are being cultivated with the horticulture of chrysanthemum. Their lifestyle is characterised by a high participation with chrysanthemum. For example they provide banquets on the theme of chrysanthemum. They appreciate the noble character and integrity of chrysanthemum, which is reflected in their poems and drawings.

The residents are enthusiastic about sports. The Xiaolan Integrated Sports Centre was established in 1994. Some national and international ping-pong

Table tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

 tournaments

Tournament

A tournament is a competition involving a relatively large number of competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:...

were held since then.