According to Chinese "history books", when Zhang Qian sent his deputy envoy to visit Anshi (Persia) during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the king of Anshi sent 20,000 cavalrymen to meet him with great pomp and ceremony.
Toward the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Buddhist monk An Shigao, the crown prince of the king of Anshi, also visited Han and stayed in China for many years.
During the era of China's Northern and Southern Dynasties, Persia sent envoys to China's Northern Wei Dynasty for friendly engagements more than a dozen times. With the friendly exchanges between the two sides, the Chinese culture to the Western region, the Western culture came to China, China, Iran and other countries of the "Silk Road" is also fully open, for the two countries of economic and cultural exchanges opened up a new era. China's silk, porcelain, as well as drilling, iron, lacquer, reeling and other crafts into Iran and other countries in Western Asia, Iranian products such as beans, alfalfa, grapes, walnuts, pomegranates and other sources into China.
The Tang Dynasty, the two countries had reached a peak period of exchanges. Later, when Persia was invaded by foreigners, the king of Persia personally visited the Tang Empire and asked for help. Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty appointed him as the governor of the country, and sent soldiers to escort him back to his homeland, but he died in Chang'an before returning to his homeland. However, he died in Chang'an before he could return to his country. His son, Nereus, who had failed to restore his country, returned to China during the Jinglong reign of the Tang Emperor, and also died in Chang'an. At that time, Niles led thousands of Persians, some of whom became generals, diplomats, astronomers, medical doctors and scholars in the Tang Dynasty.
In the war-torn Song Dynasty, the land-based Silk Road was interrupted several times. At this time, the shipbuilding industry began to develop, the compass needle has been used, many Persians came to China by sea to Guangzhou, Yangzhou and Quanzhou and other places to do business, some also settled there. This is the later called the sea "ceramic road". According to records, China's method of issuing banknotes in the Yuan Dynasty to Persia, and later, the pattern on the Persian banknotes also retained the Chinese characters. At that time, the historians of the two countries also co-edited the history book "History Collection". The western music and dance of Persia and other countries also flourished in Chang'an.
During the Ming Dynasty, Prince Chengzu of Ming Dynasty and Prince Shaharu of Central Asia had successively sent large delegations of 300 and 500 people to visit each other; when Zheng He visited Asian and African countries in seven voyages, three of them visited Kurumus (i.e., present-day Hormuz) in the Persian Gulf. At that time, Fei Xin, who accompanied Zheng He in his visits, wrote poems describing the local customs and specialties, and in 1516, Ali Akbar, a Persian traveler, wrote a book called "China Chronicle", which later became a precious historical material and an important witness to the friendly exchanges between China and Iran. According to the evidence, over the years, the spread and transplantation of plants between the two countries amounted to dozens of species. Persian Zoroastrianism and Manichaeism were also popular in China. In terms of economic and trade cooperation between Iran and China, China is Iran's top trading partner in Asia and the third largest in the world.
Iran and China in culture, China and Iran have set up a joint committee on culture and organize regular meetings. Iran is one of the major economies in Asia. It ranks seventh in Asia (after China, Japan, India, South Korea, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia.) Preliminary data from the Bank of Iran's Bureau of Economic Accounts for 2011 show that Iran's nominal GDP for the year 1389 AH (March 21, 2010-March 20, 2011) was 4,304,264 billion Iranian rials at the year's basic prices, a year-on-year growth rate of 20.8 percent; Real GDP at comparable basic prices in 1376 AH was 5,392,190 billion Iranian rials, a 5.8% year-on-year increase; the GDP deflator was 798.24, a 14.3% year-on-year change.
In 2011, Iran's nominal basic price GDP amounted to $416,313 million, nominal market price GDP amounted to $419,101 million, and nominal market price GDP per capita was about $5,610. The economy is dominated by the oil extraction industry, and Iran's petrochemical, steel, and automobile manufacturing industries are also relatively well developed, while the electronics, nuclear, and computer hardware and software industries are developing rapidly. Iran's machinery manufacturing industry has come a long way. Khuzestan is an oil industrial zone and an important gateway to the sea.
Iran is rich in oil and is the world's fourth largest oil producer and OPEC's second largest oil exporter. Oil is the lifeblood of Iran's economy and one of the main sources of foreign exchange earnings, with oil revenues accounting for more than half of Iran's total foreign exchange earnings. Iran's economy has been growing steadily, with a GDP of US$411.4 billion in 2010, up 2.9% year-on-year, and a per capita GDP of US$5,478. Since 1920, Iran has been gradually developing a large-scale production plant. During the Iran-Iraq War, Iraq bombed Iran's petrochemical plants and the Abadan oil field, slowing down oil production, and refineries were rebuilt in 1988 and normalized in 1993. But during the war there were also a number of small factories producing munitions for the army.
