City University of Macau focuses on the holistic development of students, creating more opportunities for employment, innovation and entrepreneurship, and experiential learning. The university allocates more resources to cultivate innovative talents through the integration of industry and education, science and education, and interdisciplinary cooperation, providing students with comprehensive support.
The Ung Choi Kun Entrepreneurship and Career Centre at CityU (hereinafter referred to as the “Entrepreneurship Centre”) provides all-around assistance to help students enhance their entrepreneurial and employment skills. It offers incubation space for startups and provides research, consultation, guidance, services, and evaluation for student entrepreneurship and employment. So far, the Entrepreneurship Centre has successfully incubated over ten entrepreneurial projects. One of the outstanding projects is led by Dr. Chen Guangshun, a doctoral student from the Faculty of Business, and his team. Their entrepreneurial project, “Yushangcheng” Organic Dry Sandy Land Wheat Planting and Extended Sustainable Development, successfully overcame numerous challenges during the incubation process. The project has earned significant achievements in several national, provincial, and school-level competitions, such as the China Innovation Wings entrepreneurship competition, the Challenge Cup Entrepreneurship Plan Competition for Chinese College Students, the China International “Internet Plus” College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, and the CityU Cup Second College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. The project has also become a national entrepreneurship practice project under the College Student Innovation Training Program, and its outcomes have passed the certification of China’s organic agricultural products.
Chen Guangshun, a PhD student in Business Administration at Faculty of Business
Award Experience:
• National Level Entrepreneurship Practice Project under the College Student Innovation Training Program
• National Star Award in the “China Chuangyi” Entrepreneurship Competition
• National Silver Award in the “Challenge Cup” Entrepreneurship Plan Competition for Chinese College Students
• Provincial Silver Award in the China International “Internet Plus” College Students Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition
• Champion of the 2nd “City Cup” College Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition
• The product has been certified as an organic agricultural product in China
The entrepreneurial project started when the team accidentally discovered wild wheat growing in a particularly arid sandy land in the northwest region. They saw great potential in this discovery, which opened up new opportunities for agriculture in arid sandy areas. Utilizing biological sand field cultivation technology, they cultivated wild wheat capable of growing in extreme drought conditions, and expanded the cultivation of ‘Yushangcheng’ wheat to other northwest regions, including Ningxia and Qinghai, with plans to promote it globally. ‘Yushangcheng’ wheat has higher crude protein, amino acids, and crude fiber content than other varieties. The team hopes to promote ‘Yushangcheng’ wheat and related products to make Chinese wheat varieties known worldwide. Moreover, the ‘Yushangcheng’ brand addresses challenges such as the difficulty of specialization, industrial upgrading, lack of standardized models, and weak market competitiveness in wheat planting technology for arid sandy fields. It promotes the modernization and full automation of wheat agriculture by using biotechnology, such as rhizosphere-promoting bacteria, to produce natural wheat and its derivatives.
During the early stages of their entrepreneurship, the team faced numerous challenges from different fronts. Chen Guangshun mentioned that under the professional guidance of Vice Chairman Ung Choi Kun of the CityU Council and the Entrepreneurship Center, they were determined to find solutions and expanded the wheat cultivation from the initial 1,000 acres to the current 10,000 acres. They also had the opportunity to collaborate with external investment and financing institutions and other entrepreneurship incubation centers, gaining valuable resources that laid a solid foundation for innovation and entrepreneurship. Additionally, they benefited from the guidance and support of many teachers both on and off-campus. Chen also pointed out that the organic food market in China has reached a scale of 100 billion yuan, highlighting the potential of the health industry. His entrepreneurial project focuses on organic wheat cultivation and its derivatives, and despite facing high costs and technical challenges, he firmly believes this is the future development trend.
The entrepreneurial story of Chen Guangshun and his team showcases the potential and determination of CityU students in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship. His experience reflects the rich entrepreneurial platforms and resources available at CityU and emphasizes the university’s educational philosophy of cultivating talents for holistic development.
CityU invests heavily in diversified platforms and resources to assist students in innovation and entrepreneurship
CityU is dedicated to cultivating high-end, application-oriented, and practical innovative talents. In addition to helping students improve their comprehensive abilities in various aspects, it places great emphasis on bridging the gap between campus and the workplace. Through diversified entrepreneurship and employment platforms, students are guided to make early career plans, stimulating their entrepreneurial enthusiasm and potential, and providing comprehensive support.
In the early stages of their entrepreneurship journey, Chen Guangshun and his team faced numerous challenges. He mentioned that under the professional guidance of Vice Chairman Ung Choi Kun of the CityU Council and the Entrepreneurship Center, they were determined to find solutions. They expanded their wheat cultivation from the initial 1,000 acres to the current 10,000 acres, winning the Entrepreneurship Star Award and achieving National Organic Certification in the China Creative Finals. They also had the opportunity to collaborate with external investment and financing institutions, as well as other entrepreneurship incubation centers, gaining rich resources that laid a solid foundation for their path to innovation and entrepreneurship. Additionally, they benefited from the guidance and support of many professors both within and outside the university, such as Dean José Alves, Vice Dean Tian Yihui, Professor Fan Hongda, and Associate Professor Ge Mei from the Faculty of Business, Vice Dean Zhu Tianqing from the Faculty of Data Science, as well as external professors including Professor Jia Honghai, Academician Zhang Caifang, Professor Liang Yanchun, Professor Zhang Jinlin, and Professor Chen Xuejuan.
Looking to the future: the development potential of organic wheat
Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly influencing daily life and industries, particularly in the development of green and sustainable industries. Chen Guangshun mentioned that the scale of China’s organic food market has reached 100 billion yuan, demonstrating the potential of the health industry. His entrepreneurial project focuses on the cultivation of organic wheat and its derivatives. Despite facing high costs and technical challenges, he firmly believes that this is the future development trend.
The entrepreneurial story of Chen Guangshun and his team highlights the potential and determination of CityU students in the fields of innovation and entrepreneurship. His experience reflects the rich entrepreneurial platforms and resources at CityU and underscores the university’s educational philosophy of fostering talents for comprehensive development. “A person can fail, but cannot be defeated,” said Chen, encouraging his classmates who are embarking on their entrepreneurial journeys to bravely move forward on the path of innovation.
Message from Vice Chairman Ung Choi Kun of the University Council:
I am delighted to see such a strong entrepreneurial passion and persistent spirit at CityU. The 'Yushangcheng' project has gone through many challenges and successfully incubated after overcoming numerous obstacles, which makes me feel very pleased. In the future, I hope more students can make good use of the platform of the Entrepreneurship Center to achieve their dreams of innovation and entrepreneurship. At the same time, the Entrepreneurship Center will also provide guidance and support for more aspiring students. I look forward to students breaking through themselves, daring to innovate, exercising the spirit of self-improvement, and facing challenges!
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