Mountains, Rivers, Cities, and Forests: An Ecological Gem Integrated into the Bay Area

Dongyuan County is under the jurisdiction of Heyuan City, Guangdong Province. Located in the northeastern part of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, along the middle and upper reaches of the Dongjiang River, the county covers a total area of 4,070 square kilometers and has a population of approximately 600,000. It administers 21 towns and townships and is part of the Hakka cultural region. With a forest coverage rate of 74.37%, it is the second-largest county in Guangdong Province by land area and serves as a vital ecological barrier for the northern ecological development zone. Dongyuan is one of the first national "Green Waters and Mountains Are Mountains of Gold and Silver" Practice and Innovation Bases.

Major transportation arteries such as the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, the Guangdong-Jiangxi Expressway, the Heyuan-Meizhou Expressway, the Shantou-Kunming Expressway, and the Heyuan-Huizhou-Dongguan Expressway traverse the entire county. Dongyuan is approximately 200 kilometers from both Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Starting in 2021, the Ganzhou-Shenzhen High-Speed Railway, the Guangzhou-Shanwei High-Speed Railway, and the Hangzhou-Guangzhou High-Speed Railway will be completed and put into operation one after another, integrating Dongyuan into the Greater Bay Area’s one-hour transportation, economic, and living circles.

With its unparalleled ecological resources, geographical location, and transportation infrastructure, coupled with a high-quality business environment and boundless development potential, Dongyuan has become a favored destination for discerning property investors—a pristine ecological haven, a leisure paradise, a hotspot for investment, and fertile ground for entrepreneurship.

Embarking on a New Journey of Urban Development in the 14th Five-Year Plan

In recent years , Dongyuan County has redefined its urban positioning and image as the “Heyuan Riverside New City,” marking the beginning of a new phase of development and a new urban framework.

The Dongyuan County Party Committee and County Government, closely aligning with the development positioning set by the municipal Party committee and government, are vigorously advancing the county’s “Southward Integration, Northward Expansion, and Eastward Advancement” strategy. They are accelerating the construction of a “Ten Vertical, Nine Horizontal” urban transportation framework and are fully committed to building the “Heyuan Riverside New City” under the new “One Park, One Corridor, Four Cities” framework.The “One Park” refers to the Shenzhen-Heyuan Jointly Built Dongyuan Industrial Park; the “One Corridor” refers to the Dongjiang River Gallery; and the “Four Cities” refer to the Mujiang Central City, Nanyuan Ancient City, Guantang Science and Education City, and Yihe Red Cultural Tourism City.

To expand the urban footprint of “Modern Dongyuan,” Dongyuan has comprehensively enhanced its urban quality and service functions, coordinated the advancement of urban planning and construction, and made every effort to accelerate and improve the efficiency of “three old” (old urban areas, old villages, and old factories) renovation and urban renewal projects. It has also accelerated the development of a smart city and successfully earned the title of “Guangdong Provincial County-Level Civilized City.”The planned area of the new city has expanded to 188 square kilometers, and an eco-charming riverside new city—suitable for living, working, and tourism, characterized by its “riverside water city and landscape of mountains, water, and forests”—has begun to take shape.

Positioning itself within the broader context of the county’s development, Dongyuan County has proposed a high-quality framework for a new pattern of coordinated regional development centered on “One Core, One Sub-center, Three Major Areas, and Four Clusters.” It is accelerating the construction of the Heyuan Riverside New City and vigorously implementing the development strategy of “Strengthening the East, Optimizing the West, Expanding the South, and Consolidating the North.”Dongyuan has achieved steady and healthy economic and social development, successfully fulfilling the “Three Not Less Than” targets. The “One Core, One Sub-center, Three Major Areas, and Four Clusters” regional coordinated development framework has taken initial shape, economic strength has reached a new level, and the “13th Five-Year Plan” has been brought to a successful conclusion. Dongyuan will forge ahead with determination to pursue development, take a solid first step toward building a strong economic county, ride the winds and break the waves to open a new chapter for the 14th Five-Year Plan, strive to blaze a new trail, and compose a new chapter in Dongyuan’s high-quality economic development.

A Place to Live, Work, and Travel: The Driving Force of the Southern Economic Cluster

Located on the banks of the Dongjiang River, Dongyuan County has been advancing the construction of the Heyuan Riverside New City with high quality since its designation as such. It has achieved seamless integration and integrated development with the municipal area.A number of large-scale urban complex projects, such as Heyuan Wanda Plaza and the Huafeng Century International Trade Center—Heyuan’s tallest office building—are currently under accelerated construction. With these urban functional projects serving as the vanguard, Dongyuan County is committed to becoming the most valuable extension, breakthrough point, and growth pole of Heyuan’s metropolitan economy.

While promoting industrial transformation and upgrading within the industrial park, Dongyuan County is focusing on fostering the clustering of leading industries such as electronic information, smart manufacturing, and new materials to create distinctive industrial clusters.Currently, nearly 20 projects are completed and put into operation annually in Dongyuan County’s industrial park, with nearly 20 enterprises increasing production to meet scale requirements, and over 5,000 new jobs created each year. The principle of “industry driving employment and human settlement promoting urban development” underscores that Dongyuan’s urban economic growth is inseparable from the orderly aggregation of population and the creation of a stable and prosperous living environment. Dongyuan is continuously improving its urban road network and supporting infrastructure, actively assuming functional zones from the city proper, and comprehensively upgrading public service facilities to build a welcoming environment for attracting talent.

Dongyuan will spare no effort in expanding industrial development space, continuously promoting the integration of industry and urban development as well as the aggregation of industrial factors. By focusing on building distinctive features and attracting talent, it aims to drive local economic growth and establish itself as the driving force of the Southern Economic Cluster. It is foreseeable that in the near future, Dongyuan will become even more prosperous, livable, business-friendly, and tourist-friendly . Bolstered by regional development, the growth potential of Dongyuan is immeasurable.