Name: Inside Chinas AI coders village
Uploaded: 2025-12-30T02:44:01.939Z
Duration: 2 min 25 s
Description: CNBC’s Elaine Yu travels to Hangzhou’s Liangzhu district - a hub where coders, creatives and former Big Tech engineers are building a very different kind of AI future.

CNBC’s Elaine Yu travels to Hangzhou’s Liangzhu district - a hub where coders, creatives and former Big Tech engineers are building a very different kind of AI future.

Liangzhu, Henan

The release of Open AI's ChatGPT has accelerated the development of artificial intelligence and warnings about its impact on society.

Rise of AI

Liangzhu, a suburb of Hangzhou, has emerged as a center for unconventional artificial intelligence development, attracting coders and entrepreneurs from across China and beyond. The community is known for its creative atmosphere, inclusive support for both large and small projects, and a focus on innovative AI applications such as gamified fitness trackers and ADHD-friendly tools.

Many startups in Liangzhu aim for global markets, often launching products abroad first and utilizing China's hardware supply chains for competitive pricing. While investors praise the area's creativity, they also note that not all AI products will succeed, as some are developed more for marketing appeal than genuine consumer demand.

Inside China's AI coders' 'village'

A mix of misty lakes and modern skylines, Hangzhou inspired artists for centuries before nurturing tech giants. Now the Chinese city is chasing a new identity around artificial intelligence with a kaleidoscopic scene. While the likes of Alibaba and DeepSeek battle over frontier AI, a leafy hipster-meets-hacker suburb has become ground zero for AI's quirkier side. Coders and aspiring entrepreneurs have flocked to Liangzhu in the past two years, drawn by its creativity, free lifestyle and sense of camaraderie. Unlike the city's so-called six little dragons, which are knuckling down on robotics and brain-computer interface, Liangzhu's residents are building gamified fitness trackers and ADHD-friendly calendar tools. Residents of Liangzhu call themselves villagers, and count Silicon Valley and Chinese big tech alums among them. Alex Wei, an entrepreneur who moved to Liangzhu this year, is interested in how AI can meet people's emotional needs. He is developing an AI app based on traditional Chinese definition tools. Liangzhu's low commercial pressure is part of its appeal. You can come to Liangzhu with 1,000 RMB and leave with your product demo. It's a very inclusive place. You don't have to have a unicorn product. You'll find support even for a small app serving 1,000 people. Many are eyeing global customers. Several of Wei's projects first launched in North America. The plan is to tap China's hardware supply chains and offer competitive prices worldwide. But China's domestic competition and customers' reluctance to pay for software have also pushed startups to target users abroad, according to observers. Investors have noticed. A monthly demo day that started in a living room now draws founders and backers from across the region and beyond. While praising founder creativity, investors warn some startups simply patch AI onto products for marketing, from air conditioners to mirrors checking your sunscreen. Not every product will stick. Whether consumers want them is an open question. But some founders pitch AI not for productivity, but comfort.

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Inside China's AI coders' 'village'

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Rise of AI