Zhuhai, one of the first Special Economic Zones in China, located on the west bank of the estuary of the Pearl River, Zhuhai covers 7,653 sq km. It is truly a coastal city. Zhuhai has 146 islands scattered in the South China Sea, hence its nickname City of a Hundred Islands. By 2002, the city's population totaled 1.23 million, of which, 0.79 million were permanent residents.

The former county of Zhuhai Was established in 1953, and was upgraded to a city in 1979. In 1980, it became one of the first special economic zones in China. It has under its jurisdiction three administrative districts, namely, Xiangzhou, Jinwan and Doumen, and five economic development zones, namely, the Zhuhai State-Level New-and Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Zhuhai Free Trade Zone, Zhuhai Harbor Industrial Zone, Hengqin Economic Development Zone and Wanshan Marine Development Experimental Zone. It had a population of 1,233,500 in 2002. Today, Zhuhai has evolved from small border villages into a rapidly growing beautiful coastal city with modem economic development zones.

While developing its economy, Zhuhai pays great attention to environmental protection. Though people, Chinese or foreign, may look at this city from different angles, they all conclude that Zhuhai is an ideal modern city for living and investment.

Zhuhai has won the National City Afforestation Award and the National Model Environmental Protection City Award, as well as the titles of "State Hygienic City" and "Outstanding Chinese Tourism City". In a competition hosted by the media to select the city with the most outstanding features among all the large and medium-sized cities in China, Zhuhai won the title of "Most Romantic City". In1998, Zhuhai won the Dubai International Award for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment of the UN Center of Human Settlements. Zhuhai has become known throughout the world as an ideal city for its living environment. At the same time, it is also a city with a very high degree of openness, making it ideal for investment also.

Zhuhai City is 140 km away from Guangzhou, stands on the western bank of the Pearl River estuary and is adjacent to South China Sea, borders Hong Kong and Shenzhen to the east by 36 nautical miles and Macao to the south by land. It lies between North Latitude 21°48' to 22°27' and East Longitude 113°03' to 114°19', The land area covers 1,653 km2 and sea area, 6,000 km2, including 146 islands.

Adjacent to Honk Kong and Macao, Zhuhai displays a blend of Oriental and Western cultures. Zhuhai produced a number of renowned patriotic scholars in the modern history of China, such as Rong Hong, the first Chinese to study in the West, Tang Guo'an，the first chancellor of Beijing's Tsinghua University, and Xu Run, the first Chinese to represent Chinese government to the World.

To speed up the economic development of the Special Economic Zone, and to enhance the comprehensive strength of Zhuhai, the city formulated a development strategy in the late 20th century to develop a University Park and a Technical Innovation Beach. Already, 17 institutions of higher learning, including Tsinghua University, Beijing University, Zhongshan University, Jinan University, Beijing Normal University, Beijing Institute of Technology, People's University, Jilin University, Central Academy of Drama, Central Conservatory of Music and China Medical University have established branches or bases here for production, learning and research.

Tourism, including sightseeing, confereces and exhibitions, is Zhuhai's leading tertiary industry. Zhuhai is regarded by both Chinese and foreigners as the most romantic city in China. Currently, there are 40,000 people directly engaged in tourism in Zhuhai. The city boasts 42 travel agencies, 70 star-graded hotels, and 20 scenic spots each visited by some 100,000 people annually. It is one of the cities that provides a 144-hour visa for any foreigner entering the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province for a visit. In 2002 Zhuhai received 11,546,700 tourist visits, including 1,299,600 overseas tourists, and the total revenue derived from tourism was RMB 9.127 billion, representing 22% of the city's GDP.

Zhuhai Airport
Zhuhai Airport, launched on June 18, 1995, is one of the largest, most advanced civil airports in China. The terminal building covers 93,000 sq.km of floor area. It is designed to handle 100,000 takeoffs and landings annually. The annual passenger volume is 12 million trips. The freight volume is 400,000 tons per year. Zhuhai Airport covers 4 million square meters with 81 weekly flights to 32 domestic destinations. There are flights from Zhuhai Airport to more than 30 major cities in China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Wuhan.
Zhuhai Harbor
Zhuhai Harbor has eight harbor areas, including Gaolan, Jiuzhou and Guishan. It is a key harbor on the South China coast. Currently, Zhuhai Harbor has 95 berths. The total length of docks is about 6,500 m, of which nine berths can be used to moor 10,000 dwt ships. The total annual volumes of freight and passenger transportation are 20.15 million tons and 8.45 million trips, respectively. Its high-speed passenger ferries regularly serve Hong Kong and Shenzhen.

Land Transport
With a tital road mileage of 1,017 km, Zhuhai has formed a communications network based on high-grade trunk roads linking all nearby towns and districts, ports of entry, airports, harbors, etc. Major transportation links such as the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway, South China Coastal Expressway, Guangzhou-Zhuhai Railway and Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge make transport to and from Zhuhai most convenient.