XU YING
CHINA'S central area comprises six provinces in the country's heartland-- Hubei, Hunan, Henan, Anhui, Jiangxi and Shanxi. Together, theymake up 10.7 percent of China's land mass, 28.1 percent of its popula-tion, and 19.5 percent of its GDR Heavily populated, they are signifi-cant players in the country's economy and market.