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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
LANZHOU, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — At a training center in Baiyin City, northwest China's Gansu Province, Li Yanrong stares at a computer screen as he pilots a virtual drone: takeoff, hovering, cruising, and landing, all under the watchful eye of an instructor.
A second-year student at a local vocational mining college invested 8,000 yuan (approximately $1,140) of his savings into a professional drone piloting course. He is working toward a BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) pilot's license for medium-sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which will allow him to operate larger drones over longer distances and improve his chances of landing a high-paying job.
“Once I master drone control, I will be able to perform tasks such as agricultural spraying or intelligent patrol,” Li Yanrong said. “This will open up better career prospects for me.”
Li Yanrong is one of a growing number of young Chinese seizing opportunities in the country's rapidly expanding low-altitude economy – a sector encompassing drones, electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, and related services operating below standard airspace altitude.
His instructor, Wei Cunxin, previously worked for the country's largest drone manufacturer in the southern Chinese tech hub of Shenzhen. In early 2025, Wei Cunxin returned to his hometown of Baiyin to start his own drone business.
"The sky is no longer the private domain of a select few. It is becoming a space accessible to everyone," 26-year-old Wei Cunxin said in an interview with Xinhua News Agency.
His company currently employs 10 people, all under 30. It provides pilot training certified by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and offers services such as energy infrastructure inspection, geodetic surveying, agricultural spraying, and aerial photography.
Shang Hongbo, a 22-year-old employee from the neighboring city of Qingyang, expressed optimism about the sector's growth prospects.
Shang Hongbo, a university graduate majoring in UAV application technology, noted that experienced plant protection pilots can earn more than 8,000 yuan for a full day's work.
Local authorities are taking steps to ensure vocational training keeps pace with the industry's growth. In 2025, Baiyin authorities, in collaboration with educational institutions, launched free drone pilot training programs for the unemployed, rural migrants, and recent university graduates.
“We provide comprehensive services that also include job placement guidance for trainees,” said Gao Minqiang, an official with the local Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, noting that three training sessions attracted more than 100 participants.
Among those interns is 34-year-old Wu Xuejiao, who said the program helped her learn how to operate drones and their applications in agriculture, logistics, and inspections.
“It feels like I’ve acquired another skill for making money,” she shared.
Drones are becoming an increasingly common sight throughout Gansu Province. In rural areas, they fly low over fields, spraying crops. In cities, police use them to monitor traffic. They are also used for patrol inspections, surveys, and aerial photography.
In 2024 and 2025, the term “low-altitude economy” was included twice in the government work report presented at the annual session of the National People's Congress, demonstrating its important role in the country's economic development.
According to CAAC forecasts, the market size of China's low-altitude economy will be 1.5 trillion yuan in 2025, and it may reach 3.5 trillion yuan by 2035.
Starting in 2024, many regions have implemented policies to stimulate this sector, focusing on the development of both drone production and their application in logistics, agriculture, and passenger transportation.
Differentiated regional development policies will help shape a national development model for the industry, and its prospects are becoming increasingly promising, said Zhu Qiantao, a professor at Lanzhou University of Finance and Economics.
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