Located in the center of Northeast Asia, Siping is an important strategic pivot city of Harbin-Changchun megalopolis and a bridgehead for Jilin Province opening up to the south. The city covers an area of 10,300 square kilometers with a population of 2.16 million, and has a history of more than 2,300 years. It boasts a beautiful ecological environment with a green coverage rate of 39.1% in the built-up area. Also, Siping enjoys an ideal location, as it is the nearest city and the only path from Jilin, Heilongjiang and eastern Inner Mongolia to the coastal ports and the Bohai Economic Rim. Siping is also a city rich with mineral resources. Due to its well-developed agriculture, the city is one of the largest food producers in China and it is thus known as "one of the three major barns of northeast China".