Zhangzhou is a coastal city in southern Fujian province with an area of 12,600 square kilometers. As of 2017, its population stands at 5.14 million. It borders the cities of Quanzhou and Xiamen to the north, and the cities of Shantou and Chaozhou to the south. Zhangzhou has received a number of honors for its rich natural resources and cultural heritage, such as the titles of “National Historical and Cultural City”, “China's Best Tourist City” and “Fujian Province's Ecological City”. The city is also an ancestral home to one-third of Taiwan population.

In 2017, Zhangzhou's GDP surged 9 percent to reach 356.3 billion yuan, ranking it the first place among the cities in Fujian in terms of economic growth rate for the fourth consecutive year.