China Daily: New TV show looks for tomorrow’s entrepreneurs
Excerpt:
More than 10,000 up and coming “entrepreneurs” from around the country registered for the “Wise Man Takes All” competition, China’s first reality television show promoting young business start-ups.
Around 300 have been chosen to participate in the competition, which began earlier this week in Shanghai. They were selected by a panel of judges on the merits of their business plans.
The first round involved 150 participants being interviewed by judges in Shanghai, after which similar interviews were conducted in Chongqing, Wuhan, Beijing and Shenzhen.
After the first round of competition, only 16 participants will be selected to go through to the televised knockout stages. The winner will be awarded 1 million yuan (US$123,300) to invest in his or her business plan.
The show is sponsored by Shui On Land, a leading Hong Kong property investor in Shanghai, Dragon TV and CBN (China Business Network), a media group.
“We are trying to sharpen the entrepreneurial spirit in young people,” said Vincent Lo Hongshui, Shui On’s chairman.
In Shanghai, most participants are aged between 20 and 30. About 15 per cent are women.