"Haidian is a place that never grows old; it's a place full of youthful vitality. Let's create the future of Haidian together!"
On September 21, 2024, the major event for the start of the autumn semester in Zhongguancun was held at the Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone Exhibition Center, co-hosted by the Education Commission of Beijing Municipal Committee of CPC, Beijing Municipal Education Commission, the Haidian District Committee, and the Haidian District Government. Ma Jun, a member of the Beijing Municipal Government and Vice Mayor, attended the event and delivered a speech encouraging youth to integrate their own dreams with national development. He emphasized the importance of cultivating a youth-friendly environment in the city so that young people can better encourage them to fully exert their talents. Zhang Ge, the Party Secretary of Haidian District, invites young talents from all over the world to Haidian, where they can make good use of their abilities while contributing to the development of the city.
Building a youth-friendly city
The most ideal relationship between a city and its youth is one of mutual growth. Haidian is taking multiple approaches to provide sufficient support for young talents to realize their dreams. During the event, the CPC secretary of Haidian District Zhang Ge announced a series of measures in Haidian District to advance the construction of a youth-friendly city.
The measures include creating a special zone for AI talents, optimizing affordable housing, building platforms for research and employment, building shopping areas, etc. These significant measures aim to attract young talents to boost the city's high-quality development. Haidian will implement 100 initiatives to build a city of youth and innovation, one that allows young people to pursue their dreams, achieve personal growth and enjoy their lives.
The announced measures not only focus on big-picture strategies by integrating the facilitation of youth development into urban development, but also address practical concerns of the youth, such as housing, job-seeking, marriage, elder care, and children's education. Shopping areas will also be built to cater to the need of young people for entertainment.
Multiple policies rolled out to support youth development
For youth to thrive in the city, they need to better themselves; the city must embrace youth to secure a brighter future. During the event, the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission and the Zhongguancun Administrative Committee announced the Qiyan program under the 2024 Beijing Natural Science Fund for undergraduates. This program offers an average of 50,000 yuan per project, focusing on key areas like mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, new-generation information technology, and healthcare, with the goal of fostering undergraduates' interest in scientific research and critical thinking ability. Universities have full autonomy in organizing projects and selecting applicants, and a dedicated research account allows undergraduates to manage funds according to a "contracted management system + negative list" model.
Haidian District has tailored four policies for young scholars, which provide space for personal growth, innovation, and outline a promising future.
The "Practical Training" policy targets university students, offering three types of support measures in training, internships, and entrepreneurship. The "Jingcai Haidian" internship program will select over 800 high-quality internship positions, including algorithm engineers and software developers, to help youth promote their employability.
The "Haiying Program" supports youth working in high-tech industries by regularly selecting a certain number of talents and offering them financial aid and other supportive services. Those successfully selected as the "Haiying Star" will receive a price of 20,000 yuan for current students and 100,000 yuan for recent graduates, as a support for their research and personal development.
The "Qihang Program" targets "Double First-Class" universities. The companies in the Zhongguancun Science City provide a platform for young researchers in fields like AI, integrated circuits, and software information. After joining these companies, they will receive training, support for housing and obtaining a Beijing household registration status.
The "Targeted Selection" policy targets "Double First-Class" universities and disciplines, annually selecting positions in fields such as urban planning and economic finance for youth. The selected youth will take up officially budgeted posts in district-level or community-level agencies and obtain a Beijing household registration status.
Youth power in Beijing: a win-win situation
The major event of the start of 2024 autumn semester provided a platform where youth had face-to-face interactions with entrepreneurs, scientists and Olympic champions. Xue Qikun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Science, President of Southern University of Science and Technology and a recipient of the National Science and Technology Award in 2023, along with professors from top universities and Olympic gold medalist Hou Zhihui, shared their stories of innovation and personal growth. Young attendees resonated deeply with Xue's devotion to scientific research, were inspired by Professor Gui Haichao's tenacity, and felt energized by Hou's success story.
The event featured interactive tech exhibits, including humanoid robots, quadrupedal robots, AI-powered marimbas and more, which demonstrated Haidian's leading role in scientific innovation. Making scripted performances and trailers with AIGC technology, robots, captured the audience's attention.
The event also marked a gathering of students from prominent universities with children from local elementary schools. Together, they brought joint performances including choral pieces and dance, demonstrating youthful energy.
Representatives from universities and local communities jointly launched the "Hai·Qing" community service initiative, aiming to construct a new model of community governance through collective efforts.
The major event for the start of the autumn semester in Zhongguancun demonstrated the appeal and commitment of Haidian to youth, and invited young people to settle down and realize their dreams in Haidian.
The event marks the first time that Haidian has hosted a school welcoming event under its name. Alongside the major event, three series of activities and numerous themed units were designed to engage youth, enhance educational and technological collaboration, and contribute to the construction of a youth-friendly city.
With the successful conclusion of the major event and upcoming activities, Haidian plans to create an integrated brand service system that encompasses "school season" "graduation season" "employment season" and "entrepreneurship season", which helps young graduates adapt to the life in Haidian. With the help of this service system, young people can better cultivate a sense of belonging in the city, have more faith in themselves and become major forces in the country's rejuvenation.
