Talents speed up growth in Shenzhen

The story of Shenzhen's transformation from a small fishermen village just 30 years ago, into an international innovative model city has become legendary. Many people have asked what are the secrets to its success? Talents is definitely one of them.

During his inspection tour of the southern Guangdong province city in 2012, President Xi Jinping stressed that competition for talents is the cornerstone of a nation's prosperity.

Xi made the remarks at KuangChi Science, a Shenzhen-based innovative high-tech startup established by five students who'd returned to China after studying abroad.

In just five years, the startup team had grown from 300 to nearly 2,700 employees, half of which are technical staff and 30 percent made up of expatriate workers.

A media group of more than 40 reporters visits KuangChi Science in Shenzhen on Nov 28 and experience a jetpack simulator. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

KuangChi Science's efforts in attracting high-end talents has in return brought the startup success. Its business has expanded to more than 21 countries and regions, covering advanced technologies in the field of aerospace, smart cities, artificial intelligence, and high-speed WiFi. The company's patent applications have totaled 4,400, almost doubling in a five-year period, and it has formed two listed companies on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong stock markets.

To introduce talents is one of Shenzhen's most important formulas to develop into today's innovation model. Besides traditional preferential policies, such as financial rewards and housing allowances, the city has also formulated a comprehensive mechanism of talent policies.

For example, research and development talents can share 70 percent or above, of the income that results from their scientific research results.

In November, the city began implementing a legal regulation of talents' working in Shenzhen and the first day of this month is pinned as “talent day”, according to Li Xiaogan, head of Shenzhen publicity department.

Shenzhen has evolved into an ideal destination to realize the dream of young talents from the whole nation and even the world.