Supportive policies boost new area's growth trajectory

When Han Dan first launched his vegetarian food production business in Changchun New Area, he did not expect that the company would grow so quickly and receive such warm support from the local government.

Since he founded the company in 2015, he has sold 60 metric tons of cereal powder per day, Han said at the Changchun New Area Opening-up and Development Forum held in Beijing earlier in September.

"The early days of entrepreneurship were very difficult," he said.

Han remortgaged his house for 500,000 yuan ($76,100) to launch his business after resigning from a biopharmaceuticals company.

"I believed the healthy food industry would soon have a broad market in China," he said.

The industry will strengthen further under the Health China 2030 blueprint the State Council issued last year, he added.

Han's company was registered in Changchun, capital of Jilin province, his hometown, after a strict assessment process.

"Jilin has rich agricultural resources, suitable for the deep processing of agricultural products," he said.

In addition, nearby higher education organizations, including Jilin University, provide skilled graduates and scientific cooperation opportunities, he added.

The local government rented 450-square-meters of building space to Han to help him to start up operations. They then reimbursed 80 percent of the rental fees as allowance every year, Han said.

"They really cared about us," he said. "The officials attended the opening ceremony of our company and sent staff to help us to design the office space."

Changchun Beihu Science Park, a part of the Changchun New Area where the company is located, is a base for commercializing major local research achievements.

The park has focused on incubating companies in the biomedicine, advanced materials and electronic information sectors since its establishment in 2012.

Yu Zhuan, general manager of the park, said it focuses on building up industrial chains.

Changchun New Area has introduced more than 100 startups and 86 research companies, including four listed companies.

About 10 entrepreneurship service platforms support the startups there with government communications, recruitment and funding, among other tasks.

Yu said the low labor costs and property prices in Changchun are attractive compared with those in first-tier cities.

"The average monthly salary of employees here is about 3,000 to 4,000 yuan, and the price of housing properties is 7,000 to 8,000 yuan per square meter, which is afordable for company employees," Yu said.

chenmeiling@chinadaily.com.cn