A special wall bearing the names and fingerprints of the hands of the top 10 new Suzhou residents was erected on Thursday to commemorate the contributions these migrant residents have made to this eastern Chinese city, according to China News Service.

The top 10 new Suzhou residents were selected from millions of migrant residents in Suzhou for their outstanding achievements in respective fields. Their occupations vary from CEO to plumber.

Handprints of the 10 winners were carved into a wall made of tailor-made golden bricks. The wall is located on an ancient street and appears as a unique landscape in Suzhou.

With the approach of the Chinese New Year, local officials presented the top 10 new Suzhou residents with special New Year's gift packages, including woodcut New Year pictures and special coupons for holiday.

As a tourist city with a long history, Suzhou has developed fast in recent years and attracts a large number of migrants who work or run their own businesses in the city. Statistics show the population of migrant residents has exceeded 4.6 million, numbering almost the same as local citizens.

To express its gratitude to migrants for their contributions to the city, Suzhou launched the annual selection of top 10 new Suzhou residents in 2004.    

(Xinhua News Agency February 10, 2007)