in the chinese capital of beijing, a seminar for entrepreneurs soon reaches its capacity of 300. the country is experiencing an

unprecedented boom in people launching their own businesses. the government is forging ahead with a scheme it hopes will enable 800,000 college graduates to become entrepreneurs by 2017. amid this trend, a young graduate has attracted a lot of attention by opening up a noodle shop. meanwhile, other budding entrepreneurs encounter troubles from their dreams.

in this episode of asia insight, we find the trials and tribulations of young graduates attempting to escape the norm and pursue the chinese dream. this is a financial building in beijing central business district. in april 2014, a small diner opened its doors here. the small, 30 square meter eatery has experienced success ever since it opened thanks to comments posted on social media an the internet. although rice noodles from southern china are the only dish on the menu, diners can choose from a variety of ingredients.

the noodles are available with or without soup. this particular dish is extremely spicy. over half the customers complain about the taste. but the restaurant carries on regardless. in fact, it displays customer comments on the tables.

♪ in spite of these complaints, 300 bowls are sold every day with a turnover of more than 24,000 u.s. dollars each month. the owner has attracted the attention of the industry by opening up a second diner only three months after the first one. a product launch party is being held for a major south korean electronics manufacturer. reporters from magazines and online media attend. the restaurant was chosen as a venue because of its reputation.

the noodle shops were opened by student in the prestigious peking university. 24-year-old zhang is now the talk of the town. want to gain ek appearance,

zhang had many jobs as a student including a tutor and a dumpling shop owner. the experience has allowed him to increase sales earning the dumpling shop $3,200 a month. >> zhang is dedicated to preserving the flavors of his hometown. china's spiciest meal is is made by adding hot peppers to the thick hunan noodles. although it's a little too spicy for those born in the city

about a month after opening, the diner was visited by investors, helping zhang to secure loans. helping young entrepreneurs. toured peking university --

>> entrepreneurs come together in a certain corner. in a way is a street -- stands for innovation and with costs such as leasing office space. the street is lined with small shop, offices and management schools. they're run by individuals or supported by major universities.

the garage cafe was the inspiration behind the way and the first shop on the street. it's name comes from america's silicon valley where young entrepreneurs originally walked from their garages. each seat is equipped with high speed wi-fi and power sources. the facility -- the price of a coffee. facilities like this where young entrepreneurs can exchange ideas are known as incubators.

>> the people at the garage cafe

are hoping to raise the next generation of entrepreneurs. he originally worked for an investment company. the cafe also gives youngsters the opportunity to pitch themselves and their ideas. each person is allocated a five-minute slot. although everyone is is a rival, it's an opportunity to sell themselves and recruit colleagues. the main purpose is to pitch

ideas to investors who might be at the cafe. liang takes to the stage. he was a regular at the cafe before opening a small office last year, but he's back because he's still seeking an investor for his idea.

he has been working for two years on a compact survey that has an open source operating system. liang has met with 30 investors who tell him there's been little interest in his proposal. his office is in a residential district some ways from beijing.

it's actually a room in an apartment. the office is shared by two companies and the landlord has agreed to waive rent on the condition they help out with his company. they have four employees, trying to bring the dream of the compact server to life. so far, 18 employees have left liang's company. mostly due to financial reasons.

>> business is hand to mouth and sometimes, people don't get paid. he takes the bus on the outskirts of where he lives. it's a 20-minute ride. at first glance, it looks like a typical parm, but he's renting a room in a basement for people

with low incomes. the kitchen and toilet are shared. there's hardly any room in the six square meter room for a bed. including utilities. liang moved to beijing nine years ago, seeking admission to university. growing up in the west of the country, he was a straight a student since elementary school. in spite of his family's -- he never -- the elite colleges he wanted to enter.

although he found stable employment when he was 24. meanwhile, zhang lives in an apartment close to the capital.

the rent is $640 a month. roughly half the income of a new college graduate. his office is full of books on various subjects. recently, he's been reading a book written by a famous leader who also came from hunan. no matte how busy he is, zhang always wakes up at 5:00 a.m. and reads for two hours.

zhang has already decided the open two diners. he says the biggest challenge now is how to motivate his employees as the business expands. one idea is an internal currency system distributed to motivated employees in change for vacation time and other benefits.

zhang plans to implement the system next year. children of the '90s, started in their 20s. how do they feel about the youthful workplace zhang has created. zhang plans to increase the

number of his stores to ten the next two years. he's already been successful in securing funding. in contrast, liang called us to say he's still struggling and on the verge of losing everything. he said he signed a contract through a brocker, who's not heard from him since. he has since received the money he was promised and won't be able to pay his employees. he decides to call the broker.

liang believed he signed a contract on the condition he would immediately receive funding in return for 51% of his company's shares. however, in small print, there is no reference to a payment date. it says investors can obtain company shares as long as they provide company funding within two years, which means they're waiting for liang's company to produce results.

he decides to consult the owner of the garage cafe.

the dreams and passion of many young entrepreneurs are sometimes shattered in the face of reality.

wu lu established a firm in beijing five years ago and made it big, riding on the curtails of the real estate boom. his attention has now turned to budding young entrepreneurs. he is planning to emulate garage cafe and have a place where he can invest in promising new talent.

zhang is one young entrepreneur who made it.

now that china is a wealthy nation, the youth continue to turn their backs on conventional careers and search for new ways to climb the ladder of success.

hello, you're watching "newsline." i'm keiko kitagawa in tokyo. more than 30 people died in a stampede during a new year's celebration at a popular tourist site. people gathered at the district in the town to enjoy the high-rise buildings across the river. rows in the area were filled with people and vehicles could not move because of the crowd. city officials stay the stampede occurred about 11:35 p.m. on wednesday.