The Port of Yantian is located in Guangdong Province in southeastern China on the coast of the South China Sea just 36 kilometers north of Hong Kong and about 47 kilometers east-northeast of the Port of Huadu. Until 1979, it was a small border town with about 30 thousand residents that served as a customs station from the Port of Hong Kong into mainland China.

The Yantian District is one of six districts in Shenzhen City. In 1979, it was designated a special economic zone by the People's Republic of China, opening the town to foreign investment. Since 1980, the area has grown unimaginably, with 7.6 million living in the Shenzen metropolitan area.

The Port of Yantian is one of six districts in Shenzhen City in south-central Guangdong Province in southeastern China. In 1979, Shenzhen City was a small town of 30 thousand people on the border of Hong Kong, and the Port of Yantian served as a customs stop as people and goods traveled from Hong Kong to mainland China.

In 1979, the Shenzhen City and the Port of Yantian were declared a Special Economic Zone and opened to foreign investment and exchange. Chinese banks made large loans to help the city and Port of Yantian build schools, roads, housing, and utilities for the fast-growing population.

With the flow of foreign and domestic capital, the city and the Port of Yantian prospered. Workers, including professionals, came to the area to fill jobs in companies that produced pharmaceuticals, chemicals, electronics, textiles, processed foods, and building materials. Economic and population growth stimulated increased agricultural production in the surrounding region.

China's experiment with Shenzhen and the Port of Yantian was so successful that they established special economic zones in several other cities. Shenzhen and the Port of Yantian became an experimental area for economic reforms and liberalization in China, and they established stock markets that were later adopted in other areas of the country.

The Shenzhen Yantian Port Group Company Ltd. (Chinese) is responsible for the development and management of the Port of Yantian. An independent entity, the Port Group Company operates the port, railways, roads, tunnels, real estate, commerce, customs, and ship repairs within the Port of Yantian.

In late 2008, the Shenzhen Yantian Port Holdings Company joined the Hutchison Whampoa Yantian Port Investment Company in constructing a new terminal at the Port of Yantian with three new container berths and an expansion of the older berth. The terminal will have capacity to handle 1.8 million TEUs of containerized cargo per year.

Located in Shenzhen east, the Port of Yantian is adjacent to the international financial center of Hong Kong (just 53 nautical miles from Victoria Harbor). With a wide calm basin, the Port of Yantian provides natural shelter and deep berths to accommodate the largest vessels.

The Port of Yantian is now South China's main container port and is engaged in major expansion efforts. In 2004, the Port of Yantian handled more than 6.4 million TEUs of containerized cargo, making it one of the world's biggest container ports. The Port of Yantian has more than 80 international trade routes, including 35 with North America and 31 with Europe.

In 2005, the Port of Yantian covered 2.5 square kilometers, 1.8 of which was developed. The Port of Yantian contains three bonded warehouses covering a total of 36 thousand square meters, one 31-thousand square meter customs warehouse, one bonded 10-thousand square meter container yard, and general container yards of 140 thousands square meters. Plans are underway to add 500-thousand square meter logistics center.

Shenzhen Yantian Port Holdings Company Limited operates the Port of Yantian. In addition to handling cargo, the company builds and operates facilities that support the maritime activities of the port, including providing transportation, storage, industrial, and service facilities. The company also repairs containers and manages duty-free trade.

The Port of Yantian has benefited from foreign investments in the City of Shenzhen since the late 1970s. Foreign countries have invested over $30 billion US over that period. Now one of the most rapidly-growing cities in the world, it has become southern China's main financial center and home to many high-tech companies with the second busiest port in China after the Port of Shanghai. The Port of Yantian is planning and constructing three new areas that will add over 30 berths, 14 of them deep-water container berths.

The port of Yantian was designed to be a comprehensive port, mainly devoted to international transshipment of containers as well as bulk and general cargo. During the early 1990s, six berths were completed (including four multi-use berths of 1000, 3000, 10,000 and 25,000 tons and two container berths of 50,000 tons each). The Association of Global Logistics recognized the Port of Yantian as the 2005-2006 Best Global Container Port." Yantian Port container throughput in 2007 reached 10.02 million TEUs of containerized cargo, and 2008 container throughput was 9.68 million TEUs.

The City of Yantian (Chinese) is called "Shenzhen's playground." With beautiful beaches and mountains, the town of Yantian is hidden in the central Yantian District. Yantian East is a popular recreation area offering mountain hiking and the beautiful Meisha beaches.

Because it was created in 1979 as an economic venture, the Port of Yantian does not contain the rich history and historical sites common to other Chinese ports and cities. But the City of Shenzhen has worked hard to attract tourism. It contains several theme parks, shopping arcades, and amusements. Visitors to Shenzhen will enjoy going to horse races, resort spas, and hot springs resorts, and the many playground theme parks. Being so near Hong Kong, the Port of Yantian is a gateway to one of the world's most popular tourist destinations.

The city of Shenzhen has a subtropical ocean climate with average temperatures of 22.4 ºC (72 ºF). The city contains several theme parks and almost limitless opportunities for entertainment and recreation, including seven international-class golf courses. In 2000, the city of Shenzhen was awarded the "International Garden City" prize.

Visitors to Shenzhen and the Port of Yantian will want to check out Minsk World (Chinese), a military theme park built around the USSR's aircraft carrier, the Minsk, some portions of which are open for tours.

The Port of Yantian's Chung Ying Street lies between Hong Kong and mainland China, with one side of the street belonging to Hong Kong and the other side part of Shenzhen. In 1899, the street was a shallow river, and it dried up before the beginning of World War II. Residents built their shops on the dried riverbed. When the British closed Hong Kong, the street fell into the closed area. Chung Ying Street is an historic area rare in the new city of Shenzhen. It has a museum that tells the street's story.

The real treasures of the Port of Yantian are its beaches. Dameisha Beach includes the 168-hectare Dameisha Seashore Park, and the beach covers an area of 18 hectares and stretches 432 meters along the sea. The beach has all the amenities including accommodations, cafes, teahouses, and a shopping center. Near the mountains, outdoor lovers enjoy climbing, hiking, and camping while visiting the Port of Yantian's Dameisha Beach.

Nearby is Xiaomeisha Beach, called the "Hawaiian Beach of the East," one of the Port of Yantian's most popular tourist attractions. This private beach has several resorts and fine seafood restaurants. Xiaomeisha Beach is popular with surfers, and surfing competitions attract people from around the world who also enjoy other water sports like parasailing, kayaking, boating, and swimming.