Located in the north of Shandong, Dongying borders Beijing and Tianjin to the north, connects Shandong Peninsula to the south, and faces Japan and the ROK across the sea to the east. Included in the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, it is the central city of the Yellow River Delta and a hub in the Bohai Rim region. With an area of 8,243 square kilometers and a population of 2.17 million, Dongying has 3 districts and 2 counties. In addition to winning the China Habitat Environment Prize, it has been rated as National City of Civility, National Sanitary City, National Environmental Protection Exemplary City, Outstanding Tourism City in China, and National Garden City. Dongying is the hometown of Sun Wu, Master of Military Strategy. Standing at the estuary of the Yellow River and endowed with new-born wetlands and scores of wild birds, the city is a world-class tourist destination. Home to 368 species of birds, Dongying is dubbed as the international airport for birds.

With the largest oil refining capacity among prefecture-level cities in China, Dongying is the only city in China that is listed among the top 12 oil cities in the world. The city is China's largest manufacturing base of rubber tire, petroleum equipment and high-end electronic ceramic materials at nanoscale. It has fostered five featured sectors including petrochemicals, rubber, oil equipment, nonferrous metals, and new materials. It has also established Dongying National Economic and Technological Development Zone, Dongying Free Trade Zone, and 7 provincial-level economic development (high-tech) zones. In 2018, the GDP hit 415.25 billion RMB yuan. The city keeps opening up, and has established friendly cooperative relations with 41 cities in 28 countries.