Dongguan has also seen rapid industrialization, urbanization and modernization. Its Songshan Lake Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone was chosen by academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences a decade ago as home to the country's largest single large scientific facility for the spallation neutron source among many other locations, turning itself into an increasingly important innovation hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

With these facilities, Dongguan has moved into more innovative projects including a neutron science city, which is under construction and spans an area of 53.3 square kilometers.

And it is part of the city's efforts to develop itself into a comprehensive national science center and thus to support the Bay Area.

The 17th Asian Marathon Championships and the Dongguan International Marathon 2019 attract some 30,000 runners and 42 athletes from 16 countries and regions. CHINA DAILY

Speaking about Dongguan, Liang Weidong, Party secretary of Dongguan, said: "In recent years, Dongguan has focused on upgrading its innovation-driven development and has developed an economic system and development pattern based on innovation."

Meanwhile, official data showed that in 2018, research and development investment in Dongguan accounted for 2.55 percent of the regional GDP, reaching the level of moderately developed countries, and as far as PCT international patent applications were concerned, Dongguan ranked second in Guangdong province.

"After years of effort, we are now moving the manufacturing sector to the middle and high end of the global value chain. And we must continue to strive for breakthroughs in strengthening our scientific and technological innovation," Liang said.

As of 2018, the city had a total of 5,790 high-tech companies and 32 R&D institutions.