The Pingtan Comprehensive Pilot Zone, in Fujian province, came up with a new policy, on March 17 that allows entrepreneurs to apply for a business license without having arranged a location for the business, simply by providing a contact address, as the first such policy of its kind on the mainland, authorities say.

And it has already had an effect, with one of the first beneficiaries being Deng Yihui, who explains, “I planned to open an international trading company and get it going by the end of March. But I’ve been scratching my head looking for a proper site, and I assumed that there would be a real hurdle in the registration.”

Deng went on to say, “Then I heard about this new policy and put my concerns aside and just headed straight here.”

Previously, anyone applying would have to go through extensive pile of paperwork, try to get proof of property ownership, a contract on a lease, and land rights all of them endorsed by the local government, which could have taken several days for someone like Zhang.

Now, however, none of those things is necessary, or, as Zhang Lingyun, of the local market supervision and administration bureau, explains, “To simplify the registration process for the location will save trouble, time and money for the enterprise involved, causing more of them to want to settle in Pingtan.”