Beijing's Sanlitun sets its sights on international talents

Renowned as a commercial hub, Sanlitun stands as Beijing's core area and also an integral part of urban youth life integrated with vitality, an international atmosphere, business and consumption.

Ninety-five embassies and international organizations, 17 United Nations agencies in China and numerous multinational enterprises have set up their regional or country headquarters in Sanlitun. On April 8, the Sanlitun area officially inaugurated an international talent hall.

The move came as Beijing and its Chaoyang district pursue high-quality development through innovative technology-driven and sustainable development. With its unique qualities, Sanlitun has distinct advantages in advancing the city's strategy in a big talent push.

The talent hall is a government-enterprise synergy, offering a new, innovative and unique path to attract high-quality talent and increase new growth points in business.

Situated on the fourth floor of the Sanlitun Sub-district Government Service Center, the talent hall aims to provide international young professionals with a one-stop service in resource connection, financing, enterprise and talent nurturing, as well as government-enterprise coordination.

Since its trial operation in January, the talent hall has hosted 15 themed events, including innovative open classes, overseas networking events, creative competitions, enterprise internationalization services, and international public welfare practices. These attracted 494 industry experts, entrepreneurs, investors and young talents from China, Canada, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

Sun Shuguang, secretary of the Party Committee of the Sanlitun sub-district, announced the three aspects of the ecological system of the talent hall including plans for 100 activities at the talent hall to attract talent participation this year. Additionally, a talent pool will be established as a resource base to facilitate the transformation of results on the ground, with tailored services provided to meet various needs.

At the opening ceremony of the talent hall, startups from four industries signed agreements looking forward to expanding business in Sanlitun. Several young entrepreneurs expressed their anticipation for accessing innovation and entrepreneurship services, expanding into overseas markets and engaging in multicultural exchanges through the talent hall.

There are nearly 10,000 foreigners from 79 countries working at Sanlitun, and 52.74 percent of them are between the ages of 18 and 34. There are young people gathering here, expats who gradually integrate into Beijing life, and overseas employees and entrepreneurs across diverse industries.

"These advantages underscore Sanlitun's significance within the city, drawing in more talent and businesses to fuel economic growth," Sun said, adding that the government can also offer office space and policy consultation to qualified professionals in the talent pool.

Beijing-Argentina Youth Innovation Center stationed at the talent hall on the same day, aiming to support Chinese and Latin American youth entrepreneurship, foster cultural exchange, and boost trade relations between China and Latin America

The talent hall will provide comprehensive services in business planning, marketing and financing to successful foreign candidates and overseas returnees, facilitating their entrepreneurial endeavors.

"The primary challenge facing overseas youth entrepreneurs in China is the presence of information asymmetry, including a lack of understanding of the Chinese culture, market and consumers, and we aim to provide innovative solutions to the issue," said Dong Bo, founder and CEO of Kr Star Innovation.

Kr Star Innovation is a renowned domestic technology innovation service platform under 36Kr Holdings Inc. To date, it has successfully operated four talent halls in Beijing. "We position Sanlitun as a hub-style talent hall that fulfills the function of talent connection and serves as a public service platform," Dong said, "It is also in line with the capital's goals on the construction of international talent communities."

According to official data, international consumption, digital economy and cultural exchange are three main pillars of Sanlitun. In the future, the talent hall will focus on building innovative brands with regional landmarks and international scale.