A Digital Haven in a 5,000-Year-Old Civilization: How Liangzhu New City Became a Place Young Talent Call Home
HANGZHOU, China, Nov. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 2026 World Internet Conference Wuzhen Summit was held in Wuzhen, Zhejiang Province, from Nov. 2 to 5. The Liangzhu SHUQIWAN AI+ Industry Community in Hangzhou's Liangzhu New City presented a dedicated booth at the "Internet Light" Expo, while several resident companies took part in themed events, project pitches and innovation competitions. The expo brought together more than 670 companies from 54 countries and regions, showcased or released over 1,000 technological achievements and hosted more than 20 global product debuts.
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Since its opening in September 2025, the Liangzhu SHUQIWAN AI+ Industry Community has focused on integrating artificial intelligence with the digital cultural industry. Built around the OPC (one-person company) entrepreneurial community, it has developed an innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that integrates space, industrial resources, startup services and networking.To date, SHUQIWAN has received more than 1,000 applications to establish one-person companies, attracted over 400 projects and connected with more than 2,800 digital nomads.
Inside SHUQIWAN, there are no cubicles or fixed desks. Entrepreneurs can work in the cafe or withdraw into a quiet pod. These young people are known as "digital villagers."
From the more than 1,000 digital nomads active around Liangzhu Cultural Village to today's AI startup ecosystem centered on SHUQIWAN, Liangzhu New City is pursuing the integrated development of industry, urban space, community and culture. It is exploring a sustainable path that enables young talent to move from "settling in" to "staying on."
In Liangzhu New City's "2+X" modern industrial system, digital culture is the first-mover advantage, life and health a further growth pole, and "AI+" the new track for securing the future. SHUQIWAN serves both as a testing ground for this strategy and as its accelerator: not merely office space, but a comprehensive innovation ecosystem that brings together shared desks, startup incubation, technology matchmaking and investor pitch events.
In March 2026, Liangzhu New City partnered with the School of Innovation and Design at the China Academy of Art and the Hangchuang (AI) Camp to establish a university-local government cooperation mechanism aimed at linking art and design creativity with AI technology, industrial transformation and government support.
The vitality of SHUQIWAN is one gauge of how Liangzhu New City attracts young talent. The comfort of its talent apartments is another.
Two talent apartment complexes in Yuhang District-Caijing Hefu and Caiying Jingting-provide 1,208 homes for young professionals, with occupancy consistently above 98 percent. Caijing Hefu was recently named one of Zhejiang Province's first youth housing pilot projects.
Liangzhu Youth Community holds about 40 events a year-lawn camping, starlight concerts and weekend board games-and has incubated 20 interest-based communities. It has brokered more than 50 targeted resource matchups and linked over 30 entrepreneurial cooperation projects. Its youth night school focuses on the practical applications of AI software and short-video operations, helping young people upgrade their skills.
In 2024, Liangzhu was incorporated into Hangzhou's "one main center, six sub-centers and three cities" sub-city framework, and 26 square kilometers within the Ring Expressway were designated part of the central urban area. Yuhu Park, covering 688 mu (about 46 hectares), drew about 2.43 million visitors in the first half of 2026. The roughly 25.9-kilometer Liangzhu Jade Road links canals, housing, industrial parks, business districts, schools and parks, shaping a 15-minute community life circle.
Cultural landmarks such as Liangzhu Museum, the "Big Barn" at Yuniaoji and the Liangzhu Culture and Arts Center are scattered throughout the area, allowing residents to encounter traces of a 5,000-year civilization on everyday walks. The square-and-circle imagery of the jade cong is embedded in public spaces; civilization is no longer a national treasure displayed behind glass, but part of the everyday life of the urban fabric.
For cities in China and around the world exploring a new path of urbanization, Liangzhu New City offers a useful reference: when a city truly understands what young people need, and when industry, culture, life and ecology are organically integrated, young talent are more likely to stay. The competition for young talent is increasingly about how people live in a city, not just how the city is built.
Contact person: Ms. Pang, Tel: 86-10-63074558.
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