The Taiyuan Youth Development Forum, hosted by the Communist Youth League Taiyuan Committee, was held on Saturday in Taiyuan, Shanxi province.

Under the theme "Youth Innovation Shapes the Future, Jointly Building a Thriving Taiyuan", the forum drew a hundred promising young talents and guests from various sectors to demonstrate leadership, offer policy suggestions, engage in dialogue between government and enterprises, and promote the commercialization of achievements.

Representatives included national outstanding members of the Communist Youth League, national outstanding League cadres, recipients of the National New Era Youth Pioneer Award, university entrepreneurship mentors, young entrepreneurs, and young startup founders.

Wang Xianchao, chairman of 100Trust Information Technology Co, shared his personal journey, entrepreneurial insights, and practical experience at the forum.

In May 2014, Wang set out from his alma mater, North University of China, to launch a venture in a small space of under 50 square meters with a dozen young people. Driven by a mission to serve the nation through technology, they firmly believed in "building China's own secure computers and keeping core technologies firmly in our own hands."

Wang admitted that the early days brought multiple challenges where they faced funding shortages, an incomplete industrial chain, an immature market, and technology bottlenecks. But he and his team never backed down.

"There are no shortcuts in entrepreneurship — only long-term persistence," Wang said. He shared that he had experienced two business failures before, but he always held the belief that "doing the right things enriches your life. As long as you have the right direction, stay grounded, and never give up, you can overcome adversity and achieve growth."

"Cybersecurity is national security. Our work is exactly what the country needs most," said Wang.

Chang Gaosheng, deputy director of R&D at Shanxi Hollysys Electronic Technology Co, also shared his experience of developing his company from a tiny lab into a technology enterprise focused on IT education equipment. This progress, he emphasized, is rooted in the team's commitment that "youth innovation and entrepreneurship is not an empty slogan. It requires targeting real problems, daring to tackle the toughest challenges, and delivering tangible results."

Chang pointed out that after the full rollout of the new national curriculum standards, information technology and AI education became mandatory in junior high schools. However, research revealed that inadequate computer lab resources and a lack of teaching equipment in regular classrooms are widespread problems in middle schools across the province and nationwide. The typical situation — "teaching programming on a blackboard" or "watching robots in PowerPoint slides" — prevents quality tech education from reaching most students.

To solve this problem, Chang's team conducted countless rounds of testing and optimization. They eventually developed a hardware experiment module purposely designed for junior high IT courses. Through technological innovation, they removed space constraints and transformed IT education from a privileged limited to few people in computer labs into a classroom experience for everyone.

Addressing youths at the forum, Wu Xiaohua, deputy secretary of the Taiyuan Party committee and secretary of the political and legal affairs commission, encouraged them to consciously integrate their personal growth into the overall development of the city, calling on them to actively excel on the frontlines of economic development, at the forefront of technological innovation, in the primary field of rural revitalization, and across all areas of social service.

At the start of the event, participants viewed outstanding award-winning projects from the 10th Taiyuan Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition and the Shanxi Central City Cluster Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition.

Cui Yanbo, secretary of the Communist Youth League Taiyuan committee, said that the forum's success further smoothed the channels for youth exchanges, optimized the youth entrepreneurship ecosystem, and strengthened consensus on youth development. Moving forward, they will continue to focus on the needs of youth development and help build a sound support system for young people. This will encourage more talented youth to take root in Taiyuan, start businesses, and help build a splendid Taiyuan.

Huang Yibo contributed to this story.