China's digital economy has been evolving rapidly in recent years, showcasing the nation's prowess as a global leader in technology and innovation. This economy encompasses a broad range of industries including e-commerce, fintech, social media platforms, online gaming and many more.

With advancements in artificial intelligence, e-commerce and mobile payments, China's digital landscape presents an intriguing case study for young professionals from all sectors. Chinese Internet hulk Tencent must have thought so too as, from June 15 to 20, the company invited 16 young representatives from 14 countries to buckle up and dive into the fascinating world of China's digital revolution as part of its 2023 Future Close-Up Program.

The program, focusing on international youth exchanges through the digital economy, was coordinated by the CICG Center for Americas.

A whirlwind tour took the participants from the humid hi-tech heat in Shenzhen, a major technology hub in south China's Guangdong Province and home to the likes of Tencent, Ping An (one of the world's largest financial services companies) and Honor (a popular Chinese smartphone brand), all the way up north, where they were subjected to the scorching summer temperatures of Beijing while exploring some of the city's hottest tech travail.

After six full days of swiping through China's most popular apps and being swept off their feet by the country's daily digital habits, on June 20, the participants had the opportunity to reflect on their experiences during several panel discussions at the trip's concluding 2023 Future Close-Up Forum. The third and final panel of the day, moderated by this author, aimed to cover and capture the main takeaways from the following six tech trippers:

Donatien Niyonzima from Rwanda, an editorial consultant with ChinAfrica magazine in Beijing;

Jibran Ali Khan, CEO at JAK Education and Innovation Consultancy in Pakistan;

Rida Hameed, a reporter for Pakistan's K21 News;

Luis Filipe de Souza Porto, a researcher of International Relations at the Federal University of ABC in Brazil;

Vu Hong Trang, co-founder of STEP Forward Education in Viet Nam;

and Conrad Alwin Ho, Chairman of COHO Group, a tech talent development program, in China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

On their "digital day tour" of Beijing on June 17, the participants had the opportunity to get acquainted with the ancient philosopher Confucius (551-479 B.C.) by scanning QR codes at the Confucius Temple, built in 1302, to obtain intel on the erudite sage.

"Learning without thinking is useless. Thinking without learning is dangerous. This is the one Confucius quote that has stuck with me," de Souza Porto said during the panel, adding he believes this particular nugget of wisdom has percolated down through China's overall development philosophy.

"They conceive the policies, put them into practice, see what works best and adjust them according to their findings; this type of action has lifted the lives and lifestyles of the population to new levels," he explained.

Ali Khan chimed in, "The country's digital economy and the companies contributing to it have been making waves. China is leveraging its budding and big-time tech resources and growing expertise to positively impact society." 

Using "tech for good," three words that also happen to be part of Tencent's official six-word slogan, proved important to all six panelists. "New apps are popping up all the time in China, and more and more are aimed at promoting social good and raising awareness about important environmental and humanitarian issues," Niyonzima said. "Along the way, from Shenzhen to Beijing, I realized many Chinese tech companies are taking their social responsibility very seriously."

"During our visit to Guangming Cinema [a Communication University of China project that first took off in 2017] in Beijing, I spoke to a group of student volunteers who had helped the visually impaired 'watch' movies by recording audio descriptions using digital voice tech to bring cinema alive for this audience; this greatly touched me," Trang told the forum.

The tech trippers also put their best foot forward during their "digital day tour" on June 17, when Tencent decided to really get "mobile" with it and asked participants to donate their steps to Tencent Charity, the company's online public fundraising platform. For every 10,000 of their steps, Tencent donates 1 yuan ($0.14) to the platform.

"But aside from this just being about donating money to charity, people should also realize this kind of digital undertaking encourages users to walk more as part of a healthy lifestyle; it basically benefits all parties involved," Ho elaborated.

The six panelists averaged around 5,000 steps that day. And on this topic of physical exercise for good, Hameed lamented not being in prime physical shape during the first two days of the trip, but quickly added, "I did make up for lost time—ok, steps—in Beijing! So I put in my two cents [insert wink]."

