Especially after the "five-port trade" in the late Qing Dynasty, the navigation trade between Guzhen Port and Xiamen, Shantou, Wenzhou, Taiwan Province Province and Hong Kong became more frequent, and Guzhen became a distribution center for local products and imported goods. From the early Republic of China to the eve of the Anti-Japanese War, the economy of the old city was extremely prosperous, with five major businesses, namely Zhencheng, Jiefa, Mobil, Jardine Matheson and Baocheng, known as the "Five Elements".
The main enterprises are flour, shipbuilding, cement, building materials, machinery, chemicals, stone plates, auto repair, catering services and other industries. Agriculture mainly produces rice, peanuts, wheat, sweet potatoes and sugarcane, and is rich in litchi, longan, peach, plum, banana, bayberry, loquat and black-leaf litchi, which enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad. Seafood includes perch, cockroach, prawn, yellow croaker and so on.
During the "Eight-year Anti-Japanese War", the old city was once depressed, but it resumed prosperity after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War. Businessmen bought steamboats Pinghai, Qiaotong and Jiping from other places and Meicheng, and often came to the old city port. In the early days of the founding of New China, foreign trade failed to develop because the Taiwan Province Strait was still at war. After the reform and opening up, foreign trade has made new progress, and foreign-funded enterprises have been established with rich resources and manpower and the advantages of hometown of overseas Chinese and Taiwan compatriots. The old city was designated as a small-scale trade port with Taiwan by the provincial government in 1984; 199 1 was designated by the municipal government as a demonstration zone for agricultural economic and technological cooperation and exchange with Taiwan;
1992, more than 300 mu of land in Li Zaiyuan was requisitioned and developed into the old city industrial park to attract investment; 1996 was designated as a pilot town for cross-strait agricultural cooperation and exchanges by the Ministry of Agriculture, and various economic and trade cooperation and exchanges between the old city and Taiwan Province Province continued to develop. There are also building materials, electrical appliances, electronics, food, agricultural products processing and other industries. By 200 1, more than 20 foreign-funded enterprises have been established. Mainly include: Mao Cheng Aquatic Products Co., Ltd., Liuhe Fishery Co., Ltd., Wenhai Aquatic Products Development Co., Ltd., Sanfeng Aquatic Products Co., Ltd., Taizihua Co., Ltd., Leibiloxin Products Co., Ltd., Minghong Decoration Products Co., Ltd., Guang Mei Hardware Industry Co., Ltd., Fushan Decoration Products Co., Ltd., Shenquan Food Co., Ltd., Dingshengxin Hardware Products Co., Ltd., Rongchang Hardware Products Co., Ltd., Hansheng Industry Co.,
The old city is also a big agricultural town with 36,300 mu of cultivated land. More than 20,000 mu of grain, sugarcane and vegetables10.2 million mu are planted. There are about 53,000 mu of fruits, mainly including litchi10.6 million mu, peach and plum10.2 million mu and longan 6000 mu. The annual fruit output is 1 10000 tons, and "Wu's litchi" is well known. The total output of vegetables is 560,000 tons. In 200 1 year, the total output value of industry and agriculture was 65.438+093.7 million yuan, including 65.438+059 million yuan and 347 million yuan, which increased by 7. 1% and 56% respectively.
The coastline of Zhenhai in the old city is 885 kilometers, and the beach is vast. Since ancient times, offshore fishing and beach aquaculture have been developed, and "truss" net fishing has been set up in Cai Yu Group Island. Now there are fewer fishing boats, but the beach culture has grown to 260,000 mu, with an annual output of/kloc-0.9 million tons, mainly oysters, fish, shrimps and shellfish. The big oysters in the old port are very famous.