HOUSEHOLD ELECTRICS: The annual turnover of Tsann Kuen (China) Enterprises Co. Ltd., a Taiwan-invested small home appliance manufacturer, swells to $1.11 billion after it set up factories on the mainland (ZHANG SHENGGUI)

Three decades have passed since China adopted its reform and opening-up policy in 1979. It was from then on that China officially permitted overseas investment, including that from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao, to legally participate in the mainland's economic development.

After getting nods from the government, investors from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao started pouring money into the mainland and joined efforts in the nation's endeavors to become prosperous. In the past three decades, investments from the three regions have accounted for a major part of the mainland's foreign direct investment (FDI), although the amounts have varied from province to province. In Guangdong Province, for instance, their investments make up more than 75 percent of its total FDI. During the past 30 years, they not only have helped the mainland economy thrive, but also enabled company owners to reap enormous wealth.

ADVANCING TECHNOLOGY: Taiwan-invested companies such as HannStar Board Corp., a high-end multilayer circuit board manufacturer, have contributed greatly to technological advancements on the mainland (XINHUA)

Guangdong Province, adjacent to Hong Kong, is blessed with a prime location and has absorbed the highest amount of investment from Hong Kong and Macao. The Pearl River Delta region has become an influential processing and manufacturing base in the world, with Hong Kong and Macao serving as its headquarters and marketing centers.

Ministry of Commerce figures show that investments from Hong Kong and Macao accounted for more than 80 percent of all FDI at the beginning of the reform and opening-up program. By the end of this September, paid-in investments from Hong Kong and Macao stood at $341.59 billion, the biggest source of FDI on the mainland.

Investors from Hong Kong and Macao have been major forces in tapping the great potential of the mainland market. They built the first five-star hotel, the first joint-venture enterprise and the first joint-venture expressway on the mainland.