Entrepreneurs received very special “red envelopes” last year to help grow their businesses. Invited by Ma Huateng, the head of internet technology company Tencent, Premier Li Keqiang sent “red envelopes” to entrepreneurs by pressing a touch screen at a national exhibition in Shenzhen on Oct 12.

An entrepreneur named She Zhideng from Shenzhen became the first person to receive one of these gifts. “I’m so excited, it seems like a dream. It is such a big encouragement that Premier Li could send red envelops to us entrepreneurs,” he later told reporters.

People’s unprecedented enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and mass innovation grew exponentially in 2016, and the Premier’s red envelops fueled the sector.

Premier Li Keqiang takes a panoramic photo with entrepreneurs at an innovation expo in South China’s Shenzhen on Oct 12, 2016.

According to people in charge of the project, each red envelop contains 1,000 yuan ($145), which can be used for registering trademarks and paying for social security. A total of 500,000 red envelops have been sent out and 20 percent have been used, helping business people save as much as 100 million yuan.

“At the very beginning, we were not familiar with business affairs such as registering trademarks and paying social security,” an entrepreneur who also received the Premier’s gift said, “so the red envelops not only help us save money, but also provide a convenient service for us.”

Sending red envelops is just one thing the Premier does for entrepreneurs. Every year, he attended National Mass Innovation and Entrepreneurship Week activities, where he encouraged bold imagination and hard work from businesses to translate their ideas into concrete outcomes.

“More and more big enterprises are willing to cooperate with us grassroots startups with an open mind, and that provides much room for us to develop,” She said. Now, his company has bases in more than 10 cities across the country, while that number was only two the same time last year.

“The red envelop is not worth much money, but it is the substantial support from the government and the society for innovation and entrepreneurship,” another entrepreneur called Guo Zhiwei said. “The environment is too friendly compared to several years ago.” He first started a business in 2011, when most related policies were not in place.

“In the past, if your company grew fast, you had to find a bigger place every few months, with all kinds of things such as decorations taking up most of your energy. Now, maker-spaces are everywhere, with improved infrastructure and service. I feel comfortable and happy,” said Guo.