Hainan Laocheng Economic Development Zone (hereinafter referred to as the "Development Zone") was founded in May 1988 and was upgraded to a provincial development zone by the National Development and Reform Commission in March 2006. The Development Zone is adjacent to the Qiongzhou Strait in the north, Beibu Gulf in the west, Haikou Meian Science and Technology Park in the east and Jinma Logistics Park in the south.

It boasts the country's fourth comprehensive free trade zone -- Haikou Comprehensive Bonded Zone, one of the 25 pivotal ports in China -- Macun port (a national first grade port) and a logistics service base of China National Offshore Oil Corporation.

The planned area of the Development Zone is 571 sq km, including a 117-sq-km in the central urban area. So far, a total of 53 sq km has been developed.

The software and information service sector in Hainan Eco-software Park are the top driving force for the Development Zone's industrial upgrading. The park opened in April 2011 and completed a 650,000-sq-m construction project and had another 650,000 sq m under construction by the end of May last year. More than 920 enterprises including Tencent, Neusoft, Chinasoft, Donghua Software, India’s NIIT have settled down in the park. Six of them are the top 20 software and information service providers on China's A-share market.

The park has been identified as a national public service demonstration platform for small and medium-sized enterprises, a national science and technology business incubator and a national new industrialization demonstration base. It has also been recognized as the first batch of Hainan's cultural industry key projects and cultural industry demonstration parks.