SHENYANG, May 31 (Xinhua) -- A makerspace for startups in Shenyang of northeast China's Liaoning Province has helped many young people start their careers with government support.
Shenbei New District has been focusing on innovation in the city's revitalization and development in recent years. The local government has given full support to emerging industries.
Ma Qingshu seized the opportunity and started his business in Shenbei New District in his junior year at university.
"To be honest, our workspace was small and shabby at the beginning, but we young students were passionate about starting our business. Our enthusiasm attracted strong support from the local government and the municipal government of Shenyang. In the second year, they gave us 500,000 yuan (about 75,000 U.S. dollars) in a special support fund. We used the money to expand our office space to 1,500 square meters, which gave us a huge boost to our business," Ma said.
Seven years on, about 1,000 small and medium-sized enterprises have taken root in this area with the help of Ma's platform.
China has been encouraging mass entrepreneurship and innovation since 2014. In early 2015, the country started to promote makerspaces with guidelines and policies as a way of supporting mass entrepreneurship.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
