Guanshanhu builds innovation ecosystem to drive high-quality growth

Guanshanhu district in Guiyang, Southwest China's Guizhou province, is fostering a sustainable innovation ecosystem by attracting talent, supporting technology enterprises, and nurturing future innovators.

A key initiative is the Lanshan Zhichuanghui Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, held at Xiaolanshan in Zhuchang town. Its second edition, staged from July to September, focused on artificial intelligence-generated content (AIGC), attracting more than 400 applications from across China and abroad. Twenty-seven teams advanced to the final round, where they spent seven days developing projects and competing for 18 awards.

As Guizhou's first hackathon-style competition dedicated to AIGC, the event went beyond project presentations to connect creators with industry resources. Through contests, workshops, forums, and study visits, it explored a development model linking talent selection, creative incubation, content commissioning, and industrial development.

Winning teams can receive up to one year of free workspace at the AIGC Production Innovation Center operated by Guizhou Duocai New Media Co. Short-drama award winners also secured production contracts worth 10,000 yuan ($1494.77) to 70,000 yuan.

Guanshanhu is strengthening its talent attraction efforts with services covering the full life cycle of projects, from developing research proposals and applying for funding to project implementation and evaluation.

In the first half of 2026, the district helped enterprises submit more than 100 proposed provincial-level research projects and facilitated seven industry-academia-research cooperation projects.

A total of 31 provincial science and technology projects have been approved, securing 61.56 million yuan in provincial funding. Meanwhile, eight district-level projects received 1.78 million yuan in fiscal support, helping leverage more than 29 million yuan in additional research and development investment.

The district also conducts regular progress checks and combines technical and financial reviews during project evaluation, aiming to improve research management and support the commercialization of innovation outcomes.

Recognizing talent as a key driver of innovation, Guanshanhu has established platforms for professionals to exchange expertise, access policy guidance, and explore financing opportunities. In June, more than 80 science and technology professionals from research institutes, enterprises, schools, and medical institutions gathered at Xiaolanshan for an exchange event focused on research commercialization and business support.

The district is also extending science education to younger generations. Its summer science and technology camp in August attracted nearly 200 children aged 6 to 15, offering hands-on courses in drone operation, scientific experiments, programming, and artificial intelligence.

Through innovation competitions, enterprise services, and talent development, Guanshanhu is working to create an environment where creative ideas can become viable projects, research can translate into practical applications, and emerging talent can contribute to the district's long-term development.