Guangdong

Guangdong borders Fujian, Jiangxi and Hunan and has a subtropical climate, with short, mild and dry winters and long, hot and wet summers. 

Guangdong's position on the southern coast of China and its large and important river systems means that it has had a long history of trade links and ties with the rest of the world. In the 19th century, Guangdong was the gateway through which opium was imported into China.

More recently, in the early 1980s, Deng Xiaoping, saw the potential of the province and designated Shenzhen as a special economic zone, paving the way for its rapid subsequent development. Today, three of the most prominent special economic zones of China - Shenzhen, Shantou and Zhuhai are all in Guangdong.