The business community has been very interested in China for over 20 years. However, few people understand the magnitude of Chinese geography and its regional uniquenesses gradually developed through historical and demographic factors. For example, few Americans have heard of Nanjing, but this city of 7.2 million population is very famous among Chinese for its economic and cultural strength.
Nanjing is the capital city of Jiangsu Province, a highly populated province on East China Sea. Only 165 miles away from Shanghai, China, Nanjing is the major transportation hub for eastern China, with modern expressways, fresh water port, cross-continent railroad, international airport and inter-province oil pipeline facilities. Nanjing ranks second in China for electronic industry(software development, LCD screens, telecommunications network, etc.), surpassing Beijing and Shanghai. Other major industries of Nanjing include automobile, petro-chemical refinery, iron and steel, machinery, and pharmaceuticals.
Nanjing has been the capital of China on and off for 8 times in history. The first president of modern China, Dr. Sun Yet-sen, of the Republic of China, was sworn in in the Presidential Office in Nanjing. He was also buried in the Purple Mountain in Nanjing, where the central government and Guomindang Party built a magnificent mausoleum in memory of him.
Many international firms have selected Nanjing as their market presence or R&D base in China. Some firms even relocated their headquarters to Nanjing to oversee their global operation. Today, most Chinese State Owned Enterprises in Nanjing have been either partnered with a foreign company or privatized into a board of director structure. The EU business community has a strong presence in Nanjing, with its local chapter of the European Union Chamber of Commerce, and over 5,000 companies located in Nanjing.
There are many other reasons for business owners to choose Nanjing, such as quality of human resources, affluent residents, outdoors/hobby market ---- the people factor plays an important role when a non-Chinese decides to live in Nanjing, China.
