Have you seen a video like this: one person who only knows how to speak standard Putonghua can suddenly speak various languages of the world? This is not a movie scene in a sci-fi movie, but a real scenario happening here at the Foshan Hong Kong Macau Youth Entrepreneurship Center.
On 15th November, the 2024 Greater Bay Area youth entrepreneurship Foshan trip held the Foshan youth entrepreneur citywalk theme event at the Foshan Hong Kong Macau Youth Entrepreneurship Center. Hong Kong entrepreneur Patrick Lam demonstrated the AI real-time facial translation platform developed by his team, which drew a round of applause.
The is the second Greater Bay Area youth entrepreneurship Foshan trip organized this year, and as of today over 100 Hong Kong and Macau youths visited Foshan and experience first-hand the liveable and entrepreneurship friendly development environment of the city.
“This trip to Foshan was very exciting. I strongly felt the vitality and glamour of the city, and the convenience of being able to communicate in Cantonese here. I hope in the future more Hong Kong youth’s will come to Foshan and understand more about Foshan” said Alvin Wan, Deputy Director of the Policy Research and Training Committee at the HKCPPC Youth Association.
Group photo at the event. Photo provided by correspondent
Showcasing “family property”
Incubation center organizes startup bazaar
The event was presented in the form of a startup bazaar, with several areas set up at the event site, including a policy service area, an enterprise display area, a Hong Kong and Macau incubation center display area, an intangible heritage display area, an industrial display area, etc. The event attracted many Hong Kong and Macau youths to engage in meaningful exchanges in front of various booths, and to learn about entrepreneurship policies, industrial development and cultural characteristics in Foshan.
In the policy service area, staff members from government departments like the Foshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Chancheng Administration Service Center, and Chancheng District Merchants Bureau answered queries from Hong Kong and Macau youths on aspects like entrepreneurship policies, business registration, tax benefits, and funding support during the event, providing detailed policy interpretation and guidelines.
The enterprise display area showcased new products, technological advancements from various well-known brands like Midea, Hegii, Chancheng Media Center etc., allowing Hong Kong and Macau youths to gain a first-hand experience on the industrial advantages, and market potential in Foshan. The intangible heritage area showcased cultural products from Foshan like the ancestral temple, paper cutting art, and wood printmaking, fully demonstrating the rich history and cultural heritage of Foshan as one of the birthplace of Lingnan culture.
“The city of Foshan is one of the better developed cities in the Greater Bay Area, and this time coming to Foshan I saw how Foshan is good in a lot of ways, and there are a lot of favourable policies in place to attract youths to develop in Foshan” said Tam Hio Hong, practicing lawyer in Macau and the Greater Bay Area (first batch).
At the event, Zyetric Technologies (Foshan) Limited co-founder Dr. Patrick Lam, an excellent enterprise representative of the Foshan Hong Kong Macau Youth Entrepreneurship Center, shared his latest innovation achievements, his story of how he first got to know Foshan, and how he set sail on his entrepreneurial dreams there.
“In my second month as an incubatee, the Foshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau organized a demand matching meeting, where they invited over 10 government departments to help Zyetric Technologies through collaboration and paired assistance, which provided us with a lot of help” said Patrick Lam.
A sign set up at the entrepreneurship bazaar, clearly showing the proximity of Foshan with major cities and transport hubs. Shot by Wang Peipei
The entrepreneurship round table also attracted a great deal of attention. Many Hong Kong and Macau entrepreneurs who have successfully launched their business in Foshan did an in-depth discussion on “experiences and future prospects of the entrepreneurial journey at Foshan”. These entrepreneurs shared their experiences and takeaways, as well as challenges and how they overcame them, providing Hong Kong and Macau youths who joined the event with entrepreneurship guidance and advice.
Kong Wenhao, vice general manager of Guangzhou Sun Yat-sen University Science Park Management Limited Company stated that Foshan plays a pivotal role in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area with its cultural, industrial and geographical advantages, providing huge opportunities for Hong Kong and Macau entrepreneurs. “Currently, the Sun Yat-sen University Science Park is building a platform to enhance interaction between youths from Hong Kong and Macau and Mainland China, helping Hong Kong and Macau youths integrate with the Greater Bay Area, and encourage Hong Kong and Macau youths to experiment, innovate, and proactively grasp the developmental opportunities at the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area to realize their entrepreneurial dreams here at Foshan.
Immersive check-in landmarks at Foshan
Experience the livable and entrepreneurship friendly development environment of the manufacturing capital
In 14-15 November, 2024, during the second stage of the 2024 Greater Bay Area youth entrepreneurship Foshan trip, over 60 Hong Kong, Macau, and Foshan youths will explore Foshan landmarks like the Ancestral Temple, the Chen Taiji Distillery Scenic Area, and the Lingnan World. They will also get a comprehensive experience of Foshan’s, livable and entrepreneurship friendly development environment through visiting parks and organizations like the Guangfo Zhicheng livestream industry base, the Affiliated school of JNU for Hong Kong and Macau students, Foshan, the Foshan talent apartments, and the Eagle Innovation Park.
This event not only provided a platform for Hong Kong and Macau youths to learn more about Foshan, but also further facilitated the connection and cooperation between Foshan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
On the day, the Foshan Hong Kong Macau Youth Entrepreneurship Center signed a memorandum of understanding with the Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Benevolence Principal’s Association, Macau Association for the Promotion of Public Legal Services, and the Greater Bay Area (Macau) Digital Economy and Technology Innovation Alliance. In the future, both parties will work closely on areas like business incubation, and talent matching and exchange, providing Hong Kong and Macau youths with more support in their entrepreneurial journey in Foshan.
It is worth mentioning that the venue of the Foshan youth entrepreneur citywalk theme event, the Foshan Hong Kong Macau Youth Entrepreneurship Center, is a government charitable platform built together by the human resources and social security bureau of the province, city, and district, and can house over 30 incubation projects.
The incubation center combined quality entrepreneurship and innovation resources in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, and can provide Hong Kong and Macau young entrepreneurs with entrepreneurial support services like human resource and social security, technology, industry and information technology, business registration, finance, tax, legal, fintech, and intellectual property, striving to make it hassle-free for Hong Kong and Macau youths to develop their business in Foshan.
In recent years, the Foshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau has been building an all-rounded, multi-layered, and professional Hong Kong and Macau youth entrepreneurship support system through aspects like regulating the construction of incubation centers, increasing the service level and capacity for employement and entrepreneurship, and building a quality entrepreneurship ecosystem, providing Hong Kong and Macau youths with a broader platform to develop in Foshan. At the same time, the bureau isstrengthening industry connections within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area, enhance the level of collaborative development, and gradually build and improve entrepreneurship support policies and industrial chain for Hong Kong and Macao youths. These altogether attracted a lot of excellent entrepreneurship projects from Hong and Macau to develop in Foshan.
In the future, the Foshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau will continue to improve cross-departmental work coordination mechanisms, improve employment and entrepreneurship support policies, implement employment and entrepreneurship protection services, promote the construction of innovation and entrepreneurship service platforms, strengthen the interaction and exchange of entrepreneurship and innovation resources and talents in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, create a high quality entrepreneurial ecosystem, provide a broader stage for Hong Kong and Macao youth to develop in Foshan, and develop Foshan into a “dream factory” for young entrepreneurs in the bay area.
Writer: Nanfang News Reporter Wang Peipei
Correspondent: Liu Jiaxin
Article source： https://static.nfnews.com/content/202411/15/c10256825.html?colID=0&firstColID=40&appversion=11700&from=weChatMessage&enterColumnId=&date=&layer=2