SHIJIAZHUANG, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- With the rising sun, 22-year-old Aluo Chunmei climbs a 55-meter-high tower crane to rotate shifts with her husband, Jina Xiaohu.

As far as she can see, cranes are busy moving materials over the construction sites of the Xiongan New Area, a city in north China's Hebei Province often billed as the "city of the future."

"I've never seen such a spectacular scene with so many projects going on at once," said Aluo.

The Yi couple, both tower crane operators, hail from the Mabian Yi Autonomous County of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

They are among more than 100,000 workers participating in the construction of Xiongan, some 100 km southwest of Beijing.

On April 1, 2017, China announced plans to establish the Xiongan New Area, with the aim of building the area into a national model of high-quality development and a new engine for the modern economic system.

When the fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China last month stressed the importance of high-quality development, the construction of the exemplary area was in full swing.

High-quality development is of particular significance to guiding the high-standard construction of the new area, said Wu Haijun, deputy director of the administration committee of Xiongan.

In addition to projects that broke ground in 2019, construction has begun on more than 100 new projects in the area this year, according to Wu.

Xiongan is set to develop into a modern city that is green, intelligent and livable, with relatively strong competitiveness and human-environment harmony by 2035.

Since arriving in Xiongan in July this year, Aluo and Jina have been taking turns to operate a tower crane day and night.

"There were 17 cranes at most on the sites I worked before, but here, there are so many that I am unable to count them," said Jina, 23, adding that up to 50 workers line up in front of a canteen window during peak mealtimes.

He said he was also impressed by the advanced construction technology, strict project management and regular training in the area.

Three years ago, the pair traveled to Guangzhou in south China to work on a construction site, where they learned how to operate a tower crane.

"I was nervous when I climbed the tower for the first time, and my legs were shaking," Aluo recalled.

She said that compared with ordinary construction workers, crane operators earn more and expend less energy, which motivates the couple to overcome their fears and obtain operating certificates.

With their monthly income reaching some 15,000 yuan (2,270 U.S. dollars) now, their lives have greatly improved.

"I feel fulfilled seeing the high-rise buildings gradually take shape," said Jina.

The couple plans to return home for a family reunion during the Yi ethnic group's upcoming new year, which falls on Nov. 20 this year.

"We are proud that we can contribute to the construction of Xiongan and we have decided to return to work immediately after the festival," Jina said. Enditem