A LEADING fast food restaurant chain in China, opened its 700th outlet in CITIC City Plaza yesterday.

　　The chain, KFC, took nine years to open 100 restaurants in China, a news conference was told. However, the company expanded its 600 outlets to 700 within four months with an average of 25 outlets opening each month this year.

　　Based on the expansion rate, KFC may set a record by opening 150 restaurants on an annual basis.

　　KFC’s 700 restaurants are in more than 150 cities nationwide including 30 provinces and autonomous regions in China.

　　The company said its growth rate in China had even amazed the world.

　　It was also announced at the conference that KFC China would fund China Youth Development Foundation to initiate the “China KFC Dawn Light” with 38 million yuan (US$4.6 million) as a long-term program to help financially challenged college students complete their studies.

　　The fund will be used to provide 5,000 yuan a year to every needy college student for the four years of college.

　　Since KFC was established in Shenzhen in 1996, KFC Shenzhen has grown rapidly, setting up 36 outlets with 2,000 employees over the past six years.