The first doctoral degree holder of Pingtan's special talent program has participated in the island county's efforts to add some beauty to public spaces with flowers and greenery – and 800,000 China roses now adorn roads and other areas.

Zhang Shangju came to work in Pingtan after receiving his PhD from the College of Life Sciences at Xiamen University in 2011, and he soon acquired the nickname "Dr Flower" due to his expertise in botany.

He first took on a position as an environmental consultant at a local technology company, and then started to work at a landscaping company as he thought this role would allow him to help "build Pingtan into a garden island", according to the government slogan.

For the past year, Zhang has focused on improving the soil so that it would be easier to grow flowers and trees, and the results of his hard work are now visible to the general public.

Edited by Chen Zhilin and Niva Whyman