Fuxin

Fuxin Reaches a Historical Resource Turning Point

Fuxin is a prefecture-level city situated in the northwestern part of Liaoning province, People's Republic of China, sharing its northern border with the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Operating within the Asia/Shanghai timezone, the municipality covers a region where the 2020 census recorded a total population of 1,647,280 inhabitants, reflecting a decrease from the 1,819,339 residents counted in 2010. Within this broader administrative scope, 716,494 individuals resided within the built-up or metropolitan area, which spans four urban districts collectively recognized as Fuxin City. Geographically positioned at latitude 42.01556 and longitude 121.65889, the locality experiences a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate.

Historically built as an essential mining center embedded within an agricultural region, the city achieved a major historical turning point in 2001 when it was identified as the first city in mainland China with exhausted resources. Long dependent on coal extraction to drive its economy, Fuxin faced mounting challenges as its mines ran dry and coal supplies dwindled. This economic transition brought widespread attention to the area, including scrutiny in 2020 over exceptionally low property values—often referred to as cabbage-priced houses—where numerous residences sold for under 75 dollars per square meter despite containing full furnishings.

In response to the exhaustion of its primary mineral resource, the municipality sought alternative industries to sustain economic viability. Authorities established a Special Economic Zone to attract international investment, steering capital toward new sectors such as wind power. By 2009, foreign direct investment had reached US$64.12 million, surpassing provincial targets by 17 percent, with the wind power industry accounting for over 70 percent of that year's total foreign direct investment.

Today, Fuxin maintains direct administration over seven county-level divisions, consisting of five districts, one county, and one autonomous county. Beyond coal, the municipality remains renowned as China's Agate City, holding 50 percent of the nation's known mineral deposits and producing more than 90 percent of the country's finished agate products. Transportation infrastructure connects the municipality outward through the G25 Changchun–Shenzhen Expressway, the G2512 Fuxin–Jinzhou Expressway, and China National Highway 101, which links Beijing to Shenyang, alongside direct rail connections reaching major urban centers such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang, and Shanghai.