The annual GDP of Zhejiang province is expected to top 12 trillion yuan ($1.79 trillion), with per capita GDP hitting 170,000 yuan in the next five years, according to the ongoing 15th Zhejiang Provincial Congress of the Communist Party of China, which opened on Monday.

Zhejiang's GDP topped 7.35 trillion yuan last year, up 8.5 percent year-on-year, and its per capita GDP exceeded 113,000 yuan.

To help residents live a better life, Zhejiang is also ramping up efforts to achieve common prosperity, a reference to more equal distribution of wealth, by 2035, when its per capita GDP and the income of urban and rural residents will reach the levels of developed countries.

Foreigners who have lived in Zhejiang for some time shared their insights into the significant changes the province has gone through in recent years.