Expats enjoying beers at Malone's bar in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu province. Song Wenwei / China Daily

Aside from the occasional car horn beep, courtesy is almost palpable, as abundant and welcoming as the cherry blossom at the time of our visit to this southern city. It's as if they put it in the water.

In a spirit of investigative reporting of the highest order, China Daily decided to put Zhangjiagang's legendary politeness to the test. We intrepidly ventured out to a place at a time when people might have their guards down. Our destination? The city's most popular bar.

Our principal interviewees? Expats, who knew both other Chinese cities and life in other countries.

Grouped around a table at the US-style watering hole Malone's, with Chinese football on the TV and a medley of music ranging from Dire Straits to Pink Floyd playing on the music system, were five white faces of various seasoning and one Indian, chatting amiably and sipping beer.

Among them was Dirk Womelsdorf, 46, from Cologne, vice-president of Austrian company SMS Siemag AG, part of SMS Holding GmbH, a group of global leaders in plant construction and mechanical engineering for the industrial processing of steel, aluminum and nonferrous metals.

He has just overseen the two-year construction of a new plant, employing 300-350 under a 40,000-sq-m roof for metallurgical equipment set to open on May 31. He puts its success down to good friendship with local authorities. "They are friendly, open people here. My wife and children like it," he says.

Dheeraj Luthra, 42, from New Delhi, visited 35 cities before deciding to locate his textile factory here eight years ago to export garments to the US and the UK. He is also now looking for markets in Russia, Cuba, Argentina, Brazil and the Middle East, as Western economies falter.

"It has been very good. I sometimes wish I came 15 years ago," he says.

Jurgen Schoenberger has been here for 11 years after an initial visit 16 years ago.

He is general manager of a branch of Suedwolle Group, a German family-owned business and the world's market leader for worsted spun yarn for weaving circular and flat knitting in pure wool and wool blends.

He employs 1,300 Chinese workers and came to Zhangjiagang to start up a mill, becoming the second foreign company here at a time when there were no bars.

As much as 70 percent of his products go to Europe, up from 40 percent three years ago.

"I love China," he says.

"There has been a huge development in the local people, especially among the young generation. I love how easy the decision-making is. Here, you just put a project on a table, and six months later, you can have a facility up and running. It can take years in Europe."

Jurgen's mill now handles 35,000 kilograms of wool a day. If you consider a sweater weighs just 100 grams, that is a vast amount of products. When the mill opened, it produced 6,000 kg of dyed material a day. Now, it produces 25,000 kg.

Malone's is owned by genial 40-year-old Jack Yuan, who was born and bred in this Jiangsu city and has seen it grow and develop with both affection and satisfaction.

He opened the bar in 1997 and encouraged trade by helping the growing number of foreigners build a life here - organizing satellite TV, Internet connections, Chinese driving licenses and overcoming bureaucratic obstacles on their behalf. He and his wife's entire family and their families live here.

"I will spend all my days here," he says, definitively. "Over the years, 15 or 16 of my waitresses have married foreigners and moved abroad. They invite me to visit them on occasion, but I always say, 'Next year'."

So, what is Zhangjiagang's charm, other than being rich, neat and litter-free?

"We are very open to outsiders. We welcome them. We are friendly people. It is a clean and safe city. There is very, very little crime. Most of our government leaders have a long-term vision," Yuan says.

Brian Austin, 53, managing director of Dow Corning Zhangjiagang Co, wasn't in the pub. He was being driven home to nearby Suzhou for dinner and an international conference call.

However, I caught up with him the following day in his office in a chemical park close to the banks of the mighty Yangtze River, one of the reasons his giant parent company chose the location (transporting chemicals by river is less potentially hazardous than by road, especially in China).

"The government here is very open-minded," says the affable Welshman, now in the final year of a six-year stint in situ.

"They say your success is our success. We are in regular contact."

The company, which employs 1,200 staff at the 1 million-square-meter site, probably the world's biggest Dow Corning site, has been making intermediate products for use by other businesses across Asia, such as silicon rubbers for the automotive industry and different-viscosity fluids used in deodorants, shampoos and fabric conditioners, among a total of some 25,000-30,000 products across the parent company.

"Zhangjiagang raised the bar. It's a 'green' city," says Austin, proudly pointing out that the water the company extracts from the Yangtze is returned "far cleaner" thanks to a high-tech process.

If there is one area he finds problematic, it is attracting the right caliber of staff.

"It is extremely tricky attracting top talent," he says. "Turnover is tough but not as high as in other companies. We invest in our people. We support overseas assignments for engineers and managers.

"We started with about 100 expats. Now, it's down to 30. The rest are Chinese. The expats coach and mentor. We will continue to grow locals into top roles."

Austin says he has thoroughly enjoyed his six years in Zhangjiagang.

"It's an extremely safe city," he says.

markhughes@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/07/2012 page8)