The New Generation: Would-be billionaires: Millennials build own blockchain business

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May 4th is China's Youth Day. The country has seen a remarkable transformation since the opening up began in 1978. Our new series – "The New Generation" will show how China's youngsters react to the rapidly changing world.

In the first episode, our reporter Liu Yang goes to Xi'an in northwest China's Shaanxi Province to meet two young millionaires. The entrepreneurs, born in the '90s, explain how their generation works to control their own fate.

Finding the right life path is similar to scoring goals on the football field. Both require timing, courage, perseverance, setting clear goals, and having the ambition to pursue success. But 23-year-old entrepreneur Tang Ling expects his trajectory of success to be unique.

TANG LING, FOUNDER ZIGGURAT TECH "Success is not a result, it's a process, and for me success is to fight something. I can do something for culture and the creative industry. If you really do what you want to do, you can reach happiness."

In 2016, Tang and his classmate Xuan Songtao created a company - Ziggurat Tech. It provides blockchain technology for protecting and reshaping the value of copyright.

TANG LING, FOUNDER ZIGGURAT TECH "We saw the movie 'The Pursuit of Happiness'. We saw the characters get the happiness and life they wanted through their hard work. So I started thinking about what's my dream and what kind of person I can be."

The two ambitious young men decided to take a few years off from studying English Literature at Xi'an Jiaotong University. The decision didn't come easily, as pressure to stay in college came from both parents and peers. But they were determined to take this path.

XUAN SONGTAO, CO-FOUNDER ZIGGURAT TECH "I don't want to have the same life and the same rules as my peers, I want to do something different. So when (Tang) talked to me about creating a business to protect copyright, and how to get involved in the creative industry, I thought it was a very interesting idea."

The typical Chinese family believes that earning a university degree is vital for a better future. Xuan's mother thought the same, but after quite a bit of struggling with the idea, she gave her son the go-ahead to pursue entrepreneurship.

YE FANG XUAN SONGTAO'S MOTHER SHAANXI "I didn't give him much leeway, his next step should be going overseas for his master's and doctoral degrees. Back then, he had offers from very good universities in Australia. But I thought about my own experience -- I created my own business in the 90s in Shenzhen. I thought this is a good time for my son to live his own life."

Professor Ma Zhiguo from Xi'an Jiaotong University says when Tang Ling first began talk about starting his own business and quitting his studies, he was surprised by the young man's determination. Tang also gave Professor Ma a better understanding of how Generation Y thinks. He believes today's youth tend to shape their own fates.

PROFESSOR MA ZHIGUO XI'AN JIAOTONG UNIVERSITY "I agreed Tang should start his business and take a break from his studies. It was simply a change in the learning environment and way of learning. Many students face a conflict between learning and entrepreneurship. Opportunities to start your own business are not always available. But the opportunity to learn is always available."

Ziggurat Tech has recently attracted investments worth 50 million yuan, and keeps developing further. Experts say -- unlike Tang Ling and Xuan Songtao -- most millennials still take the standard path. Yet, they are more independent, optimistic, and unlikely to be dictated to by their parents. They believe they are the drivers of their own lives.

YE FANG XUAN SONGTAO'S MOTHER SHAANXI "In the beginning, I was strongly against the idea, but now I fully support them. My understanding of the young generation is that they have their own awareness, and consciousness of their historic mission. They believe they have to take responsibility for the country's development in this new era."

Both of the young entrepreneurs say they believe their decision to leave university was right. They hope one day, they will build a business that will change the world. For many young Chinese millennials, there are more opportunities available to them than any other generation in China, and possibly the country's best ever era ahead of them. Liu Yang CGTN Shaanxi Province.