“Six Little Dragons of Hangzhou” usher in new era of technological innovation | Smart Living | Technology

Published : 2025-05-09

Hangzhou: from e-commerce centre to innovation city

The “Six Little Dragons” refer to DeepSeek, Unitree Technology, Game Science, BrainCo, Qunhe Technology, Deep Robotics.

They all hail from Hangzhou and lead in cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, gaming technology, brain-machine interface, and the metaverse.

DeepSeek has launched the AI large model, which “achieves great results with small expenses”. Its reasoning ability rivals OpenAI’s ChatGPT4.0, promoting the popularization and application of AI technology.

Unitree Technology developed the Yangge dancing robot that caught everyone’s eye at the Spring Festival Gala, and its market share in the global quadruped robot market has approached 70%.

Game Science developed China’s first AAA game masterpiece “Black Myth: Wukong”.

BrainCo’s brain interface devices are a worthy match to Elon Musk’s Neuralink.

Qunhe Technology owns the world’s largest interactive 3D database, providing data support for smart home and robot training, among other things.

Deep Robotics’s quadruped bionic robotic dog can traverse mountains and waters and perform spins and jumps with ease. It has been purchased by the Singapore National Grid for tunnel patrol inspections and other tasks.

These six innovation and technology companies have risen to prominence, giving Hangzhou, the e-commerce capital, a new identity – the city of technological innovation.

Read more: Understanding DeepSeek｜How does it challenge OpenAI? Who is the founder Liang Wenfeng?

Read more: Black Myth: Wukong｜How does producer Feng Ji tell a Chinese story through a great work?

Hangzhou’s innovation and technology: genuine policy support

Why do these six innovation and technology companies all come from Hangzhou?

According to an article published by the Zhejiang Provincial Publicity Department, a strong industry relies on the concerted efforts of the government, enterprises, universities, and research institutes, with each playing its role and the innovation chain tightly linked. 

At a city promotion meeting, Mayor Yao Gaoyuan expressed that Hangzhou supports enterprises with three aspects including: policy support with “genuine substance,” development investment with “real money,” and service guarantees with “genuine sincerity.”

First is the “genuine substance” of policy support.

Zhejiang Province is actively planning industries like quantum technology, synthetic biology, brain-computer interfaces, and future networks, with significant investments in technology, talent, and land.

For example, in 2017, they specially issued the “Robot+” action plan, becoming the first province in the nation to propose this policy.

It has been revealed that Hangzhou will create a tiered cultivation system of “technology-based SMEs — high-tech enterprises — emerging enterprise eagles — leading technology enterprises,” with the goal of developing over 2,000 national high-tech enterprises.

Read more: How much cutting-edge tech is in the 2025 Year of the Snake Spring Festival Gala?

Innovation and technology in Hangzhou: investment with “real money”

Second is the investment with “real money.”

To promote innovation and technology development, Hangzhou will implement the first batch of 145 provincial “1000 items and trillion projects” in 2025, with an annual planned investment of 89.6 billion RMB.

These funds and projects will boost support for future industries such as artificial intelligence, humanoid robots, intelligent logistics, and high-end equipment.

For example, the Yichuang Town in Xihu District, Hangzhou offers digital companies like Game Science a maximum of 100% rent subsidy or exemption within three years.

When Unitree Robotics faced a funding gap while developing quadruped robots in 2017, the Hangzhou government fund invested 20 million yuan and coordinated the sharing of Zhejiang University laboratory equipment, helping them overcome the technical bottleneck of motor drive technology.

As Yao Gaoyuan stated: “Regardless of financial tightness, we cannot cut down technology investment, ensuring that innovation always remains the city’s character.”

Innovation and technology in Hangzhou: service guarantees with “genuine sincerity”

The government plays an important role in providing policy and financial support, but it also needs to set boundaries to create an open and inclusive innovation ecosystem.

Hangzhou adheres to the principle of “serving when needed, not bothering when not,” making many technology enterprises successful.

The 2023 World Bank Business Environment Report shows that Hangzhou ranks 12th globally in contract enforcement efficiency, surpassing San Francisco at 19th, indicating that the government provides efficient services to enterprises.

To attract talent, Hangzhou has launched multiple preferential measures in “clothing, food, housing, and transportation,” attracting over 300,000 undergraduates under 35 years old annually.

Major universities and local enterprises in the province are deeply bound, preventing the outflow of graduates from prestigious schools.

For instance, Zhejiang University established the nation’s first undergraduate AI major in 2018, and 40% of algorithm engineers at DeepSeek come from this major.

Zhu Qiuguo, founder of Deep Robotics, is a professor at Zhejiang University, and his team, relying on the Zhejiang University Robotics Institute, shortened the development cycle by 60%.

After years of efforts, Hangzhou’s net talent inflow rate has ranked first in the country for consecutive years, making it a preferred place for young people to start businesses and find employment.

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