Mayor says massive projects fuel jobs and the economy, but pristine environment remains the top priority, Tom Clifford and Sun Shangwu report.

If your goal is to engineer success, then having an engineering background is a decided advantage.

With a degree in engineering, Zhanjiang Mayor Wang Zhongbing spent a year in the German city of Dusseldorf.

"We want people to use green energy when they go about their daily lives, going to work or moving around the city," he said.

"We have 5,000 bikes costing 60 yuan a year to rent, as well as 400,000 electric bikes in use. We also have 70 km of green paths in the city to walk or cycle and 1,000 buses have been taken off diesel."

Zhanjiang has seven universities and colleges with 110,000 students, second only to Guangzhou as the city in the province with most institutions of higher education.

Zhanjiang cuisine is famous, and with 2,044 km of coastline, more than 140 islands, a 20,000-sq-km marine area and more than 1,000 kinds of fish, it provides an environment, both natural and commercial, that is rich in opportunities.

Contact the writers at sunshangwu@chinadaily.com.cn