Although it was still holiday time, Xi'an Communications University's human resources office was busy sorting through the applications from home and abroad, according to a report from China's Central Television.

HEN TIANNING(Human Resources, Xi'an Jiaotong Univ. )Said: "Six percent of our teachers quit every year for five consecutive years. Early last year, the situation reversed and one hundred and sixty six people had come to work with us by the end of last year."

More than six hundred people with professional backgrounds came to work at the Xi'an Hi-tech Development Park, the highest number for any year since the park was founded.

What attracted them away from coastal cities was both the improved personnel system and the opportunity for career development.

Chen Jian, a computer engineer, said the West is the best place to stay if you want to start something.

In recent years, the province has provided preferential policies to retain and attract more educated people.

WANG QIANWEN(MBA, Xi'an Communications Univ. )Said:"It took them only three days to offer a job. Their efficiency and sincerity moved me. The school also made good arrangements for accommodations and my position."

But, conditions in the West are still far from what they are in coastal areas.

Still, the call to 'Go West' is growing in popularity among new grads. In a recent Shaanxi recruitment program, twenty percent of graduates of various universities put working in western China as their first choice, a ten percent increase over last year.