Guangzhou tells innovation stories at Bo'ao

At the roadshow, nine outstanding Chinese innovators shared their success stories taking place in the southern Chinese city in fluent English. They were Yuan Yuyu, founder of Medprin Regenerative Medical Technologies, Xiong Yifang, co-founder of Ehang, Ye Zhenghua, designer of Guangzhou's city mascots, Jiang Nanchun, founder of Focus Media, Zhang Xinyu, a foreign-aid eye doctor, Zhou Dailin, one of Guangzhou's urban designers, Sun Qingkai, vice-president of Cloudwalk, Han Xu, founder of JinChi.ai, and Hu Wen, COO of Pony.ai. 

Yuan yuyu, a bioengineering doctor returning from the United States, recalled the tremendous support he received from local government when he set up Guangzhou Medprin Regenerative Medical Technologies Company, which has now become a world-leading 3D-bioprinting enterprise.

Xiong Yifang, another overseas returnee, attributed the rapid development of Ehang to the open, tolerant, and innovation-oriented social climate of Guangzhou city.

"We flew 1,180 drones up there in Pearl River during the Fortune Global Forum, and that broke the Guinness World Record. All these performances are controlled by one computer. Behind this technology is our company," Xiong said proudly.

Zhou Dailin graduated from Harvard Graduate School of Design ten years ago and has been working at the Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research Institute ever since. She stressed that an increasing number of graduates from the world's elite universities have been drawn to the institute in recent years, which not only delivers globally renowned construction projects to Guangzhou but also promotes its advanced design techniques around the world.

"The city of Guangzhou, from my point of view, is very dynamic, diversified, and open, which is very unique among Chinese and even global cities. It is a city where you can have herbal tea and enjoy the coffee as well," Zhou said.

"Guangzhou is earning more and more admiration around the world. Let's look forward to the future of Guangzhou and I am sure it will bloom with even brighter splendor," she concluded.

Xiong Yifang, co-founder of Ehang, speaks at the 2018 Conversation between Guangzhou and the World held at the Bo'ao Forum for Asia on April 9. [Photo provided to China Daily]