Jinan has become the first city in China to recognize young shop owners as high-level talent, adding the group to its talent classification system to encourage youth entrepreneurship and innovation.

Under the city's updated talent policy, known as the "Double 30 Measures", selected young shop owners are classified as Class E talent, alongside master's and doctoral degree holders and recipients of municipal craftsmanship honors. The move broadens the definition of talent by recognizing contributions made through entrepreneurship and creativity.

In April 2026, the first group of 28 young shop owners were recognized as high-level talent in Jinan. They include owners of food businesses, cultural creative stores, intangible cultural heritage workshops, rural farms, and homestays, representing a new generation of entrepreneurs bringing vitality to urban neighborhoods and rural areas.

Among them is Yuan Shanshan, founder of Courage Mantra, a creative steamed bun shop in Baihuazhou Historical and Cultural Block. She has reinvented traditional Shandong steamed buns by using natural fruit and vegetable juices for coloring and developing innovative designs, including flower-themed buns and zodiac-shaped steamed buns.

Liu Yaqi, owner of Zhizhi book house, has turned the bookstore into a community cultural space. Beyond providing a place for reading, the store hosts calligraphy, painting, and tea art classes on weekends, creating a welcoming space for local residents to learn, read, and connect.

Steamed buns shaped like black-faced lambs highlight the creative designs developed by Yuan Shanshan at her steamed bun shop in Jinan. [Photo/Haibao News]

Visitors chat together at Zhizhi book house, a community cultural space in Jinan. [Photo/WeChat account: tianxiaquancheng]