Guangdong Statistical Yearbook 2010 (hereinafter referred to as the Yearbook) is an annual statistical publi-cation, which reflects comprehensively the economic and social development of Guangdong Province. It covers data for 2009 and key statistical data in some historically important years since 1978 at the provincial level and the local levels of city, county and district.
　　The Yearbook contains twenty-two chapters: 1. Administrative Division and Natural Resources; 2. General Survey; 3. National Economic Accounts; 4. Population; 5. Employment and Wages; 6. Investment in Fixed
Assets; 7. Energy; 8. Government Finance, Banking and Insurance; 9. Price Indices; 10. People’s Living
Conditions; 11. Agriculture; 12. Industry; 13. Construction; 14. Transport, Postal and Telecommunication
Services; 15. Domestic Trade; 16. Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation; 17. Tourism; 18. Education,
Science, Technology and Culture; 19. Sports, Public Health, Social Welfare, Environmental Protection and
Others; 20. Main Economic Indicators of Economic Regions; 21. Main Economic Indicators of Cities; 22. Main Economic Indicators of Counties (County-level Cities) and Districts. Meanwhile, four chapters are listed as
appendices: 1. Main Statistical Indicators of Some Provinces and Municipalities; 2. Main Statistics of Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions; 3. Main Statistical Indicators of Taiwan Province; 4. Main Statistics of Some Countries and Territories.
　　The following revisions have been made in the Yearbook in terms of the statistical contents and in editing:
　　1. Data of 2008 and other relevant years in some areas have been adjusted in accordance with the second national economic census in Guangdong Province. Notes on such situations are given in relevant columns.
　　2. Data on enterprises of wholesale and retail trades, hotels and catering services above designated size have been resumed.
　　3. In the Chapter of People’s Living Conditions, data on Per Capita Disposable Income and Per Capita Con-sumption Expenditure of Urban Households of 21 cities are added. In the Chapter of Sports, Health Care, Social Welfare, Environmental Protection and Others, data on basic conditions of environmental protection of each city are added.
　　4. In the Chapter of General Survey, data on key enterprises are omitted.
　　The data in the Yearbook are mainly obtained from regular statistical reports and sample surveys conducted by the statistical bureaus of all levels of government and the Survey Office of the National Bureau of Statistics in Guangdong. Some data are collected from the departments of the central government and the provincial govern-ment. Data in the appendices are compiled from statistical publications published by the National Bureau of Statistics and other sources.
　　The units of measurement used in The Yearbook are internationally standard measurement units, except that 　　the unit of cultivated land and sown areas uses “mu” with regard to the Chinese tradition.
　　Horizontal approach is used to calculate the average annual growth rates in the Yearbook.
　　Notations used in the Yearbook:
　　“ …” indicates that the figure is not large enough to be measured with the smallest unit in the table;
　　“ # ” indicates a major breakdown of the total;
　　“ blank space ” indicates that the data are unknown or are not available;
　　“ ① ” indicates footnotes at the end of the table.
　　Acknowledgements: Our gratitude goes to relevant departments and units under the provincial government, from which we have received tremendous support when compiling the Yearbook.