"Hangzhou lacks at least four of these elements, with no clear advantages in venture capital, human capital, university-industry ties, or industrial structure"... Please, you should check on this. Have you heard about Zhejiang University, N3 of China and N1 in overall budget? Precisely, ZJU has developed a model of building specific ecosystems with the tech, medical, space, and other key industrial sectors. These ecosystems are linked to banks and massive donors (like Alibaba) that have developed huge incubators for start-ups like DeepSeek. Anyway, great piece, catching some of Hangzhou essence and incomparable charm.
Yes and no...China probably have 5+ universities who claim that they are the No.3 after Tsinghua and Peking, though ZJU is definitely a strong candidate. I think it is fair to say that ZJU has a good relationship and ecosystem, but Tsinghua or Shanghai Jiao Tong is probably better than this. And DeepSeek did not directly spinoff from ZJU like Zhipu from Tsinghua. So overall ZJU is great, but it is not Stanford.
Listening, and caring seems to be two key elements in Hangzhou's success. Sweet!
"Unlike the government support in Silicon Valley, which sometimes prioritizes tech innovation at the expense of public living conditions, Hangzhou’s government sees quality of life as a critical strategy for attracting companies and talents."
I expect the great analysis and comparisons of how/why Hangzhou is in this position, but the personal story at the end and the pictures included really helped me get a sense of place. Really good work.
The “waiter government” image stuck with me. The shift from enforcer to enabler feels like the real story here. Hangzhou didn’t outbuild, outfund, or outcredential Beijing and Shanghai. It just out-listened.
What’s most striking is how little of this story depends on traditional innovation metrics. No major VC surge. No elite university cluster. No military-industrial complex. Just a local government with enough humility to serve rather than steer, and founders bold enough to build without waiting for permission.
Can this kind of “low-ego governance” scale? Or does it only work in places that are still overlooked, where being the “only child” still feels possible?
"Hangzhou lacks at least four of these elements, with no clear advantages in venture capital, human capital, university-industry ties, or industrial structure"... Please, you should check on this. Have you heard about Zhejiang University, N3 of China and N1 in overall budget? Precisely, ZJU has developed a model of building specific ecosystems with the tech, medical, space, and other key industrial sectors. These ecosystems are linked to banks and massive donors (like Alibaba) that have developed huge incubators for start-ups like DeepSeek. Anyway, great piece, catching some of Hangzhou essence and incomparable charm.
Yes and no...China probably have 5+ universities who claim that they are the No.3 after Tsinghua and Peking, though ZJU is definitely a strong candidate. I think it is fair to say that ZJU has a good relationship and ecosystem, but Tsinghua or Shanghai Jiao Tong is probably better than this. And DeepSeek did not directly spinoff from ZJU like Zhipu from Tsinghua. So overall ZJU is great, but it is not Stanford.
Listening, and caring seems to be two key elements in Hangzhou's success. Sweet!
"Unlike the government support in Silicon Valley, which sometimes prioritizes tech innovation at the expense of public living conditions, Hangzhou’s government sees quality of life as a critical strategy for attracting companies and talents."
I expect the great analysis and comparisons of how/why Hangzhou is in this position, but the personal story at the end and the pictures included really helped me get a sense of place. Really good work.
The “waiter government” image stuck with me. The shift from enforcer to enabler feels like the real story here. Hangzhou didn’t outbuild, outfund, or outcredential Beijing and Shanghai. It just out-listened.
What’s most striking is how little of this story depends on traditional innovation metrics. No major VC surge. No elite university cluster. No military-industrial complex. Just a local government with enough humility to serve rather than steer, and founders bold enough to build without waiting for permission.
Can this kind of “low-ego governance” scale? Or does it only work in places that are still overlooked, where being the “only child” still feels possible?