The country produces mainly petrochemicals, steel and copper products. Other major products include automobiles, household appliances, telecommunications equipment, cement, industrial machinery (Iran has the largest machinery industry in West Asia), paper, rubber products, agricultural products, processed foods, wool products, and pharmaceuticals. The textile industry, which is supplied locally with cotton and wool, employs 400,000 people, 2,000 of whom are based in Tehran, Isfahan and along the Caspian Sea coast.
According to the Economist, Iran ranks 38th in the global industrial rankings, with a GDP of $23 billion. From 2008-09, Iran's industrial production growth value jumped from 69th to 28th place.
A 2003 report by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) pointed out that obstacles to the development of small and medium-sized enterprises in Iran include lack of supervision, lack of an effective banking system, lack of research and development, lack of managerial skills, corruption, poor tax system, cultural fears, educational restrictions, failure to internationalize, lack of skills of the labor force, lack of intellectual property rights, lack of research centers, lack of social learning, and the influence of traditional culture. However, recent studies have also shown that Iran has made rapid progress in various fields, including science and technology, medicine, aerospace, defense, and heavy industry. Under the economic sanctions imposed by the U.S., the country has rapidly become industrialized Agriculture plays an important role in the national economy. Iran is rich in agricultural resources, with more than 52 million hectares of arable land, accounting for more than 30% of the country's land area, and 18 million hectares of cultivated land, including 8.3 million hectares of irrigable land and 9.4 million hectares of dry land. The agricultural population accounts for 43 per cent of the total population, and farmers cultivate 5.1 hectares of land per capita. The degree of agricultural mechanization is relatively low, with 13,000 integrated harvesters and 360,000 tractors in its possession. The government of Iraq attaches great importance to and vigorously develops agriculture, and has achieved 90% self-sufficiency in food production.
The main agricultural areas are concentrated in the Caspian Sea and the plains along the Persian Gulf coast, and most of the areas are dry and lack of water. Since 2003, the Iranian government has increased agricultural support every year, focusing on supporting the construction of irrigation and other farmland infrastructure and agricultural research, credit and natural environmental protection, in order to improve the farming environment, increase the incentives of farmers, and strive to achieve the government's fourth five-year socio-economic development plan to set the industry's growth target of 13.5 percent. Iran has 10% of the world's oil resources. Iran also has the world's second-largest natural gas resources, mainly in the South Pars, most of which is used domestically. Iran has been a major oil producer since 1913. The main oil fields are located in the center of the country and in the Zagros Mountains in western Iran. Oil is also found in the north of the country and on land along the Persian Gulf. Local oil and gas as well as hydroelectric facilities provide the country's energy. 2010 saw the construction of Iran's first $1 billion Bushehr nuclear power plant
In the late 1970s Iran became the fourth largest oil producer, and at the time was the second largest producer in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as well as the second largest producer in the world in terms of oil extraction. Due to the 1979 revolution, the government reduced the amount of oil produced because the country needed to store the oil. Oil production had been reduced during the Iran-Iraq war. Oil production increased again in the 1980s with the repair of damaged pipelines and the exploitation of oil fields along the Persian Gulf coast.
The main oil fields are located in Abadan (built in 1913 and the country's first oil field), Kermanshah and Tehran, but they have failed to meet local needs for LPG. The refining industry needs $15 billion in investment to develop to self-sufficiency within five years and to suspend imports. Pipelines connect the refineries to the shoreline cities of Abadan, Bandar-e Mashur and Kharg Island, and in 1990 Iran's state-run oil and gas companies explored more fields with foreign investment.
Managing a fertilizer plant, as well as salouye the world's largest ethylene facility are plans for Iran's state drug, oil products earnings reached $5.5 billion in 2007 and reached close to $9 billion in 2008.
In the year 2004, Iran's oil production amounted to 1.4 billion, and net profit amounted to 50 billion dollars. Officials estimate that if the program goes well, earnings in 2015 amounted to $250 billion. Iran produces 60-70% of its industrial equipment for local use, including refineries, tankers, drilling rigs, oil wells, and exploration equipment.
In 2008, Iranian oil prices began to be traded on Kish Island in Iranian rials and other major currencies except the dollar.
In 2008, Iran's energy consumption amounted to 6 to 7 billion dollars. The country's energy consumption is higher than international standards. Iran recovers 28% of its oil and natural gas and is currently reaching a recovery rate of 60%. Iran subsidized oil, electricity and natural gas to the tune of $84 billion in 2008. Iran's natural gas consumption is the third highest in the world after the United States and Russia. Economic freedom and government expenditures, including the depletion of government-established funds, have affected the country's economy. The service sector is estimated to earn more than 25 percent of GDP in spending mainly on routine government expenditures, including military, salaries and social services.
Urbanization has provided a stimulus to the service sector. Important service sectors are public **** services, including education, commerce, personal services and tourism. Iran's science revenue amounted to $900 million (2005), but has not grown significantly in the past 15 years.
In the early 2000s, Iran adjusted the share of research and development in its GNP to 0.4%, which lags behind the average of 1.4% for developed countries.
