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X-SPACE, the first government-established maker space in Shenzhen, was inaugurated in Nanshan District Sept. 20. Located in the Shenzhen Overseas Chinese High-Tech Venture Park, the center is aimed at providing supporting services for young people, especially for overseas returnees and expats, to build their careers in Shenzhen.

The center is co-launched by the city’s committee of Communist Youth League and the city’s science and technology innovation commission. It is jointly operated by the Shenzhen Young Science and Technology Talents Association and Shenzhen Foresea Cube Human Resources Management Co. Ltd.

Zhu Lingling, CEO of Foresea Cube, said the center is not only an office space, but also a one-stop service center that provides resources, trainings, policy analysis, mentoring and other career-related services for overseas returnees or expats in Shenzhen. It can also help expats apply for their social security accounts and work permits in China.

Additionally, the center will work as an incubator for startups and build a bridge between the entrepreneurs and the government. Road shows and salons will be held on a regular basis in the center to help startups look for potential investors and business partners.

According to Zhu, the center is the first government-led maker space in Shenzhen. “The center will integrate the resources and experts from the maker centers and incubators across the city instead of competing with them,” Zhu said.

She said over 30 overseas startups and entrepreneurs have shown an interest in setting up their offices in the center, while nearly 80 percent of them are overseas Chinese students and 20 percent are expats.

Li Ning, deputy head of the city’s foreign experts’ affairs bureau, was invited to talk about the city’s talent policies at the opening ceremony. According to her, nearly 10,000 overseas Chinese students settle down in Shenzhen each year, and nearly 12 percent of them have started their own businesses in the city.