The permanent resident population of Maoming stood at 6.17 million at the end of 2020, meaning it has grown 6.12 percent over the past 10 years.

In terms of its educated population, Maoming ranks top among cities in the eastern, western, and northern parts of Guangdong province. The number of people with a college degree or above rose from 4,268 to 8,074 per 100,000 people in the past 10 years.

Liutao Jewelry Industrial Park in Maoming. [Photo/WeChat account: maofabu]

Maoming is located at the center of three national strategic regions, namely the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone and the Hainan Free Trade Port.

The rapid development of transportation in Maoming in recent years has further enhanced the city's geographical advantages.

The city has built 55 kilometers of new railways and conducted 59 km of electrification work, bringing the total railway mileage open to traffic to 319 km. There are also 236 km of newly-built expressways.

The construction and renovation of rural roads has also been promoted in Maoming in recent years, with a total funding of 3.64 billion yuan ($565.57 million). More than 5,600 km of rural roads were renovated and repaired, while 192 unsafe bridges were reconstructed. The total mileage of rural roads in Maoming has reached 16,500 km.

A view of the Shuidong Bay Bridge in Maoming. [Photo/WeChat account: maofabu]

A total of 4.6 billion yuan has been invested in port and waterway construction, bringing the number of berths available for production at Maoming Port to 19, including 13 above the 10,000-ton class.

More and more Maoming entrepreneurs are coming back to start businesses. In recent years, more than 300 enterprises have been set up by Maoming entrepreneurs from beyond the city, with an investment of more than 100 billion yuan.

All kinds of commerce chambers have also been attracting businesses by carrying out various activities. In 2020, the city attracted 338 new projects worth more than 10 million yuan in investment, with the total contracted investment exceeding 200 billion yuan.

In addition, Maoming has been improving its business environment and building platforms for entrepreneurship and employment in order to attract more high-level talents.