More than 60 percent of the 72 Party and government officials at county-level or above in Dongguan, a Pearl River Delta city in Guangdong province, hold master's degrees or higher, Southern Metropolis Daily of Guangzhou reported.

Xu Jianhua, the Party chief of Dongguan, holds a doctorate degree. He graduated from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Science.

Dongguan deputy mayors Lu Xiulu and He Yu also hold doctorate degrees. Lu graduated from the South China University of Agriculture and He graduated from Sun Yatsen University. Both universities are in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province.

Dongguan mayor Yuan Baocheng and his other deputies also hold master's degrees.

Because of the large number of officials who have good academic backgrounds, the city of Dongguan is said by locals to be managed by scholars.