I don't know what the a3500 is about. My guess is that the chinese characters are a previous idea of cool and are stickered chainstay protectors. To the best of my ability your bike is from 2001. BikePedia; Image Viewer . Note that that model year came in yellow.

The rack being mounted so it can be compressed by the suspension frightens me. I don't want to be elitist or mean but that bike is just one step above a department store bike. Making suspension that does't suck takes some money, and all suspension that doesn't suck requires semi frequent service, and I'd bet that the suspension on that bike is essentially unserviceable and probably totally worn out. You Would have been better off buying a hardtail or rigid bike. Go ride your bike and enjoy it for what it is, but don't try to upgrade it if you find the performance lacking and don't spend much money to fix anything.