Tanggu street in the Binhai New Area. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"In 2015, 2,344 large companies from Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei invested in the free trade zone, accounting for 62 percent of the total number of companies there," said Zhang Yujun, an official with the Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone. "Their registered capital totaled 104.4 billion yuan, representing 50 percent of the zone's total."

In addition to major corporations, medium-sized, small and even micro businesses have been established in the free trade zone.

Bai Yanhui, 30, is the boss of one such startup company.

After studying dozens of cities in China, Bai and his team finally decided to settle in the Tianjin Pilot Free Trade Zone.