A faded business license once heralded a new era—in 1980, Wenzhou issued China's first individual business license following the reform and opening-up policy. From buttons, lighters, to leather shoes, the people of Wenzhou etched the term "individual business" into the history of China's private economy. Over four decades later, as the wave of artificial intelligence surges forward, history appears to have come full circle. The individual entrepreneurs who once emerged from the cracks of the system are now regrouping in the digital world as "super individuals."
The concept of "super individuals," first introduced by Silicon Valley angel investor Naval Ravikant, refers to highly efficient workers who leverage personal skills and technological means to operate independently of traditional corporate structures. In the AI era, these individuals have found their electronic "Doraemon," enabling a single person to achieve leverage and become a fulcrum for realizing dreams. Individuals in any profession or role, when augmented by digital technology, have the potential to transform into "super individuals."
On February 17, the first day of the Lunar New Year, the "2026 Immediate Innovation AI Spring Festival Gala" was broadcast globally. Its initiator and chief director, Li Yichen, is a "super individual" engaged in AIGC content development, who has already organized three consecutive AI galas in Wenzhou. According to statistics from the Wenzhou Market Supervision Administration, in 2025, registrations of business entities in emerging industries in Wenzhou grew, with 1,855 registered individual businesses involved in "artificial intelligence," a year-on-year increase of 43%. A new experiment combining individual creativity and urban vitality is quietly underway in Wenzhou.
**New Wave – An Old Story Gains New Chapters**
Let us turn back the clock to the beginning. In 1980, when Zhang Huamei became China's first licensed individual business operator, over 1,000 individual businesses in Wenzhou applied for licenses, giving rise to the nationally and globally influential "Wenzhou Model" and the "Four Thousand Spirits." From that moment, Wenzhou became not just a geographical city but one of the most symbolic local examples of China's reform and opening-up. These models and spirits, effective in the past, remain relevant today. However, standing at the forefront of the AI era, the old story is now being written with new chapters.
Recently, a screenwriter from Ruian, Jiang Hai (pen name), used AI technology to transform his script into video format, achieving a significant leap in personal capability. Writing the script, generating storyboards, synthesizing videos, dubbing, and scoring—he single-handedly accomplished the work of an entire production team, creating a 40-episode short series within two months. "Twelve film companies approached me to sign short series operation agreements and pre-ordered 20 short films for this year. This was unimaginable before," Jiang Hai remarked, still amazed by the change.
"Past individual businesses used their living rooms as workshops, relying on relatives and neighbors. Today's 'super individuals' use the cloud as their workshop, relying on algorithmic models," described Ni Kaomeng, a special expert for the World Artificial Intelligence Conference and Vice President of the Wenzhou Municipal Party School. Zhang Zengxi, head of Wenzhou Pinhaopian Technology Co., Ltd., could hardly contain his excitement when discussing the changes over the past two years. In the company's AI photography department, five employees process images and video materials with minute-level efficiency amid the constant clatter of keyboards. Pinhaopian, an e-commerce photography company, previously required at least ten days and over a dozen employees for shooting, editing, and operations to complete a set of photos. "With AI tools, employees seem to possess 'superpowers.' Without going to a studio, each person can independently generate over 100 sets of finished products daily," Zhang said, noting that the training周期 has been shortened from six months to just two days.
The productivity units in Wenzhou are miniaturizing and atomizing at an unprecedented pace. They remain the capillaries of the real economy and the most dynamic cells of the private sector. Hua Zhi, head of the Beijing Yuanda Think Tank, who has followed Wenzhou's private economy for over 20 years, observes that the profile of Wenzhou's new generation of entrepreneurial individuals has drastically changed. The emergence of "super individuals" reflects a persistent commitment to "continuing the history of innovation" and a profound insight into technological advancement and industrial upgrading, providing strategic opportunities for Wenzhou to revitalize its private economy and develop new quality productive forces.
From the individual vendors hawking their wares on Renmin West Road to the "super individuals" collaborating in the cloud and orchestrating AI, the story of Wenzhou has never strayed from the protagonist—the individual—yet its core has iterated repeatedly within the torrent of technological progress.
**New Ecosystem – From Creators to Entrepreneurs**
Spending a few days conversing with various "super individuals" reveals that besides local Wenzhou residents, many hail from Shanghai, Jiangsu, Hangzhou, and other regions. Faced with the "siphon effect" from sibling cities in the Yangtze River Delta, what is Wenzhou's appeal? "It's all about the 'vibe' and network aggregation effect," joked Ni Kaomeng. Behind this humor lies a series of well-planned, high-level AI competitions—covering painting, video, music, design, and more—with over a hundred events held in just three years. As one organizer put it, it's like widely sowing seeds in soil; while it's uncertain which will grow into towering trees, the priority is to ensure they sprout.
Frequent competitions have brought sustained exposure and talent concentration. Song Donghuan, head of the "Story Relay" community; Chen Xiangyu, founder of Yilei Media; AI education expert "Hua Xiaoer"... "super individuals" from all directions are gathering in Wenzhou.
