• Zhongguancun 2013
Entrepreneurs in Zhongguancun defy holiday to make dreams come true
( chinadaily.com.cn )
Updated: 2015-03-03

"No matter how hard it is, I will complete the project"

The Garage Cafe has already resumed business since Feb 23 when the Spring Festival has not even ended yet.

On that day, more than ten young people with entrepreneurial passion spent the whole day working on their business in the cafe. They started to work two days earlier than the most people did.

A row of little red lanterns are hung in the air and every window was decorated with a paper-cut of "Fu", a Chinese character meaning blessings, adding some festival spirit to the shop.

Those young entrepreneurs were occupied with their work and continued their entrepreneurial journey with enthusiasm at the beginning of the New Year.

"I celebrated the Spring Festival alone in Beijing instead of going back to my hometown," said Tan Sizhe from Hunan province.

"My mother understands that I am too busy to go home. Anyway, I will go back when I finish my project," he said while sipping the coffee.

"Busy" is the best word to describe his entrepreneurial life.

Tan's team has five people. Recently they have been busy developing a suburban e-commerce platform, which is in the beta stage, and the first version will soon be launched.

"We will complete this meaningful project no matter how hard it is," Tan said, speaking up.

"From writing codes, doing procedures, establishing the background to monitoring, we came to the final sprint. Time is extremely precious for us," he said when he finally removed his eyes from the computer screen and stroked his long beard.

"Other team members are also busy working. We have been communicating with each other through phones and emails during the holiday. If our project becomes successful, it will provide convenience for rural residents to shop online," he added with a firm nod and then continued to tap his keyboard after another sip of coffee.

"Whether successful or not, I am willing to take risks for my dream," Tan said and stood up to stretch himself. His neck got stiff after sitting three consecutive hours.

Around him, there are more than ten entrepreneurial teams. Some got engaged in the work through computer alone, while some communicate with each other in groups and teams.

In the cafe, what entrepreneurs care about is not the quality of coffee but business effectiveness.