Full coverage: 3rd World Internet Conference

Known as the Venice of the East, Wuzhen has more to offer than its cultural heritage. The town has successfully reinvented itself with the help of the digital economy, attracting many newcomers in the process. CCTV’s Shi Wenjing takes a look.

This unconventional tea house doesn’t just sell tea but also helps people achieve their dreams. Fu Lei is the founder of this space which aims to provide better resources for entrepreneurs.

He said, “We found this space in Wuzhen last year. There are many similar service providers in big cities, while we chose to focus on second or third tier cities. After the first year of the world internet conference, we thought this town will change. That’s why we set up a branch here.”

With a strong belief in the power of the internet and the potential prospects of small places, Fu Lei’s team has helped nearly thirty companies in traditional industries to success by using e-technology.

“Unlike traditional pig farms, this one is spotless. But how has the internet technology helped?" said Shi Wenjing

Yu Daming is the manager of this pig farm. After facing difficulties operating traditionally, he reached out to Fu Lei’s team to turn his farm digital.

He said, “After we installed a special management system, we can see real-time images from the hoggery. We can also control some of the settings inside the hoggery. Each pig here has their own QR code. Customer can trace back all the information when they buy our product. The has made the whole thing different."

The impact of the internet has even spread outside Wuhan.

Kim Joo-won is a fashion manager from South Korea currently based in a county-level city close to Wuzhen. His job is to maintain smooth communication between Chinese customers and South Korean designers.

He said, “South Korea has a robust fashion industry while China has a huge market. We developed a 3D designing software in South Korea which completely changed the design habits of our designer. The robust internet development and comprehensive industry in this city attracted us. Now customers in China are able to enjoy designs from South Korea. We can cooperate smoothly despite the distance."

So far, Wuzhen has welcomed over 30 business projects, with a total investment of over 1 billion yuan.