Chinese real estate developer uses innovation to stay ahead of the game in the South African market, Xing Zhigang and Li Jiabao report from Johannesburg

Manufacturing and trading companies have consistently been in the limelight when it comes to China's economic strides in Africa. And while some small companies occasionally make their mark abroad, it is quite rare for a Chinese real estate developer to be touted for its innovation in an overseas market.

But that is exactly what one privately owned developer from China has been doing in South Africa for over a decade now.