Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, recently invited applicants from other provincial capitals to fill job vacancies in the city.

The campaigns were held in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province, and Zhengzhou, capital of Central China's Henan Province. The Harbin delegation offered 620 jobs in large State-owned enterprises, private enterprises and public entities and signed letters of intent with 5,026 applicants.

A graduate from Xi'an University of Technology said he hoped to get a job at Harbin Air Conditioner Co Ltd. "Harbin is one of the most important players in the drive to revitalize the traditional industrial bases of Northeast China. There are tremendous opportunities for the development of the city's State-owned enterprises," he said.

Harbin Aviation Industry Group Co Ltd released its salary and benefit schemes, which gained the attention of a large number of applicants. This year the group attracted more than 200 university graduates.

Government departments offered preferential treatment in order to bring in applicants for some high-ranking posts.

Li Zhengyou and seven other doctorate graduates have moved into their new apartments in Harbin. In addition to the apartments, the municipal government offered them each a monthly special subsidy of more than 2,000 yuan (US$241.8).

The eight were selected from applicants from home and abroad.

The move shows Harbin's eagerness to lure qualified personnel, he said, and the city is helping them carve out their careers.

This year Harbin promulgated its guidelines on the attraction of qualified personnel.

According to the guidelines, the city is offering a special subsidy to qualified personnel, such as academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

The city is also allowing them to select schools and kindergartens for their children.

A 5-million-yuan (US$604,500) fund has been established. The fund is used to attract and cultivate qualified personnel, according to the guidelines.

Harbin's attraction lies in not only its special treatment but its ever-growing economy.

The city ranks 10th among the country's top 100 cities in terms of overall economic strength.

In the first three quarters of this year, the city achieved a gross domestic product of 113.58 billion yuan (US$13.7 billion), an increase of 14.7 per cent on a year-on-year basis.

During the period its fiscal revenues registered 6.78 billion yuan (US$819.8 million), rising sharply by 40.7 per cent compared with the corresponding period of 2003.

In the first nine months the city's incremental industrial output value stood at 39.11 billion yuan (US$4.73 billion), an increase of 20.4 per cent year-on-year.