I. Main Content

Data in this chapter reflect the development of China’s domestic market and the operational and managerial condition of
wholesale and retail sale trades as well as catering trade, including the basic condition, the circulation of commodities and the
financial condition in the wholesale and retail sale trades above designated size; total retail sales of consumer goods; large
commodity transaction markets (with transaction over 100 million yuan); development of chain stores of retail and catering
trades; and transaction markets of consumer goods in the country.

II. Coverage of Statistics

National wholesale and retail sale trades, catering industry, large commodity transaction markets, chain stores of retail and
catering trades and national transactions of consumer goods.

Major adjustments were made for total retail sales of consumer goods in 1993 and 1997. Starting from 1993, this indicator
does not include means of agricultural production; starting from 1997, this indicator does not include purchase of houses by
residents. Since 2003, this indicator does not include commodities sold to urban and rural households (including their own
employees) and institutions directly by manufacturing corporations, establishments and individual manufacturers, nor farm
products sold by farmers in the fields.

Criteria for wholesale and retail sale trades and catering industry above designated size is as follows: wholesale trade, having
20 or more employees at year-end with annual sales over 20 million yuan; retail sale trade, having 60 or more employees at
year-end with annual sales over 5 million yuan; catering industry, having 40 or more employees with annual sales over 2
million yuan.

III. Sources of Data

Data in this chapter are collected and processed in accordance with the statistical reporting scheme on wholesale and retail
sale trades as well as catering trade by the Department of Trade and External Economic Relations of the National Bureau of
Statistics. Data on transaction markets of consumer goods are provided by State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

IV. Survey Methodology

Data on basic conditions, circulation of goods and financial conditions for all corporate enterprises of wholesale, retail and
catering trades above the designated size are collected through comprehensive reporting systems and data are reported level
by level. Data on small-size enterprises and individual enterprises below the designated size are collected through sample
surveys.

V. In this chapter, the sum of total retail sales of consumer goods of all provinces is not equal to the national total, as the
national total has been adjusted and modified in line with national accounts data and data from other departments.