(Photo via VCG)

Will you choose to enter the workplace or start a business after graduation?

According to the statistics of the Ministry of Education in China, there will be 8.74 million college graduates nationwide in 2020, increasing 400,000 over last year. According to the data of China University Students Entrepreneurship Report, in 2019, more than 75% of the surveyed college students have entrepreneurial intentions. This year, with a new employment situation affected by the COVID-19, the Ministry of Education encourages college graduates to start their own businesses. "Opening online stores" has been officially included in Employment Statistical Indicators for the first time.

According to data from Taobao, this year, 200,000 college students poured into Taobao to start businesses for its low threshold, perfect business infrastructure.

In 2016, Zhang Jingwen, who was still studying in the university, founded Lanruoting, a Han Chinese clothing store on Taobao, selling over 1 million in the first year. The annual sale soars year by year, and exceeds 100 million yuan now, ranking first in the Han Chinese clothing on Taobao.

The idea occurred to Zhang when she was in the junior year. She first spent hundreds of yuan on sewing machines for designing. Then she hired masters to make clothing in bulk. As a result, she lived up to her efforts: the first batch of five clothes came into stage on Taobao, and sold more than 1,000 without any promotion.

Zhang revealed that the reason why she chose to open an online shop. “There were so many young people using Taobao. As long as you make something nice and interesting, you will be liked."

Data shows that Taobao breeds more than 1,000 new ideas every day. All kinds of minority cultures and groups, including Han Chinese clothing fans, are gathered on Taobao.

Huang Lanxi, a post-95s college student who graduated from Australia opened a Taobao store, making a special milk tea for pets. The product is a huge success, and now the monthly sales volume of the store exceeds 400,000 yuan.

Hu Wei, a post-00s young man in Changsha said, "The employment situation is not very optimistic this year, so I decided to start a business on Taobao." Hu then opened an online shop selling furniture. The monthly sales reached nearly 20,000 yuan during the first three-month operation, which gave him more courage to continue the business after graduation.

"Taobao is ushering its second peak of the venture." Zhang Kaifu, head of Taobao industry, said that since the outbreak of the epidemic this year, Taobao has witnessed 40,000 people pouring in every day. The average age of these shopkeepers, however, is only 25 years old. Taobao, as a special stage, helps these young people find the best way to show themselves.

(Compiled and translated by Xu Yuhong)