Yu Donglai, secretary of the municipal Party committee, attended the ceremony and delivered a keynote speech.

Yu extended a warm welcome to all the attendees and briefed them on the city's economic and social development.

The award and signing ceremonies were held later that day.

Yu Donglai, secretary of the municipal Party committee, gives a brief introduction of Zhoushan at the opening ceremony of the 2019 World Zhoushanese Congress on Nov 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Two families and six individuals were awarded for their contributions to the development of the local economy as well as their philanthropic efforts.

A total of 18 projects were signed, among which 15 were investment promotion projects and three were talent introduction projects, bringing in over 10 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in capital.

The projects focused on the marine industry, digital economy, new energy and intelligent manufacturing, among other areas.

Projects in the marine industry in particular brought in 6.4 billion yuan in total, accounting for more than 60 percent of the total investment.

Two families and six individuals are awarded for their contributions to the development of Zhoushan at the 2019 World Zhoushanese Congress on Nov 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]