What drives China's young entrepreneurs

Jin Meijiao, 21, who graduated from the Beijing Institute of Technology in 2015 and is cofounder of Beijing Weimeiyuanxiang Restaurant Management Co Ltd, which runs a rice noodle store.

"My boyfriend and I are enthusiasts of cartoons and animations. We have created an animation brand, Chashao Fanzai, which features Chinese cultural themes. My boyfriend creates drawings while I take care of everything else. We have a limited number of fans, but we enjoy their attention. No big ambitions. We just want to work on something that really fascinates us."

Cao Haiqi, 22, a senior at the Liaoning University of Technology

"I started my own business more by chance than by planning. The current entrepreneurial boom in China has also brought me a lot of benefits. For instance, famous Chinese actress Li Bingbing is now one of our business partners. We started by selling Chinese jujubes online and have evolved into a company that specializes in helping enterprises market their products and brands on microblogs and instant messaging platforms."

Geng Mengmeng, 28, who graduated from Peking University in 2013 and is the founder and CEO of Beijing Young Forever Culture Tech Co Ltd, a marketing and brand management company

"I founded JingJobs six months after moving to China in 2014. The inspiration came from a personal struggle. I wanted to find stimulating work with startups but faced difficulty in finding the right openings. As a young bilingual graduate I want to help others like me who have a desire to start or further their careers, especially within the startup universe."

Samantha Kwok, 24, who graduated from the University of Sydney in 2013, and is the founder and chief executive officer of JingJobs, a company dedicated to connecting young professionals with opportunities in startups in China.

China Daily