Beyond the allure of competitions, platform support is also crucial. Last September, the province's first Artificial Intelligence Bureau was established in Wenzhou. This "new sign" reflects Wenzhou's inherent advantages in the AI arena—it hosts over 1,000 data ecosystem enterprises and undertakes six national data infrastructure construction (pilot) tasks. While resources converge, Wenzhou recognizes that to maximize the capabilities and value of these "super individuals," they must be guided from creators to entrepreneurs, establishing "one-person companies" where individuals, empowered by smart technology, independently manage the entire commercial闭环 from product design and R&D to production, promotion, operation, and even customer service.
"The goal is to transform personal IP into economic value, injecting more vitality into Wenzhou's private economy," Ni Kaomeng stated. To this end, Wenzhou initiated the "Super Individual" alliance, aiming to create a national benchmark platform for incubating such individuals. The alliance currently has over 2,000 members from more than 10 cities across China. Last year, after Liu Bo came from Shanghai to Wenzhou for an AI video creation competition, he expressed his vision to build a platform aggregating creators. Within just two weeks, local authorities assisted with all registration procedures, leading to the birth of Zhejiang Yuanyin Technology Co., Ltd.
An idea from alliance member Zheng Ziqing has also materialized into a tangible product. Five years ago, he began exploring how to use robots to solve the "last mile" delivery challenge. Without a large team or spacious facilities, he and two or three partners spent most of their time working with code, circuit boards, and iterating test vehicles using AI tools. "It very much resembles the early Wenzhou family workshops where one was the 'factory director, technician, and salesperson' all rolled into one," Zheng quipped. In November last year, his registered company, Haojing Technology, secured angel-round investment. The robot "Xiao Jing Express" began scaled production, with an estimated total output value of 60 million yuan in 2026—a tenfold increase from 2025.
Gu Xubo, Director of the AIGC Committee of the Wenzhou Computer Society, believes that from the first generation of individual businesses to the new generation of entrepreneurs, Wenzhou is embracing change with greater openness, welcoming the surging AI era. The ability to achieve breakthroughs "from scratch" has long been ingrained in the city's collective character. Wenzhou's appeal lies within every bold idea and the repeated "two-way奔赴" between the government and the market.
**New Challenges – Measuring "New Heights" with a "New Ruler"**
The rise of individuals calls for an adaptive ecosystem. "Super individuals" in the AI era, while embarking on entrepreneurship, commonly face "growing pains." "Our most valuable assets are the algorithm models iterated hundreds of times on our computers and the accumulated industry data. But when applying for certain policy supports or bank loans, the first questions are 'How many employees do you have? What's your office size? How much fixed assets do you own?'" shared an entrepreneur involved in AI digital content creation, his tone laced with frustration.
This is not an isolated case. Currently, many "one-person companies" transformed from "super individuals" face a widespread institutional adaptation dilemma: technology is advancing too rapidly for policy adjustments to keep pace. Traditional industrial policies and financial support are largely designed for traditional manufacturing or internet platform companies, emphasizing headcount, physical space, and fixed assets. In contrast, "one-person companies" are typically asset-light, fast-iterating, and individual-centric. Using the "old ruler" of the past to measure the "new height" of the AI era inevitably leads to a poor fit.
Wenzhou is acting swiftly, exploring ways to rewrite the "rules of the game" and construct a new ecosystem conducive to the growth of "one-person companies" using a "new ruler." On December 13 last year, at the China Artificial Intelligence Digital Innovation Conference, Wenzhou, jointly with several institutions, launched the "OPCxChina" co-construction initiative, calling for the creation of a national community for "one-person company" entrepreneurs. This platform aims to provide services while gathering demands to drive policy optimization. The following day, the national secretariat for "OPCxChina" was officially inaugurated in the Wenzhou Longwan International Cloud Software Valley.
Around the same time, Wencheng County established its own OPC service center to assist local "one-person companies" with registration, provide entrepreneurial subsidies, connect them with supply chain resources, and offer practical skill training programs. "'An army of one' can often feel isolated. We will provide more resource support to 'give them a push forward'," said a relevant official from the Wencheng County Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. On January 16, the county launched its first "Skill Symbiosis" public welfare skill complementarity training camp. Courses focused on AI short video creation, AI cross-border e-commerce, and intelligent agent setup and practical skills. The first batch attracted 43 participants, including freelancers, digital nomads, mid-level managers, and key business personnel.
Lan Wenbin, involved in the homestay industry, was deeply moved after attending: "The AI era has truly arrived. Learning and effectively using AI is essential for better entrepreneurship." "This journey has just begun. We need more 'super individuals' to participate," Ni Kaomeng admitted, noting that the best rules are not designed but grow out of practice.
From the roar of "household industry" to the keyboard taps of "one-person companies"; from Wenzhou merchants "going out" to conquer the world to new Wenzhou entrepreneurs being "invited in" to co-build the future... This time, the new direction for Wenzhou's "individuals" lies in the deep blue digital world.