The share of research and development in the country's GNP is expected to be 0.87% in 2009, and to reach 2.5% in the next five years.
Transportation and communication GDP is expected to rise to $46 billion in 2013, accounting for 6.8% of the country's GDP. According to the International Labor Organization's recommendation in 1996, Iran employed 3.4 million people in transportation and communication, which increased in 2008 to 20.5% of the working population. There are more than 1,700 newspapers and periodicals in Iran, most of which are published in Tehran. The main newspapers are: Le Monde, Yediot Aharanot, Islam*** and Nation, Pious, Mission, Peace and the English editions of Tehran Times, Iran News and the international edition of Iran Daily.
Iran's Islamic **** and State News Agency is the only official news agency.It was known as the Persian News Agency before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The state radio and television station was established in 1966 and renamed the Sound and Vision Organization of the Islamic **** and State of Iran in 1979. The station broadcasts to the outside world in twenty-five languages, including Persian, Arabic, English, French, German and Chinese. Television has seven stations broadcasting programs and three satellite stations broadcasting overseas.
In July 2007, Iran launched the first English-language television station PRESS TV.
On October 11, 2009, Iran's Mehr News Agency and Xinhua News Agency signed an agreement on the exchange of news between the two agencies. Iranian President Ahmadinejad announced on August 15, 2008 that Iran will launch its first self-developed satellite in the near future. The rockets and launchers for the launch were developed by Iran itself. According to a statement issued by the military and quoted by IRNA on August 17, the military successfully launched a Courier rocket on the same day and sent a homemade satellite called "Hope" into space. The purpose of the launch was to conduct a comprehensive test of the satellite delivery process, the remote launch system, the ground control center, the ground information station and the command system. According to reports, the satellite has now successfully entered its intended orbit and everything is progressing smoothly, meeting all the expected objectives. And Ahmadinejad was present at the satellite launch ceremony.
Iran's refining of enriched uranium is seen as developing a nuclear weapons program, and with Europe and the United States threatening to sanction its oil exports, Iran has threatened to blockade the Strait of Hormuz as a counterattack.
According to the e-journal ICT Development in Developing Countries, Iran accounted for 1.1 percent of GDP in 2002, with about 150,000 people working in the IT industry, 20,000 of them in the software industry. 1,200 IT companies were registered in 2002, of which 200 were in the software industry, and the number of software exports amounted to $50 billion in 2008, according to the e-journal ICT Development in Developing Countries. In Iran, all media outlets are directly or indirectly controlled by the state and must be authorized by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance to operate openly. This also includes the Internet. Iran had the world's 4th largest population of bloggers in 2005.
Iranian Telecommunications Minister Reza Taghipour has announced the country's plan to build a nationwide local area network (LAN) within five months to create a "clean network.
Taghipour said that by August 2012, all telecom operators in Iran will only be able to provide services for the "national Internet. In addition, the country will replace websites such as Google, Hotmail and Yahoo with services such as Iran Email and Iran Search.
The Iranian government has already begun to provide registration services for "Iran Email," which requires users to provide their full names and addresses for verification. Roads
The total length of roads in Iran is 158,000 kilometers; of these, 4,100 kilometers are highways and 93,800 kilometers are suburban roads, of which 45,300 kilometers are asphalt roads. There are 4.52 million registered motor vehicles, of which 2.72 million are cars.
Railroads
Iran's railroads have a total length of 9,508 kilometers, with 7,265 kilometers of main lines, 2,243 kilometers of branch lines, and 3,300 kilometers under construction. It has 277 locomotives and carries 13,111,000 passengers and 26,392,000 tons of goods annually.
Water Transportation
The main ports are Khorramshahr, Bushehr, Bandar Abbas, Khomeini and Chabahar ports in the Persian Gulf region and Ansari and Noshahr ports in the Caspian Sea region. There are four major shipping companies, namely Iran Islamic **** and State Shipping Company, Iran-India Shipping Company, Varfagar Shipping Company and Caspian Shipping Company; there are 112 ships with a capacity of 30.69 million tons of cargo and 2.63 million passengers. In addition, Iran is the largest owner of oil tankers in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf region, with 26 oil tankers over 200,000 tons and a total tonnage of more than 4.5 million tons of oil tankers. Halk Island is the largest crude oil export port in Iraq.
Air Transportation
Iran*** has 83 airports with a utilization rate of 34 %; 14 military airports, 61 comprehensive airports (only 22 can land aircraft) and 8 passenger airports. Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Abadan and Abbas are the six major international airports. Iran Air is the largest airline in the country, with 83 aircraft, flights to 23 cities and 33 international routes to the Gulf, Asia and Europe. In 2004*** it carried 11.33 million passengers.
Iran has a vast air network to the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Travelers from the U.S. or Australia need to change planes in Asia or other Middle Eastern countries to fly to Iran. Most planes land at Tehran's Mehrabad Airport.