Premier Li Keqiang’s most special certificate could be the member identification presented by Chaihuo Makerspace during the Premier’s visit to Shenzhen in Guangdong province on Jan 4, 2015.

The makerspace is a place where innovators gather to share resources and knowledge to build things. When invited to be an honorable member of it, the Premier was glad to accept, and said that this move can give a hand to the innovation action, and encourage more people to be makers.

In the same year, the word “makers” was written into the government work report, along with mass entrepreneurship and innovation.

Premier Li said at that year’s news conference of the “two sessions” that mass entrepreneurship and innovation was a reform process, and country’s prosperity comes from people’s creativity and economic vigor also originates from employment, entrepreneurship and the diversity of consumption.

He also said that grassroots entrepreneurs and young group should be well treated, and only when they have hopes and expectations the country has a future.

Edmund Phelps, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, spoke highly of China’s mass entrepreneurship and innovation. He added that the prosperity of all the countries that have been the global growth engines has come from innovation at grassroots levels.

Premier Li likes to interact with young entrepreneurs. At an “innovation street” in Beijing, he talked about startups and drank coffee with young entrepreneurs. He has visited many innovation centers at different regions.

“When I attended the seminar he chaired, I could feel his appreciation and support for grassroots entrepreneurs in his heart,” said Qian Yingyi, a professor from Tsinghua University.

Ma Huateng, CEO of Tencent Group, once suggested to the Premier new business model such as the sharing economy. The Premier said, “When a new thing emerges, the government should not kill it at once, instead, it should offer a chance”.

The government should clear the road and build a platform for entrepreneurs, he added.

In fact, these entrepreneurs are refreshing Chinese economy. In 2016, 45,100 new market entities were registered every day. In addition, China was listed in the top 25 innovative economies for the first time last year.

“We think Premier Li himself is like an entrepreneur, a maker,” said Pan Hao, founder of Chaihuo makerspace.