In the digital domain, China is marching to the beat of its own drum. Though an obstacle course with many stretches of trial and error ahead, the six panelists agreed the digital economy holds promising prospects. After all, according to the Taoist philosopher Laozi (ca. 500 B.C.), a journey of 10,000 li (5,000 km) begins with one single step. 

(Print Edition Title: Tech Trippin’) 

Copyedited by G.P. Wilson 

Comments to elsbeth@cicgamericas.com 

Arthur Gopak (Latvia)

CEO and co-founder AlphaGamma, a business portal for young professionals based in the Netherlands

This was my first time visiting China and Asia in general. I felt like I traveled to a new planet and I'm happy I did. Throughout the program, I met so many amazing people who have achieved a lot and who are working on exciting projects.

I learned new things about working, living, and doing business in China. So many bad things are being said about China and I feel there is an information vacuum for the objective description of China's situation. I look forward to visiting and doing business with China soon!

Jose Carlos Feliciano Nishikawa (Peru)

Deputy Director of the Center for China and Asia-Pacific Studies Pacific University, Peru

This experience helped me understand more aspects of the development of the policies, the ecosystem, the tools and the variables that have helped China to become the one of the most advanced digital economies in the world.

During the program, we visited companies like Tencent (a Chinese Internet giant), Honor (a Chinese smartphone brand) and Ping An (one of the largest financial services companies in China) in Shenzhen. Despite their different products and services, what they have in common is how technology empowers their operations and makes them very efficient, generating, in an indirect way, a more efficient society.

Igor Alexander Bello Tasic (Spain)

Founder of Meta Ventures, a metaverse and technology research and development advisory

As the world is transitioning into a new era, the rest of the world must understand the experience and challenges of China in transitioning its society into modernity without losing the traditional values that bind it together. It can serve as an inspiration that most countries can learn from and adapt to their own realities.

My personal experiences in the streets of Beijing and Shenzhen have shown me an ambitious yet balanced society. I have seen parents playing with their children in parks, elderly couples dancing and couples enjoying a meal, all done peacefully and harmoniously. I have also seen focused professionals working very hard, wanting to improve their lives and the lives of their families. I know this is the Chinese Dream, but I also know that this was very much my own dream.

Technology will be the most critical factor in uniting or separating my children from this "One World, One Dream." It is crucial that not only we take care of curating the information our children have access to but also make sure that they still get inspired by stories that form their character, analytical skills and compassion. That will be the pillars for them to navigate a world where artificial intelligence will be increasingly important in daily life.

Luis Filipe de Souza Porto (Brazil)

Researcher of international relations at the Federal University of ABC, Brazil

It is noteworthy how technological innovation has become an important contribution to poverty alleviation in China. China has applied the digital economy to its poverty alleviation actions and contributed a new Chinese experience to the cause of eradicating global poverty. For example, China has used advanced information and communication technologies to greatly expand the sales of agricultural products from remote areas. I really hope Brazil can learn from China's experiences and move forward toward common prosperity and a shared future.

Rida Hameed (Pakistan)

Journalist at Karachi-based K21 News TV channel, Pakistan

It was a marvelous experience learning about the advanced technologies and applications China has developed and uses in the domain of digital economy, specifically Weixin, Didi Chuxing (China's Uber equivalent) and instant food delivery services.

These products have had far-reaching effects on the country's poverty alleviation efforts, strengthened the economic pillars as well as improved the standards of living nationwide, which reflect the progressive approach the government takes toward their people.

Vu Hong Trang (Viet Nam)

Co-founder of STEP Forward Education, a provider of non-formal learning activities and skills-based programs in Viet Nam

Inclusion in digital transformation in China is truly impressive. From the widespread use of mobile payment by seniors in rural China to the creation of audio film versions for visually impaired people at Communication University of China, the country is an emerging leader in launching tech-driven reforms to increase social participation.

I would be grateful for more opportunities to see more practices of social inclusion. In addition, I am eager to see more efforts for humanitarian causes. Also, I would love to discuss in depth how smart education has changed China, and how China has equipped youths for a smarter life in the era of artificial intelligence.