The recently released China Urban Vitality Research Report 2021 ("Report") unveiled the top 10 popular cities for the immigrant population in the country in 2021, where four in ten are in Guangdong. Dongguan sits fifth, trailing Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai.

Population attractiveness is an important indicator to measure a city's competitiveness. The report indexes the population attractiveness based on a city's new resident population and the country's average new resident population. Shenzhen retains its crown in terms of population attractiveness in 2021, Guangzhou followed in second, and Dongguan ranks fifth.

What is the appeal of Dongguan?

Taking a bird's-eye view of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area ("GBA"), Dongguan is located in the centre of the GBA, connecting the east-west of the Pearl River Delta and the two leading cities in the GBA, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, in the north-south. As the epicentre of the GBA, Dongguan enjoys an excellent position.

Dongguan, once known as the "world factory" and famous for its manufacturing and foreign trade, has undergone technological innovation and industrial upgrading. Now it not only has been dubbed as "innovative city", "popular destination", and "a new first-tier city", but also became a megacity because of its demographics.

According to the seventh national census, as one of the 14 megacities, Dongguan has superiority in population composition. For example, residents aged 15-59 represent 81.41% of the total population, making Dongguan the second "youngest" city in the country after Shenzhen.