Wenzhou, a city of one million population in east China's Zhejiang Province, has become a catchword for the entrepeunerial spirit sweeping the country.

Wenzhou businessmen, who are now found throughout the country, stand out because of their expensive clothes and notoriously eccentric dialect. They are in the most luxurious office buildings in Shanghai's financial districts as well as remote Muslim villages bordering Central Asian republics.

In the past couple of years, "Zhejiang spirit" has become a catch-phrase promoted by the nationwide media. The spirit, actually a euphemism for economic liberalization and entrepreneurial pursuit, is embodied by Wenzhou business people.

About 500 kilometers south of Shanghai, Wenzhou could easily be ignored. Encircled by mountains and the East China sea, Wenzhou was geographically isolated from the rest of prosperous Zhejiang Province.

The Wenzhou economy, more than 90 percent non-state, is prospering and expanding. One quarter of all the cigarette lighters in the world market are made in the city.

Wenzhou has a recorded civilization dating back 4,000 years. Until a small airport was opened in 1990, visitors had to take a ferry from Shanghai. It was understandable that few were inclined to make such trips to the then backward city.

Lack of natural resources, shortage of farmland and tough overland transport contribute to the characteristics of Wenzhou people, including perseverance, self-reliance, pragmatism, solidarity, community spirit and international outlook.

Nan Cunhui, a 40-year-old entrepreneur from Wenzhou who was ranked by Forbes as the 65th richest in China in 2001, said, "because life is tough in Wenzhou, we had to think of ways to survive to overcome our difficulties."

Nan started up his business under the pressure of survival. He now runs China's largest manufacturer of low-voltage electronic appliances and is trying to create a Chinese brand to equal ABB and Siemens.

Almost everybody in Wenzhou, man or woman, wants to be his or her own boss. Nan Cunhui, founder and principal shareholder of Chint Group International, is a good example of these "rags-to-riches" stories.

"I inherited nothing more than a hut from my father. I realized that grumbling would only keep me penniless." Nan's company now employs 13,000 workers, with annual sales of US$1.3 billion. Nan claimed that money was no longer that important to him.

"Making money is not my destiny. My real contribution is to create jobs, and make my community a better place."

(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2004)