Top policy planners in China are trying to push the country into a new era through innovation and entrepreneurship. At Maker Faire Beijing 2016, the public gets to see just what some of the country's most creative minds have been working on.
This intelligent cocktail mixer or this robot might have been manufactured by a large company. But in fact, they're the outcome of something called The Maker Movement.
A good example of this innovative spirit is Mr Sun Shiqian. His passion for special effects led him to engineer on his own a transformer and this amazing dragon. His hobby then developed into a formal job. Now, his own company has clients in Hollywood and Japan.
"I used to really like robots when I was a kid. But back then, I couldn't afford them. I could just build robots using paper or rubber. Afterwards, I was admitted to China's Central Academy of Art and I decided to specialize in robots," Sun said.
But it's not all about looks. DaSung is a Beijing-company that came up with this electronic ink E-Monitor. You can protect your eyes when writing for a long time by connecting it to your computer or tablet. Here's how they came up with the idea.
Traditional arts like ancient Chinese pottery are also getting attention. 3D printing started as a hobby for Huang Xiu. Now he uses it to show how this traditional art can be done at modern speed.
"Our 3D technology isn't the fastest. But 20 percent of our products can dry in about an hour or so, depending on the water conditions we apply, compared to how long it takes for traditional pottery to dry, which is up to one week," Huang said.
This grassroots movement shows how the spirit of innovation is taking hold in Beijing and generating international business for companies. For the organisers, who estimate an attendance of 30 thousand people at Maker Faire, Beijing has one of the world's most ideal climates for innovation.
"To begin with, Beijing is China's capital and it's full of many cultural resources. Beijing's advantage is in how it can mix the most traditional aspects of Chinese culture with the latest innovations in technology, such as intelligent printing, 3D printing, etc. Our hope is to build a bridge between traditional Chinese culture and cutting-edge technology," said Cissy Young, Maker Faire Beijing 2016 organizer.
According to a research paper published by the Great Wall Enterprise Institute, in March 2016 the city boasted more so-called "unicorn companies" than Silicon Valley, that is, tech startups valued at more than $1 billion each. Proof that China's capital is slowly but steadily becoming an international innovation hub.
