The island's laid-back lifestyle attracts people from mainland Shanghai to spend their weekend there. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The project to develop Chongming island into a world-class ecological paradise was kicked off in February, and the city government has plowed about 50 billion yuan ($7.6 billion) into the first batch of 33 key projects aimed at initially improving the environment and infrastructure.

The project is part of Shanghai government plans for the city to become an excellent global city in areas such as innovation, science and technology. The Chongming project represents the city's green ambitions.

Before the district government formulated the Chongming master plan, it did extensive research on ecological islands worldwide, according to Wu. It found that most are protected zones that are not inhabited.

Chongming island, on the other hand, is home to about 670,000 people, and therein lies the challenge for the authorities－creating an environment that can fit the requirements of a "world-class ecological island" while ensuring that there are still industries for locals to work in.

Zhang Guokun, director of Shanghai Municipal Agricultural Commission, said during a recent government routine news conference that the ecological agriculture industries on the island will be further developed in line with this vision.

"In future Chongming will be able to meet the growing demands for high-quality agricultural products from Shanghai residents," Wu said. "This will be the core industry in Chongming."