A "characteristic town" in Zaozhuang, Shandong province recently passed evaluation by the provincial human resources and social security department to become the city's second provincial-level expert service center.

The internet town, located in Zaozhuang High-Tech Zone, is the city's only innovation demonstration base.

According to authorities, a characteristic town is neither an administratively-defined town nor an industrial zone, but rather an area with specific industry orientations, cultural elements, tourism qualities, or community functions.

The town focuses on internet of things, e-commerce, cloud computing, and big data, and has become an innovative hub with a number of industrial projects and hi-tech companies involved in internet finance, mobile internet, and cloud services.

The town is home to more than 500 high-tech companies, start-ups, research centers, and engineering labs, and has a total registered capital of 1 billion yuan ($142 million). 

A total of 1,500 people are employed in the town, paying more than 50 million yuan in annual taxes, officials said.

The Zaozhuang High-Tech Zone has attached great importance to intellectual resources for economic and social development.

It has taken advantage of the internet town to establish an expert service base to provide support and guarantees for the high-tech zone, gather innovative resources, and optimize the industrial structure.

A total of 201 high-level talents have been introduced to the internet town, including three academics, four industry experts, and four think-tank professionals. 

The town has applied for 256 patents, including two international invention patents, and has reached scientific research agreements worth 120 million yuan.

The town has become the driving force behind the city's transformation from old to new growth drivers and high-quality development, local authorities said.

Visitors learn about the internet town's cooperation projects. [Photo by Wang Qian/chinadaily.com.cn]

A visitor experiences the smart teaching system in the internet town of Zaozhuang, Shandong province. [Photo by Wang Qian/chinadaily.com.cn]

A model of China's Tiangong II space lab is exhibited in the internet town of Zaozhuang. [Photo by Wang Qian/chinadaily.com.cn]