People visit a flower show on Taipa Island in Macao, south China, Dec. 14, 2024. A flower show celebrating the 25th anniversary of Macao's return to the motherland kicked off here on Saturday and will run until Jan. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Cheong Kam Ka)

　　MACAO, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- In the Macao-Hengqin Youth Entrepreneurship Valley, a space where many young entrepreneurs from Macao chase their dreams, the aroma of coffee mingles with the smell of rain-kissed grass.

　　From Lei Zhen's office at Nanometals Technology, the view stretches from Hengqin's landmarks to Macao's glittering skyline. Lei founded Nanometals in Zhuhai, south China's Guangdong Province, in 2014, focusing on innovative applications of new materials, with nano silver wire as the core product.

　　Hengqin, located just across the river from Macao, is home to the Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone, which was established in 2021 by the Chinese central government to foster closer integration between the two regions. The zone has become a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, hosting nearly 6,500 Macao-invested enterprises and providing a platform for new industries.

　　In 2018, Lei's project won global acclaim, taking first place in a prestigious startup contest. Three years later, Nanometals relocated to Hengqin, seizing opportunities in the cooperation zone.

　　“Moving our headquarters to Hengqin made connecting with Macao much easier and significantly improved our operational efficiency,“ Lei said. With support from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's manufacturing ecosystem, his company scaled up the production of flexible touch-screen materials -- breaking foreign monopolies in this field.