The Hangzhou government designates the date of June 13 each year as being the city's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day for College Students, during a launch ceremony held on April 16. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, designated the date of June 13 each year as being Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day for College Students, during a launch ceremony on April 16, according to local officials.

The launch of the day came after the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Week was held in Hangzhou on June 13, 2019, which attracted many college students to present their innovative entrepreneurship projects.

Officials said that the launch of the special day would better help to attract college students from across the globe to Hangzhou to start up businesses and pursue their careers.

In recent years, Hangzhou has consistently emphasized entrepreneurship and innovation among college students. Since 2008, the city has launched a succession of three-year plans to support college graduates to start up their businesses.

Officials said that owing to those plans, a number of young entrepreneurs have been successfully nurtured.

During the ceremony, a new three-year plan was released, outlining Hangzhou's goal to bring in at least 1 million college graduates to the city to start businesses by 2022.

During the upcoming first Hangzhou Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day for College Students, the city will hold a series of activities including financial matchmaking and events that share  entrepreneurship stories, as well as activities for employment.

At the launch, to attract more college students to Hangzhou, the city also unveiled 10 new policies to support them starting businesses.

An entrepreneur delivers a lecture at the launch ceremony of the Hangzhou Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day, on April 16. [Photo/zj.zjol.com.cn]