Students at a pharmaceutical industry employment fair in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. In China, there is a large pool of R&D engineers working for more than 100 domestic and foreign pharmaceutical enterprises and related academic institutes in Shanghai.(Photo/Provided to China Daily)

SHANGHAI - Sun Wei said he has not left the lab, dormitory, canteen and sports ground at his company complex in Shanghai's Pudong district for more than a month.

"All I need, I can get within my company's campus," said the 26-year-old engineer for a multinational pharmaceutical company. The company has established its China research and development (R&D) center in the State-level biotech and pharmaceutical industrial base in Zhangjiang, often known as China's "Drug Valley".

Sun is among thousands of engineers working in the R&D hub that houses more than 100 domestic and foreign pharmaceutical enterprises and related academic institutes. Most of the staff are male, and all have good educational backgrounds, a decent job and salary, a simple lifestyle and, usually, are unmarried. They are often simply called Zhangjiangnan, or "Zhangjiang Men".

Sun does not like this term. "It sounds like we are dull, boring, odd and eccentric," he told me in English.

He admitted that because of his heavy workload, limited leisure time and few hobbies, he doesn't have much of a social life. His favorite sport is basketball, which he sometimes plays with colleagues after work, when not watching live broadcasts on TV. He loves surfing the Internet and all kinds of digital products. And as for food, he has no particular requirements. "Filling the stomach is ok," he said.

"Any progress in my work makes me excited: That's meaningful to me. I love the quiet and simple life, I don't like downtown Shanghai, it's too bustling," said Sun, who was born in Nantong, Jiangsu province, and started working at the company in early 2010. He said he visited Shanghai, a journey of around one hour by car, no more than 10 times in 2011.

Sun had a girl friend when at university, but they broke up when the girl moved to Beijing. There are no more than 20 females among his colleagues and more than half of them are married.

Sun said his parents and relatives have arranged blind dates for him, but nothing has come of them. "I have no chemistry with those girls. Nowadays, all girls are practical and material. They want a house, car and money, which I don't have. Why should I bother to do such a stupid thing (date girls)?" said Sun.

He said he will not go to visit his family in his hometown this Spring Festival - China's Lunar New Year - because his lab trials cannot be stopped. "My colleagues and I, around 10 of us, will spend the days together, maybe in the lab," he said.

In addition to homegrown engineers, the Zhangjiang R&D hub has attracted a lot of talent returning from overseas.

Yang Jun, 31, who works in a lab for a Chinese pharmaceutical company, is among those returnees. After obtaining a master's degree in pharmacology in the United Kingdom in 2007, he worked at the R&D center of a UK-based drugmaker.

But the 2008 global financial crisis resulted in the company cutting jobs across a range of fields, from engineers to sales, and Yang was among those who lost their jobs in 2009. His parents and friends suggested that he should return to the coastal city where he was born because China has opportunities for pharmaceutical engineers as international and domestic drugmakers expand operations in the country.

He sent application letters to multinational companies and some recognized Chinese enterprises. He received a number of responses, undertook some interviews and ultimately chose a job with a domestic listed drugmaker. "Their offer was not bad, a monthly salary of 20,000 yuan ($3,165), a bonus depending on research results and the job of leading an outsourcing project for an international company," said Yang, adding that Chinese companies offer greater opportunities for promotion and self-determination.

He started his current job in August 2010. "Returning to my hometown of Shanghai makes me really excited and happy and the development here is fantastic," he said. "Now I have the chance to do core development work. I don't have to worry about 'glass-ceilings' at foreign companies."

He said he is satisfied with the work, but one thing is a major headache - the commute. He spends two and a half hours traveling by metro and bus, mostly at the busiest hours. "It's really terrible, I have even thought about renting or buying an apartment here (in Zhangjiang), but the prices are high," said Yang.

Meanwhile, he still loves living in Shanghai. "I want to live downtown, I like the modern atmosphere, so I have to sacrifice my time," he said.