Located in the southwest of Shandong and bordering on the three provinces including Jiangsu, Henan and Anhui, Heze has jurisdiction over 7 counties, 2 districts, a provincial-level economic development zone, and a provincial-level high-tech industrial development zone. It covers a land area of 12,200 square kilometers with a population of 10.25 million.

Heze has a time-honored history and splendid culture. According to the legend, it was the place where the ancestor of the Chinese nation Fuxi taught early men how to grow crops, and tribe chiefs Yao and Shun lived. Heze is the first city the Yellow River flows through in Shandong. It is the famous capital of peony, the place known for martial art, painting and calligraphy, opera and folk art in China. The number of national intangible cultural heritage sites in Heze ranks third among prefecture-level cities in China.

Within a radius of 200 kilometers around Heze, there are about 120 million people. It is one of the most densely populated areas in China. 8 expressways and 18 national and provincial highways run through the city. The Zhushui River waterway connects directly with the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It is a national production base of high-quality grain, cotton, fruits, vegetables, and animal husbandry products. The proven reserves of coal, oil, natural gas and rock salt are 28.1 billion tons, 56.25 million tons, 27.3 billion cubic meters and 40 billion tons respectively. The seven leading industries such as high-end chemicals, biomedicine, mechanical and electrical equipment manufacturing, new energy and new materials are expanding in scale with improved structure. The growth rate of main economic indicators leads the province.

Heze has a beautiful and livable environment, and provides enabling business environment. It has been rated as National Advanced Green City in Plain Areas, Outstanding Tourism City in China, National Garden City, and National Demonstration City for the Application of Renewable Energy in Buildings. It has established 7 sister-city relations.