Haimen district, a vital part of Nantong's main urban area, boasts a 61-kilometer coastline along the Yangtze River and a 25-kilometer coastline along the Yellow Sea. Renowned as the "Gateway to the Yangtze River and the Yellow Sea" and "Little-Pudong", the district has a total area of 1,149 square kilometers and nearly 1 million permanent residents. 

It is the hometown of Zhang Jian, a top scholar in the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and a well-known industrialist and educator. It is also recognized as a hub for science and technology, education, textiles, construction, safety, and ecological conservation.

Foreign friends pose for a photo during the Sino-French cultural exchanges event in Haimen district, Nantong on April 14. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Haimen, previously a county-level city, became a district of Nantong in 2020. It is the first county-level city north of the Yangtze River in Jiangsu to meet comprehensive socioeconomic well-being standards and has been awarded the title of "Advanced County (City, District) in Promoting High-Quality Development" by the province.

Haimen district posted a GDP of 178.51 billion yuan ($26.1 billion) in 2025, up 5.4 percent year on year. Its growth rate continued to outperform the national, provincial, and municipal averages.