Zhaoqing is a beautiful city with a long history of more than two thousand years. Located in the west central of Guangdong province, it covers an area of 15,000 square kilometer, with a population of over 3.9 million. Zhaoqing governs 8 counties (cities, districts), namely, Duanzhou District, Dinghu District, Gaoyao City, Sihui City, Guangning County, Deqing County, Fengkai County, Huaiji County, and Zhaoqing New Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone. To the east there is Guangzhou & Foshan Economic Circle and to the west there is Pan Pearl River Delta. Its urban area is an important part of the cities of Pearl River Delta. It takes only one hour's ride from Zhaoqing to Guangzhou.
Zhaoqing's history can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220) when Gaoyao County was instituted. In the Sui Dynasty (581-618), Duanzhou Prefecture was established governing a total of 9 counties. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Hui issued an imperial order in person that Duanzhou be renamed as Zhaoqing as he used to be ennobled as Duan Lord before his enthronement. The name of Zhaoqing has remained in use ever since. Amid the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasties (1644-1911), the official residence of the Governor for Guangdong and Guangxi was situated in Zhaoqing for 182 years. The Italian missionary Matteo Ricci had been in Zhaoqing to promote western culture during the Ming Dynasty for 6 years where he also studied Mandarin along with Chinese culture and history. Apart from presiding over the building of Xianhua Temple beside Chongxi Pagoda, Ricci not only compiled a Portuguese-Chinese dictionary along with his Italian partner Michele Ruggieri, but also drew up the first world map in the Chinese language during his Zhaoqing stay. Ricci was regarded as the "Forerunner for Chinese and Occidental Cultural Exchange".
No more than 100 kilometers from Guangzhou and 142 miles from Hong Kong, Zhaoqing is a pivotal place connecting the more developed coastal area with southwest China. The Xijiang River, only second to the Yangtze River nationwide in terms of water flow, runs through the whole municipality, making itself a "Golden Waterway" by reaching as far as the port in Shenzhen and Guangzhou eastward, Wuzhou City of Guangxi City westward, and Zhuhai and Macau southward respectively.
The rich land resource of Zhaoqing even provided more opportunities for further development. In recent years, several industry zones have been set up and now are flourishing in the city. Among them, Zhaoqing New Hi-Tech Industry Development Zone is in the lead. It covers an area of 25 square kilometers, embracing more than 80 foreign-invested enterprises, such as SK Group from Korea LP Mobile Co., and Asia Aluminum Plant, with 500 million USD invested. Under the model of "Export Processing Area", a Monitor and Control Area for Processing Trade is built. Other industrial zones, such as Jindu Industrial Garden of Gaoyao City, Nanjikang Industrial Zone of Sihui City, Deqing Industry of Deqing County, Duanzhou Industry City of Science and Technology, provide an ideal platform for investors.
