Since the reform and opening up, under the direction of Deng Xiaoping's theory and the Party's basic guidelines, under the leadership of Jiangsu Provincial Government and Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the CPC, the people of Suzhou have earnestly carried out a series of policies enacted by the Party's Central Committee and the State Council. Great changes have taken place in both social and economic aspects, leading to the upgrade of the people's living standards. During the 20 years from 1979 to 1999, its GDP has risen from 3.2 billion yuan to 125 billion yuan, increased by 20% per year on average.
The financial income rose from 830 million yuan to 8.76 billion yuan, 12.5% up annually. Wages of workers rose from 514 yuan to 8,937 yuan, increased by 15.3% per year on average. The net income of farmers rose from 204 yuan to 5,089 yuan, a yearly 17.4% increase on average. The controllable income of the people in the city rose from 455 yuan in 1981 to 7,812 yuan, an average increase of 18.2% per year. In 1998, Suzhou's GDP ranked the first among the cities at prefectual level and the 7th among the major and middle-sized cities. The six cities ahead are Shangshai, Beijing, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen. The six county-level cities in Suzhou District have all been on the list of top 100 economically developed counties across the country.