Southern Taihu Lake New District in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province has been developing rapidly thanks to its efforts to seize upon opportunities brought about by the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. 

The district, as its name indicates, is situated south of Taihu Lake, the third-largest fresh lake in China. 

A total of 34 investment projects costing 67.37 billion yuan ($9.76 billion) have already been established in the district thus far this year, more than 70 percent of which are from the YRD.

Mizuda Group, based in Southern Taihu Lake New District, has established 180 branches nationwide, more than 30 percent of which are situated in the YRD.

Shen Yan, head of the Mizuda Environment Industrial Research Institute, said that coordinated efforts to combat pollution by cities in the YRD have brought about a wealth of development opportunities.

The research institute, in partnership with governments throughout the region, has established a number of environmental protection projects. One of them is a recycling industrial park in Huaibei, Anhui province, which is meant to help the city promote the recycling of items such as scrapped cars, steel, and tires, according to Huang.

It has also been helping companies bring in professionals from the top universities in the YRD, such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Fudan University. 

Mizuda is not alone. According to Du Fangping, general manager of a plant in the district funded by Landspace Technology Co Ltd, nearly 20 percent of the plant's research personnel are from the YRD.

On May 15, the enterprise completed a rocket engine prototype test, and in the third quarter of this year, rockets manufactured by Landspace are expected to achieve small-scale mass production. 

This year to date, Southern Taihu Lake New District has attracted 19 research teams and 2,274 college students from throughout the region, according to official data.