A farm turned economic zone is aiming to become a new powerhouse in the city of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province.

Originally an agricultural operation established decades ago to provide work for returning overseas Chinese, the 138-square-kilometer Fenyong Economic Zone was unveiled last year.

Despite a short history, it is forging ahead rapidly. In the first half of 2013, the zone's GDP hit 32.32 million yuan ($5.28 million), an 11 percent increase year-on-year, and fixed-asset investment reached 112 million yuan, a 162 percent surge from the same period last year.