Kastner first came to China in 1992 for travel, but ended up teaching at an American company. "It was different to anything I knew," said Kastner, who later returned to the country to become part of one of the first consultancy teams to help American companies establish themselves there.

A resident of Zhangjiagang for one and a half years, Kastner is full of praise for this industrial working city, especially its environment.

"Young couples like to live here because it is a very safe place. The environment is also one of the best in the province; 95 percent of the year, the air is fine. It used to be referred to the garden city for its many parks," he said.

But aside from the pleasant environment, it is the integrity and work ethic that has impressed Kastner the most, noting a distinct "spirit of the city" among residents.

"People are dedicated and hardworking. They're like sponges; they absorb so much information and are very willing to learn," said Kastner.

The rapid development of Zhangjiagangs industrialization over the course of the last few decades has altered the city's demographics. Home to a number of successful manufacturing, chemical and textile companies, the city now nurtures the super-rich, as well as wealthy individuals engaged in mid-level management positions or owners of small and medium sized enterprises.

But despite having the economic wealth gap that has damaged the fabric of society in all too many countries of the world, the residents of Zhangjiagang share the same spirit, according to Kastner.

"You do see people getting rich because of loop holes in government laws, but that happens in every country. You see relatively little envy compared to western nations. People realize you have to work if you want to succeed at something," said Kastner.

"There was a certain level of obedience, not in terms of being submissive, but in terms of acceptance of the revolution. There is a patience of the people in general in Zhangjiagang. There seems to be a balance between people wanting to follow their parents but also prove themselves," said Kastner.

Asked how the city's residents had fared following the central government's recent crackdown on corruption, Kastner said that like many other similarly sized cities in China, it has had an effect.

"The largest KTV in the city shut down. I think partly because of the government crackdown on excessive spending, but also partly because that generation has grown up and the younger generation is interested to other things," he said. "The people just adapt. They learn, they adjust and they adapt - it's the spirit of the city," he added.

Zhangjiagang falls into the jurisdiction of Suzhou, and, despite it being smaller than other cities in the province, it "has a certain say in provincial policies," such is the economic importance of the city, according to Kastner.

"The city is close enough to Shanghai, the highway is new, comfortable and safe and it's close enough to touristic cities such as Suzhou and Nanjing. It is growing around its capacity to generate an active economy. I expect to see a larger contingent of foreigners here and I expect to see an improvement of Universities here. I also expect the hospitals here to improve and for clinics to have doctors specifically assigned to foreigners," said Kastner.