Tsinghua University has recently put a great deal of effort into improving its innovation and entrepreneurship education. The Tsinghua x-lab, a relatively new platform meant to push students to imagine, innovate and implement new ideas, has already nurtured 841 projects spanning various industries since its establishment in 2013.

Mao Donghui, executive director of the x-lab, said that teams' projects have been very well received so far.

At the university’s first overseas media salon on May 20, Mao described the purpose of the x-lab as providing students with a safe environment to delve into entrepreneurship, take risks and explore innovative solutions. To date, 357 companies have registered with the x-lab, and 107 teams have received investment totaling 700 million RMB. 

According to Mao, Tsinghua x-lab is more than an incubator. It is an extensive platform that involves the entire Tsinghua community and even provides comprehensive external resources for student entrepreneurs. In addition, Tsinghua University collaborates with the Center for Innovation and Business Creation at Technische Universität München (Unternehmer TUM) to support young entrepreneurs rooted in technological innovation, and to help cultivate influential companies through shared resources.

Shi Yigong, Vice-President of Tsinghua University and also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said during the media salon that Tsinghua's development echoes China's development. Given Tsinghua's special emphasis on entrepreneurial education and its established and emerging innovation platforms, there is no doubt that the university will continue to serve as an engine of China's modern development.

Students work at Tsinghua x-lab, a platform that enables students to imagine, innovate and implement (Photo by Chen Jun)