History Starting in 1978 the Central People’s Government of China initiated reforms to open up what is now the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone to foreign trade and investment, ahead of the rest of the Mainland. Private enterprise, foreign investment and international trade are consequently more mature and developed here compared with the rest of the country. This area is also the wealthiest and fastest growing in all of the Mainland. Hong Kong has played a significant role, directly and indirectly, in the evolution of this area into the manufacturing powerhouse it is today. Hong Kong was the first to capitalise on the development of the Pearl River Delta Economic Zone as it moved much of its own manufacturing into the Mainland in the 1980s. Since that time Hong Kong has complemented the production in the Mainland with its world class strengths and reputation in management, communication, logistics, finance and professional services. It is estimated that 59,000 Hong Kong enterprises have their factories in the Mainland, of which around 53,000 factories are located in a cluster in the Pearl River Delta, in Guangdong Province. Such a concentration of production provides job opportunities for 1.5 million Hong Kong citizens and 10 million people in Guangdong, and injects a tremendous contribution to the economic development of the Pearl River Delta. As a result, Guangdong Province has developed into one of the most important manufacturing bases in the world, while Hong Kong has successfully transformed from a centre of production into a service-oriented metropolitan hub of international repute. Guangdong and Hong Kong have developed hand in hand into a united and complementary region of economic activities. < Back >