URUMQI: Five years ago a young man from northeastern Jilin province made the "mad" decision to go west - to the other extreme across the entire nation - to use his training in a promising job.

Different from most of his classmates, who eyed big cities like Beijing for work, Sui Kun, then aged 22, looked to the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

"A mad idea, but it turned out right because Xinjiang provides a wide stage for a freshman," said the graduate of North China Electric Power University. He is now a director assistant of the international department with Xinjiang-based TeBian Electric Apparatus Stock Co Ltd (TBEA).