An old industrial center in Northeast China, Jilin province, is investing in new sectors with the intention of flourishing in diverse fields.

Logistics, finance, e-commerce, cloud computing and big data have become new engines for the province's service sector. Huawei's cloud computing data center in Changchun, capital of Jilin, has been put into use. The center can provide the service capabilities of 12,000 cloud servers.

As provincial leaders have hoped, the center is helping transform Changchun into a "smart city". And the cloud computing center is not the province's only achievement in developing industries of the future: Several advanced information service projects such as Inspur's big data center and Chang Guang Satellite Technology are also developing quickly in Jilin.

Inspur's new cloud computing and big data center, for instance, comprises a display center, a big data-related innovation and entrepreneurship center, a cloud computing center and an office area.

The innovation and entrepreneurship center supports startups to develop big data applications and collect big data, Changchun Daily reported. More than 20 partners of Inspur said they intended to enter into the center.

Jilin is also home to some incubators, including Jichuang Space. Three years ago, Song Zewei, who then studied in a medical school at Jilin University, joined the incubator. At that time, she did not have a concrete startup project, but after a half-year's guidance by a team at Jichuang Space, Song decided her entrepreneurship direction and opened a nursing and home care company.

Huang Hui, general manager at Jichuang Space, said that via systematic training and free offices, they enable college students to put their innovative thinking to work, helping them start businesses and gain employment.

Jichuang Space has a 2,000-square-meter center for internship and training and has incubated 15 businesses since 2016. It is currently incubating 14 companies, which provide 75 jobs.

In Changchun, there are also incubators that help people with disabilities. Among them is an industrial park that houses a north-south road flanked by characteristic office buildings.

At the end of the road, Wang Yanbo runs a science and technology company. He has cerebral palsy, which has influenced his language abilities. He has worked on project technology for several years after having graduated as a software development major in 2011.

He entered the industrial park in December 2015 and founded his company which develops professional websites, WeChat public platforms and WeChat programs.

An online platform developed by Wang's company has helped dozens of people with disabilities to find jobs, he said, adding that he owes his success in large part to the park's support and benefits, including free offices, water and electricity, in addition to its help in setting up the business.

The park also organized training on cooking, paper-cutting, writing, photography and practical rural skills. By the end of last year, it had housed more than 30 companies, which had employed nearly 20 people with disabilities.

Contact the writers at [email protected]

(China Daily 09/04/2018 page24)