When statistics were revealed recently that showed Shandong's share of the national GDP leaping forward, with a growth rate far outstripping Guangdong and other southern provinces, China's business media started bandying about the possibility of Guangdong losing its status as the national economic center. And when the list of China's top 1000 industrial enterprises was announced just this week, it was found that Guangdong had 45 fewer companies on the list in 2004 than it had in 2003.