Small gadgets are used by makers to DIY (DENG YAQING)

"OCT has good reasons to be called a 'maker' of the Chinese tourism industry," said Yao Jun, Vice President of OCT, who noted that each and every one of OCT's products is the fruit of the sweat, imagination and creativity of its employees.

The open source community and increased technological innovations have a large role to play in the success story of many "creators." As the Internet opens up pathways for individuals to educate themselves and enables greater access to hardware, innovative designs and ideas are more and more likely to step out of one's imagination and into the real world.

State-owned enterprises have an important advantage in that they have abundant access to resources, funding and professionals, according to Yao. "It's much easier for state-owned key enterprises to turn creative designs and concepts into reality and tackle problems," she claimed.

Sticking to its ambition of becoming stronger innovators, the old tourism and property giant leaves no stones unturned in order to positively affect the quality ordinary people's lives. Since its establishment in 1985, OCT has also mapped out the development path of cultural tourism, alongside its popular flagship, the Happy Valley theme park chain.

"To improve service capabilities and competitiveness, continued progress should be made in fostering distinguishing features, pursuing innovative development modes and interacting and integrating with the capital market," said Duan Xiannian, President of OCT. On October 30, Shenzhen OCT Vision Inc. got listed in National Equities Exchange and Quotations and became one of the four public companies under OCT.

In addition to its business initiatives, OCT is also driving to build a social innovation platform for creators who try to bring their ideas into reality without focusing on profits. The OCT Loft, which accommodates over 230 entrepreneurial institutions such as design companies, artist studios, arts centers and creative spaces, is their innovation incubator. Its annual output value has hit 9 billion yuan ($1.4 billion) in 2014.

'In my view, 'creating' represents inventive craftsmanship which penetrates the whole development course of OCT," said Li Jian, Vice President of Shenzhen OCT Vision Inc. In fact, to maintain its competitiveness in the market, OCT has unveiled several generations of theme parks, continuously renovated its industrial distribution and managed to build an all-round innovation ecosystem.

To promote innovation and entrepreneurship, the rent in OCT Loft is pegged at 60 yuan ($9.4) per square meter, a third of that of its surrounding areas. "OCT has been committed to build an innovative ecosystem, not just rent concessions," said Liu Hongjie, General Manager of Shenzhen OCT Loft Culture Development Co. Ltd.

OCT also assists start-ups here in communicating with the government and making clear supporting policies and measures released by different functional departments. It also provides larger spaces for high-quality start-ups and more opportunities to develop market linkages, said Liu.

The space for start-ups, known as the maker space, aims to provide an open and free cooperative environment to facilitate realization and even production. Here, basic prototype development equipment, creative gatherings, workshops and talent pools allow inventors to find kindred spirits and quickly organize entrepreneurial teams.

"People don't take being a 'creator' as a vocation, but an interest or hobby. The relaxing and lazy atmosphere of maker space can better kindle people's inspiration," said Li Ouya, a manager of Chaihuo Makerspace, who told Beijing Review that two entrepreneurial teams that were born here have won favor from investors and received investments of more than 10 million yuan ($1.6 million). One is currently engaged in the development of service-oriented robots, the other vehicle-mounted Internet.