Qidong City, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Nantong, is situated in the north of Yangtze River, the opposite of Shanghai. It occupies a total of 1,208square kilometers in land area, with a population of 1.12 million.

Dubbed “the earliest dawn” in China, Qidong is the most eastern city in China's eastern coast, facing Shanghai on the opposite of Yangtze River. Geographicaly, the land was formed by sediment of sand particles brought by the Yangtze River in a history of more than a thousand years. The city is formed by the sediment from sand particles brought by the Yangtze River. In early of Qing Dynasty, many small sand islets appeared and were gradually merged into islands. It has been growing larger by the time. Now the land is still in expansion along the coast line.

The city has a humid subtropical climate and distinct four seasons. Spring starts in March and is considered the most beautiful season. In June, the heavy rain predicts the coming of the early summer. The autumn is generally sunny and dry and the foliage season is in November. The winter is typically grey and dreary with the average temperature of 0ºC. The annual average precipitation is over a thousand mm. The total sunshine time generally exceeds 2,000 hours yearly and the frost-free time is more than 200 days.

Qidong is famous as "the hometown of grain and cotton and the land of happiness on the eastern coast of China".

Qidong is traditionally considered as an agricultural land in Jiangsu and its fishery income adds more economic strength to the city. The water resource is abundant and the underground water level is only 1.2 to 1.6 m deep.

The economic expansion over the last decades has added numerous new sectors to the city’s industry, including texture, mechanic, pharmaceutical, chemical and civil constructional industries. The fishery industry, relying on nearby the East China Sea and Deep Ocean, develops fast. The fishery port, the Lu Shi Port, is the fourth largest fishery port in China. The city has been ranked at 55th on the list of China’s Top 100 Counties (county-level cities) for its comprehensive economic strength.

It has established six industrial zones, including Qidong Economic Development Zone, Lushi Oceanic Economic Zone, Bingjiang Chemical Garden, Binghai Industrial Park, etc.

Qidong's environment is still in a good shape as its limited industrialization has not yet caused obvious damage. The local municipal government has been putting stiff environmental rules into practice over years and has spent significant funds to protect its ecosystem. The city has been honored as a green city.