Bring me your 'rich and noble minded': Chinese tycoon lays out vision for US$39-billion smart city
Guangdong mega project by one of mainland's richest men will focus on education - and welcome only the 'rich and noble-minded'
Yan Jiehe, one of the mainland's richest men, plans to build a 250-billion-yuan (HK$305billion) smart city that will host a population of 250,000.
The proposed mega project, covering 100 sq km, will be built at Shanwei, 140km east of Hong Kong, and focus on education, occupational training and the medical sector.
Its cutting-edge technology and facilities will be "the envy of the world", the tycoon promises.
Architects were already designing the city that would take about a decade to be fully operational, Yan said.
"It will beat any other smart city around the world," he said. "I want to prove to the world that Chinese people can achieve anything Westerners can do. And we'll be able to do a better job."
Yan, 55, and his son, Yan Hao, have a combined net worth of 91 billion yuan, making them the sixth wealthiest on the mainland, according to the newly published Hurun Report.
The senior Yan, founder of China Pacific Construction, the country's largest private builder, has a reputation for straight-speaking and for being comfortable in the spotlight.