Brewing up greater opportunities for young talents and entrepreneurship

Running a coffee shop was South Korean Choo Ho-jin's dream when he was at school, which has been realized in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province.

Choo's relationship with China began in 1993 when he was 11 years old. And he had lived in China for seven years with his parents who came to work there.

After graduating from college, he came to China again to start a business as he was optimistic about the country's coffee market. Choo finally chose Chengdu as the location to set up a coffee shop after exploring several major cities in China.

"Compared with other cities, Chengdu's coffee market is more 'explosive'," Choo said.

He added that in recent years, coffee shops are becoming a part of daily life for Chengdu residents, as the people here are open to new things and have a strong consumption capability.

Choo opened his first coffee shop in Chengdu in June 2019. But he was not content to stop there, as Chengdu's favorable market environment convinced him to take a step further.

He hopes to open a larger coffee shop to present a complete coffee industry chain, so that even people who do not know coffee can have a pleasant experience there.

The opportunity finally presented itself in May 2020. At that time, Chengdu's Jinniu district was carrying out urban upgrading. In the process of investment, Choo hit it off with the district.

Jinniu district provided Choo with support in the choice of venue, decoration and equipment. In return, Choo's coffee shop aims to drive local consumption.

After one year of preparation, In3 coffee shop, the largest in southwestern China, opened for business.

Covering 3,000 square meters, the new coffee shop integrates coffee bean roasting, coffee beverages, food and coffee research center, as well as holding exhibitions and activities.

The coffee shop was an instant hit, with a daily turnover exceeding 12,000 yuan ($1,900).

In recent years, with Chengdu's developing economy and the introduction of preferential policies, increasing numbers of young people are willing to live and work in the city, according to local officials.

In 2021, Chengdu held more than 4,100 job promotion activities for young people, and the ratio of young candidates to employment opportunities reached 1:1.87.

Zhang Rui, president of a robotics technology company based in Chengdu, started his business four years ago in the city as he and his teammates returned from the United Kingdom.

Zhang said what he values most is the wealth of opportunities and application scenarios Chengdu creates for companies.

The 31st Summer Universiade, hosted by the International University Sports Federation, will be held in Chengdu on June 26 to July 7, which will be another world-class comprehensive sports event following the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The event is expected to bring huge development opportunities to Zhang's company.

Focusing on the intelligent needs of the games, the company customized a robot with the outline of a panda based on the mascot of Chengdu Summer Universiade－Rongbaobao. The robot can provide intelligent services such as pandemic prevention and emergency response for the Universiade.

Zhang said that the opportunity to serve the Universiade is the best support for startups.

"The good ecological environment of Chengdu as a park city can help entrepreneurs be happy and relax, and will play an important role in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship," said Wang Zongfu, general manager of a technology company in Chengdu.

Wang added that being ecologically livable is a boon for employees that can help companies to attract more professionals.

Zhi Wei, co-founder and executive vice-president of Eson Tech, said Chengdu's appeal to professionals lies in its openness and relatively low cost of living.

Eson Tech is a global service provider of cross-language communication solutions based on big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies.

Zhi added that a large number of scientific research professionals from first-tier cities and even overseas have come to Chengdu in recent years, and a number of graduates from local first-class universities are willing to stay.

Statistics show that in 2021, Chengdu introduced more than 160,000 young talents. The city has won the title of "one of China's best talent-attracting cities" and "one of the most attractive Chinese cities in the eyes of foreign talents" for three consecutive years.