Located in the hinterland of the Chaoshan Plains, Jieyang, the ancient city in eastern Guangdong Province, touches Chaozhou and Shantou on the east, Shanwei on the west, the South China Sea in the south and Meizhou on the north.

In the northwest, there are mountains. In its centre is a vast expanse of flat land. The south features the beautiful sea. And the Rongjiang, Lianjiang and Longjiang rivers wind through.

The Rongjiang River, which has southern and northern tributaries, winds through the city and flows through Shantou before emptying in the South China Sea.

Jieyang was approved in February 1991 by the State Council as a prefecture-level city. It supervises the Rongcheng District, Jiedong County, Jiexi County, Huilai County and Puning City.

The total population is 5.8 million, and its area is 5,240 square kilometres.

It is a city with rich historical and cultural heritage.

The city dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), with a history of about 2,200 years.

It is among the first batch of cities claimed as "historical and cultural famous cities" by Guangdong Province and is also the home of folklore and traditional Chinese paintings.

Jieyang is also endowed with rich natural resources and unique landscapes.

It is famed for its wonderful scenery, distinctive gardens and fields, rich and colourful folk customs, temples and places of historic interests that vary widely in style. Many flowers and fruits are in endless supply all the year long.

Since it became a municipality, Jieyang has created a good environment for tourism by dedicating itself to the exploitation of its favourable geographical location, the acceleration of infrastructure construction, the expansion of opening to the outside world and the hastening up of economic development.

"Fascinating Cultural Tours to the Ancient Towns of Jieyang" are available on a regular basis to show off Jieyang's charm.

The Jieyang Committee of the Communist Party of China and the city government view tourism as one of the city's new economic engines.

In recent years, Jieyang has spearheaded economic development in South China, and at the same time, become a prominent port city and home for many overseas Chinese.

Since China launched the opening up drive in 1978, the city's people and officials have focused on developing industry, bringing in overseas-funded firms, revitalizing education and technology and fostering sustainable development.

The brilliance of these moves is paying off with a booming economy, higher living standards for local people, better urban infrastructure and a great investment environment.

Jieyang's achievement lies in the contribution of many overseas Chinese, who return to the motherland to inject investment and help build a better city.

Since this is one of the most important homes for overseas Chinese, it is natural for these people to come back to play their part in developing it.

It is estimated that more than 3 million overseas Chinese are from Jieyang. Most of them live in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, the United States, Canada, Australia, France and the United Kingdom. About 650,000 live in China's Taiwan Province, and Macao and Hong Kong's special administrative regions.

Many of them want to invest in their beloved home nation, help industrial, social and cultural development. Moreover, many have excellent high-tech skills.

More than 2,000 social projects are underway thanks to these people, accounting for 2 billion yuan (US$246.9 million). They include the Red Cross Charity Hospital of Jieyang, Puning Overseas Chinese Hospital, the Jieyang Professional Technology School and the Jiexi Zhangwubang Middle School.

Many returned overseas Chinese also are investing in companies and factories in Jieyang. More than 2,800 firms have been established with actual overseas investment of US$2.7 billion.

Non-local or overseas-invested companies now dominate in the city.

Jieyang also benefits from a convenient transportation network and great geological position.

Nestled in the Chaoshan Plain, Jieyang is a fertile land between Chaozhou and Shantou and near Hong Kong, Macao and the Pearl River Delta.

The area is endowed with three major water sources.

It also has 82 kilometres of coastline and excellent deep-water ports in Shenquan and Jinghai.

The railway and highway networks are well developed, too. The No 206 and No 324 State-level highways and many provincial level highways crisscross the city. The railway, which connects Guangzhou, Meizhou and Shantou, is a huge traffic vein.

And a number of highways are under construction. The city plans to pour more than 12 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion) into expanding the transportation network in an attempt to enhance ties with the outside world.

The ambitious Chaoshan airport project, which would be located in Jieyang, is another boost. The 2.3 billion yuan (US$277 million) project has been approved by the State and will connect major cities in the Chaoshan Plain.

The city is developing at a steady rate, with an average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of 20 per cent. It has attracted US$2.7 billion overseas capital since it was founded.

The city has now formed an industrial system backed with traditional industries and modernized by new, emerging industries. The local economy is mostly propped up by township enterprises and overseas-funded firms.

Four listed companies and several new, high-tech enterprises have emerged in recent years. So far, the city has established 12 industrial parks specializing in electronics, machinery and biomedicine. The high-tech parks are one of the city's approaches to attract overseas funds as well as advanced administrative expertise in a bid to facilitate its multi-direction economic growth.

The range of brand-name products made here includes medical appliances, air conditioners, automobile parts, stainless steel, textiles, garments, plastics, building materials and electronic products. Jieyang is also a major collecting and distributing centre for raw materials used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Jieyang has long been a busy distribution centre of commodities from East China's Fujian and Jiangxi provinces.

There are 58,000 shops and 161 markets. The special markets for such products as traditional Chinese medicines, garments and textiles are famous.

This will continue to be a dynamic city with a convenient traffic network, developed light industry and brisk commerce.