Ancestral homeland, industrial heartland

Located in the southwest of the Pearl River Delta region, Taishan covers 3,286 sq km, boasts a coastline 587 km long that has 95 islands and islets including the Shangchuan Island, one of the largest islands in Guangdong province.

The city, under the jurisdiction of Jiangmen, has long been known as "China's No 1 ancestral homeland for overseas Chinese", as there are 1.3 million overseas Chinese now living in 91 countries and regions worldwide whose forebears came from Taishan.

Some examples of those whose ancestral roots can be traced to Taishan are Gary Locke, secretary of commerce for the United States, and Adriene Clarkson, former Canadian governor general.

The city is only 48 nautical miles from Macao and 87 miles away from Hong Kong with hydrofoil ferry service available at the city's Gongyi Port.

Most of the other Pearl River Delta cities are within 1.5 hours driving time to Taishan thanks to its six well-developed expressways in all directions.

Two railways and an intercity light rail system under construction will also help to improve the city's traffic links with other areas in the delta.

The city is endowed with good conditions for port construction as well as for the development of port-related industries.

Gongyi Port, with 10,000-ton berths, has long been in service, while Yutang Port will handle 50,000-ton ships and the Chuandao Deepwater Port has been verified for 300,000-ton berths.

The group of ports, with their complementary functions, will pave the way of a faster development of equipment manufacturing industry, analysts said.

The abundant marine resources, thermal spring resources and high forestry coverage have also gained the city the reputation as one of China's best ecological tourism destinations and have made the city an ideal place for living and doing business.

Taishan has rich land resources - about 10 percent of all the land in the Pearl River Delta region - about 40 percent of which is suitable for industrial development.

Ample supply and comparatively low costs of land cost are now advantages for the city in developing modern industries.

The Taishan Clean Energy (Nuclear Power) Equipment Industrial Park, located in the city's Guanghaiwan Bay Industrial Zone, is only a 10-minute drive from downtown Taishan.

In addition to land that costs about one-third the price in the core cities of the Pearl River Delta, investors can also benefit from the local government's 30 percent discount on land prices as well as lower costs for water and power.

Other preferential treatments for investors include financial support, exemption from administrative fees, simplified business approval procedures, and support in raising capital.

(China Daily 06/09/2010 page15)