Why do people choose the suburban park in Shanghai as the "place where dreams start"?, Overseas students returning to China to start their own businesses | Entrepreneurship | Suburban areas
Although only 28 years old, Shandong young man Xue Yunhao is already a "veteran entrepreneur". After graduating from Loughborough University in the UK and returning to China, he has had two entrepreneurial experiences in other provinces and cities. For his third entrepreneurial venture, he set his sights on Qingpu in Shanghai.
"The park is big and new, and the office environment is very good!" This is Xue Yunhao's first impression of Shanghai Qingpu Overseas Chinese Entrepreneurship Park. Having settled in the park for just over a month, Shanghai Shike Fun Culture and Technology Co., Ltd., founded by him, has entered the right track of development, and the incubated trendy toy brand is about to face the market.
The reporter learned that in September last year, the Qingpu Innovation Park located in the Hongqiao Business District officially opened, and soon became a dream destination for "Xue Yunhao". In less than a year, the park has attracted nearly 50 entrepreneurial enterprises, and among the nearly 200 international students working hard in the park, the vast majority are master's and doctoral returnees. What is the attraction of this park for "overseas returnee" entrepreneurs?
Attracting people with location and policy advantages
From Exit 2 of Xujing North City Station on Metro Line 17, the Qingpu Liuchuang Park located on the 7th, 8th, and 9th floors of Building 9, Lane 333, Xule Road is right in front of you. The park has the charm of Jiangnan, surrounded by water on three sides. Through the huge french window near the high-rise office desk in the park, you can see the beautiful waterscape outside the window. You can also see the Songze Elevated Road and the eye-catching commercial complex - Vanke Sky City not far away. "The location here can be described as' golden '!" Xue Yunhao sighed.
Outside the window, you can see Songze Elevated Road and Vanke Sky City. Photo by Zhu Yawen
Shanghai is Xue Yunhao's "second hometown". He studied at Shanghai Foreign Studies University during his undergraduate studies and his social circle is also in Shanghai. After deciding to start a business in Shanghai, Xue Yunhao compared the three and four residential areas online, and "convenience" and "thoughtfulness" became important indicators for him to choose the park. "The support policies here are too considerate for cost sensitive entrepreneurial 'overseas returnees'. Not only is the start-up period rent free, but there are also rental subsidies, successful project incubation, and start-up funds."
Luo Jinhui, Deputy Director of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Qingpu District, told reporters that in order to increase the introduction of overseas talents, Qingpu District has introduced a special support policy for innovation and entrepreneurship of overseas students, covering free rental fees, rental subsidies, talent apartments, start-up subsidies, employment subsidies, loan interest subsidies, and other aspects. For example, the support period for projects that settle in the Liuchuang Park is 2 to 3 years, with no rental fees during the support period; Registered enterprises that meet relevant conditions can enjoy a start-up subsidy of 20000 yuan and a service fee subsidy of 10000 yuan. Overseas high-level talents can also receive an additional start-up subsidy of 30000 yuan; Overseas students who settle in the park and meet the requirements can receive a monthly rental subsidy of 3000 yuan per person; Recruiting employees for entrepreneurial enterprises can also receive employment subsidies.
There is a detailed policy introduction hanging on the wall. Photo by Zhu Yawen
Like Xue Yunhao, 34 year old Sichuan boy Lin Mao has also studied abroad in the UK. Three months ago, he came to Qingpu Innovation Park with 26 year old Changsha boy Li Bin and 27 year old Beijing boy Hou Yue to start his own business. "We established a film and television studio when we were in the UK, and after returning to China, we decided to establish Shanghai Dianbao Film and Television Production Company, mainly producing short film plots."
Why did three non Shanghai international students choose Shanghai Qingpu as their entrepreneurial destination? Lin Mao explained, "Before returning to China, we searched online for relevant support policies for international students' entrepreneurship in many cities in China and found that Shanghai's support is very attractive, and the development prospects of the film and television industry in Shanghai are relatively broad. Additionally, we often have to go on business trips to various places to meet clients. Whether it's going to the downtown area of Shanghai, going to cities around the Yangtze River Delta, or even catching a plane at Hongqiao Airport, it's very convenient and can be completed within an hour."
The Qingpu Innovation Park faces the vast hinterland of the Yangtze River Delta, which is exactly what many entrepreneurs aspire to. For example, Shanghai Shizu Technology Co., Ltd., a provider of digital carbon management solutions for enterprises, has many businesses in the Yangtze River Delta region. After learning about the location and policy advantages of Qingpu Innovation Park, founder Huang Ruijie decisively chose to settle the company here.
