Spending 100,000 yuan just to witness the next technological revolution, tech "pilgrims" flood to China
Foreign investors and entrepreneurs spend thousands of dollars to visit Chinese factories, hoping to witness up close the process that may trigger the next technological revolution. This trend reflects the fact that Western companies are facing the possibility of Chinese companies taking the lead in advanced manufacturing and cutting-edge technology fields. Chinese industrial tourism generated $17.8 billion in revenue last year, and it is expected to exceed 300 billion yuan by 2029. Shanghai-based technology inspection agency GloPen says that the number of consultations increased by 50% in 2026, with customers mainly coming from Europe and Singapore. More than 100 one-day corporate visit events are organized monthly. Chen Sijia, CEO of the global shipping business network, said that corporate executives are reluctant to disclose their itineraries, but many visitors come from Southeast Asia. American investment firms such as Dimension, Capital Group, and Thrive Capital have also participated in such inspections. China has clearly committed to “strongly promoting” industrial tourism and has identified more than 140 official demonstration sites. Since March 2024, Xiaomi’s auto factory has welcomed over 250,000 visitors…