Over 500 companies and institutions from Central China's Hunan province were offering nearly 18,000 vacancies at a job fair held on Saturday in Shanghai, aiming to attract high-level talent from across the nation and the world with favorable policies.

Focusing on catering to market demand and driving industrial growth, the job offers cover a wide range of sectors and functions. Massive opportunities were offered in government agencies, public institutions, State-owned companies, private businesses, academic and research institutions, as well as entrepreneurship and internships.

In recent years, the province has been striving to build a modern industrial system, including transforming traditional industries and strengthening advantages in sectors such as construction equipment, modern agriculture and cultural tourism. Continuous efforts are also being made to foster emerging and future industries such as the digital sector, new energy, healthcare, artificial intelligence, quantum technology and advanced materials, according to the government.

Such efforts were also reflected on the jobs on offer at the fair. A total of 35 leading companies covering 13 industrial chains in the province were actively luring global talent. Among them were Lens Technology Co Ltd and Jingjia Micro in the next-generation information technology sector, Sany and Zoomlion in the construction equipment sector, Mango TV in the cultural and creative tourism industry, and Truking Technology Limited in the biomedicine and medical device sector.

Wondershare, a globally recognized software company founded in 2003, returned to Changsha, capital city of Hunan province, after it became a listed company in 2018. The city's favorable policies, efficient administration service, optimized business environment and talent resources have been helping the company expand business to more than 200 countries and regions worldwide.

"Changsha boasts one of the most favorable environments in the country for both living and working, with good medical, educational and industrial resources. Shanghai is gathering many top universities and high-level talent from across the nation. As a domestic leader in the AIGC (artificial intelligence-generated content) sector, we expect to draw more talents who know about both AI and creativity," said Wu Taibing, founder and chairman of Wondershare.

In the education sector, Du Jian, who graduated from the East China Normal University in Shanghai, has over the past 14 years grown from a teacher to the principal of Yali Experimental Wangcheng School in Changsha.

"I saw huge potential in Hunan's education prospect, and Changsha is unique for its low living cost but high-level education and medical service. The graduates in Shanghai possess solid professional skills and a broad view, which will benefit both themselves and our students," said Du, adding that her alma mater has also been continuously providing support and guidance over the years.

Shen Xiaoming, Party secretary of Hunan, pointed out that low cost has become a key factor determining where young people choose to settle, and it is believed that Changsha will emerge as a popular destination for them. Over the past decade, Changsha has seen a cumulative net population inflow of 1 million people, 80 percent of which are young people.

Among the large crowds of job seekers on site, Zhao Qing, a 27-year-old PhD candidate to graduate next June with a research focus on oncology pharmacology, has become the lucky one to get an instant offer on site from Hunan Provincial People's Hospital.

"I did not expect to get such an offer so fast honestly. I was looking for a job to research anticancer drugs, and the hospital is offering me a premier platform for scientific research and talent policies to settle down. I look forward much to climbing the Yuelu Mountain and tasting the delicacies there," said Zhao with a happy smile.

Matthias Dorn, a 27-year-old German master's graduate from the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University, is looking for job opportunities to start as a technical sales engineer in China. First coming to China in 2007, Dorn has been to many Chinese cities with his father, who has been living in China for about three decades, and Changsha — a city Dorn has not yet been to — is right on top of his list.

"I would like to visit the big statue of Chairman Mao Zedong, and a lot of friends told me that the nightlife in Changsha is really great," he said.

Particularly highlighting the safety, delivery service and convenience of the way of living in China, Dorn said he is open for choosing the city to work and live in across China, and is positive on developing his career in this nation.

"If it's possible, I would like start for a foreign company in China, which is more connected to my home. But also, a lot of Chinese companies are trying to enter Europe — and this could be my chance," said Dorn excitedly.