Plans to rouse 'sleeper town'

City planners will attempt to "wake up" Tongzhou district over the next five years with a major development aimed at creating tens of thousands of jobs.

Located roughly 20 kilometers east of Tian'anmen Square, the district will build a 155-square-meter "new town" able to accommodate 900,000 people, most likely non-Beijingers looking for cheaper homes to buy or rent.

The move will be coupled with a project targeted at bringing the headquarters of large State-owned and private enterprises to the area, Wang Yunfeng, district Party chief, told METRO on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.