Ancestor Technology Station. Photo by Zhu Yawen
Today, Qingpu Innovation Park has gathered "overseas returnees" entrepreneurial teams in new energy, energy conservation and environmental protection, new materials, industrial Internet, high-end equipment, digital economy, life health, fashion innovation and other fields.
International students' second home
Entering the Qingpu Innovation Park, you can see fresh and bright color combinations, comfortable and open shared spaces, and various specifications of independent office areas. The design is very avant-garde and meets the needs of overseas returnees. Within an office space of over 5000 square meters, in addition to over a hundred office spaces, there are also 8 conference rooms and over 20 independent offices. "Here, with a desk and a chair, it could be a business. International students can start their own businesses as long as they have good ideas and carry backpacks," said Guan Yaoyao, a park staff member.
The open commercial space on the seventh floor. Photo by Zhu Yawen
The seventh floor is designed in a half story style, with a strong sense of space. Photo by Zhu Yawen
Reading area and water bar. Photo by Zhu Yawen
On the eighth floor, two or three seats make up a company. Photo by Zhu Yawen
How can paper-based policies truly benefit international students? At Qingpu Innovation Park, there is a "zero distance" between support policies and entrepreneurial personnel - in the service management center on the 7th floor, staff from functional departments such as human resources, taxation, and market supervision work on-site at fixed times every week to answer questions and provide guidance. Innovation personnel can enjoy government services such as enterprise registration, tax agency, project application, legal consultation, financial services, and investment consultation without leaving the park, achieving a "one-stop" process from entrepreneurial ideas to project implementation.
Functional departments regularly "sink" to answer questions and clarify doubts. Photo by Zhu Yawen
Xue Yunhao told reporters that downstairs in the park, there are all kinds of restaurants such as Mr. Rice, Burger King, and Tim's Coffee; Not far from the park is the newly established "Internet celebrity check-in point" Panlong Tiandi. Entrepreneurs can "steal half a day's leisure" to go and check in and experience the charm of ancient towns in the city; The nearby summer town, international community, and international schools make international students feel warm and familiar. "The park often organizes a variety of team building activities for us, such as playing basketball friendly matches in Vanke Sky City, traveling to Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, visiting Qingxi Countryside Park and Chen Yun Memorial Hall for sightseeing, etc., which makes us more familiar with and fall in love with this place. Not long ago, we went to Lianyi Loquat Park team building together. It was my first time eating fresh loquats, but it excited me!"
Leisure area, where you can take a leisurely break. Photo by Zhu Yawen
Li Bin was deeply impressed by the experience of renting a venue. That time, he was originally planning to rent a studio for filming, but the cost was high. He tentatively asked the park staff if they could borrow the park office space for filming. "I didn't expect the other party to agree at once. There was no complicated approval process, and there was no need to pay a guarantee deposit. The shooting took eight or nine hours, and many offices needed to be re set. These things were all coordinated and handled by the park."
A conference room that can be rented for free. Photo by Zhu Yawen
International students returning to their home country to start businesses are inevitably dissatisfied with the local conditions, which is directly reflected in the fact that the products may not fully meet the needs of the domestic market. In this regard, the park also provides assistance to entrepreneurs. Lin Mao told reporters that although he has received some orders, he also realizes that the acceptance of short films in China is not yet high. In order to help Lin Mao expand his market, the park is coordinating with his team to shoot some company promotional videos, which is a valuable practice session. "In terms of cross-border communication, we have advantages; with significant strategic overlap in Qingpu District, we believe that we can have better development in this' feng shui treasure land '."
"Every time a new project enters, there will be an additional team photo here, and now this wall is already very lively." As he took the reporter to visit the park, Guan Yaoyao pointed to a world map on the wall. "We hope to become the 'second home' for international students, giving everyone a sense of belonging. We also hope that the retention and innovation program can develop and grow in one or two years, and ultimately move towards a larger world and achieve higher output value from here."
A photo wall independently designed by entrepreneurs. Photo by Zhu Yawen
When it comes to the future development of the park, Luo Jinhui told reporters that efforts will be made to build 1 to 2 sub bases for innovation parks this year. "We plan to gradually promote the construction of sub bases for innovation and entrepreneurship parks throughout Qingpu, so that the support policies for innovation and entrepreneurship parks cover the entire Qingpu area, and further promote overseas students' innovation and entrepreneurship to a new level."
