Zhaoqing
Frontier market – high risk/reward
¥270B (RMB) / $37.5B (USD)
37.0
Using New York City (NYC) as the base (100)
¥2,160 (RMB) / $300 (USD)
Average monthly rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in city center
Key Industries
Green Materials (35%), EVs (20%), Eco-Agriculture
Zhaoqing: GBA’s Green Frontier
Sustainable Materials Laboratory
Zhaoqing’s $38B economy pioneers eco-innovation:
– Bamboo tech: Carbon-negative construction materials
– Solar glass: GCL Poly’s anti-reflective coatings
– Eco-agriculture: Organic rice terraces supplying Hong Kong
Low-Cost Incubation
Deliberate underdevelopment advantages:
– Land subsidies: $5/sq.m industrial leases (90% below Shenzhen)
– Tax holidays: 0% VAT for green tech first 3 years
– Labor availability: 300K+ rural transition workforce
Rural-Urban Experiment
For pioneering expats:
– Natural splendor: Seven Star Crags karst landscapes
– Simplified living: Farmstay coworking communities
– Connectivity challenge: 2hr HSR to Guangzhou, limited flights
Key Opportunity: Carbon credit trading – Forest coverage creates 2M+ annual credits.
