On May 4, Liu Ning, Secretary of the Henan Provincial Committee, visited representatives of youth teams in Zhengzhou. During the visit, Secretary Liu went to the Zhengzhou headquarters of MIXUE GROUP to meet with youth team representatives and learn about the youth economy, as well as the development of youth league organizations and youth services in non-public enterprises.
What is the youth economy? During this year's National People's Congress sessions, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League submitted a proposal titled "On Cultivating and Developing the 'Youth Economy' to Inject New Momentum into High-Quality Development," which defined the "youth economy." It refers to economic activities where young people are the main body of innovation and entrepreneurship and the core consumer group, aimed primarily at meeting their growth, development, and quality-of-life needs. This includes, but is not limited to, trendy cultural creations, interest-based communities, experiential social activities, healthy living, knowledge empowerment, and digital entertainment.
In April, a joint document issued by 15 departments, "Opinions on Deepening the Development of Youth-Friendly Cities to Assist in Building Modern People-Centric Cities," also incorporated the "youth economy"—cultivating an economic model centered on the creative supply and growth-oriented consumption of the youth population.
From a policy perspective, the youth economy is not merely business targeting young people but a systematic activation of their creativity and consumption power. The younger generation, with their active thinking, innovative ideas, and abundant creative capacity, serves as a backbone for technological innovation and industrial transformation. China possesses a solid demographic foundation and broad market space for developing the youth economy. Data indicates that by 2025, young people are projected to account for approximately 26% of China's population. Furthermore, forecasts suggest that by 2030, the total population aged 14 to 35 will remain around 350 million. By 2050, this figure is expected to stay above 210 million. This large and stable youth population provides fundamental support for the sustained development of the youth economy.
On the consumption side, young people are the core consumer group. Current consumption trends among youth increasingly reflect personalization, experience-seeking, and socialization, representing a youthful expression in the consumer market and giving rise to new business models such as the "Guochao" trend, Hanfu fever, blind box economy, "Guzi" economy, convenience economy, and wellness economy.
On the entrepreneurship side, young people are not only consumers but also creators. As digital natives, they possess inherent advantages in technology adoption, business model innovation, and content creation, making them a main force in innovation and entrepreneurship. A significant number of emerging industries led by young people are rapidly rising, reshaping industrial landscapes. The ability to attract and retain young talent is directly linked to a region's future innovation vitality and development potential.
In practice, terms like "young people" and "youth economy" have become keywords in the work reports of many local governments. The Sichuan Provincial Government Work Report mentioned "developing the youth economy, silver economy, debut economy, and event economy." The Jiangsu Provincial Government Work Report highlighted creating youth communities that "best understand young people," allowing more innovation and entrepreneurial dreams to take root in Jiangsu. The Beijing Municipal Government Work Report emphasized building innovation and entrepreneurship ecological zones for young talents to fully stimulate their innovative creativity. The Hunan Provincial Government Work Report outlined implementing the "Seven Ones" policy for university student entrepreneurship and the "Four Friendliness" initiative to comprehensively build a youth-friendly province.
Specifically, in Henan, a province with a large population, rich culture, and strong economy, the youth population is substantial. Data shows that Zhengzhou, a city with over 3,600 years of history, currently has a resident population exceeding 13 million, with an average age of just 34.7 years old. Its "Urban Youth Vitality Index" ranks fifth nationwide. Additionally, Zhengzhou is名副其实 a "city of a million university students." According to the "China Statistical Yearbook 2025," among cities with over a million undergraduate and college students, Zhengzhou ranks second with more than 1.432 million students, following Guangzhou.
This large youth base implies significant consumption potential and entrepreneurial vitality. However, translating this potential into momentum requires supportive policies. According to local media reports, "building a youth development-friendly benchmark city" has been included in the Zhengzhou Municipal Government Work Report for four consecutive years. This year, Zhengzhou will deepen the construction of youth development-friendly benchmark cities by creating youth-friendly communities, blocks, and innovation platforms, supporting over 60 outstanding youth projects, and fostering a development environment where young talent can "enter, stay, live securely, and succeed," aiming to attract and retain 200,000 young talents in Zhengzhou.
The development of the youth economy also relies on industrial support. In recent years, local brands represented by MIXUE GROUP have rapidly emerged, accurately meeting the consumption needs of young people and deeply integrating into youth culture. Some media commentators noted that MIXUE GROUP's popularity is essentially "built cup by cup by young people."
Why does MIXUE GROUP continue to attract young consumers? On one hand, it adheres to an affordable pricing strategy, making it budget-friendly for most young people. On the other hand, an increasing number of young consumers are willing to pay for "emotional value." MIXUE GROUP offers not just beverages but also excels at incorporating memes and innovative marketing into youth subculture, establishing an emotional connection with its young users.
During the recent May Day holiday, MIXUE GROUP's global headquarters became a phenomenally popular check-in spot, attracting large numbers of young visitors spontaneously. This brand-driven gathering of people and urban vitality vividly exemplifies the youth economy at a micro level.
During the visit to MIXUE GROUP's Zhengzhou headquarters, Secretary Liu expressed hopes that the company would continue to leverage the strengths of youth—such as their growth potential, innovativeness, and organizational skills—focus deeply on market demands, strengthen the brand, optimize products, expand the market, and create more new consumption scenarios, thereby contributing to the high-quality and high-standard development of the enterprise through the power of youth.