China Focus: Beyond sci-fi: AI reimagines and powers Chinese solo startups

An entrepreneur enters Starshine OPC Entrepreneur Community in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 22, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhao Jinzheng)

by Xinhua writers Zhao Jinzheng, Zhang Xiaojie

HEFEI, July 31 (Xinhua) -- In early 20th-century movie theaters, a single operator could sit behind a "fotoplayer"-- a mechanical musical instrument combining a piano, pipe organ, and sound-effect devices -- and bring silent films to life.

Today, artificial intelligence (AI) is helping create a new generation of "one-person bands," opening up new doors for young entrepreneurs in China to build and operate businesses with AI tools.

"Our platform, launched in April, provides reliable AI workflows for a wide range of users. From developing marketing strategies to putting them into practice, many tasks can now be completed efficiently with AI assistance," said Yang Ling, founder of Hefei Wildsyn Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.

Her AI workflow can finish generating short-video topics, scripts, voiceovers and edits for the week ahead in a short time and a ten-minute production costs only 0.27 yuan (about 4 U.S. cents).

This is not a sci-fi story. Yang is a one-person company (OPC) entrepreneur based at the Starshine OPC Entrepreneur Community in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province.

OPC is currently one of the hottest buzzwords in China. The term refers to entrepreneurs who use AI tools for product design, development, marketing and operations with independent or micro teams.

According to a report on China's OPC development trend, China had more than 16 million one-person limited liability companies as of June 2025, accounting for 27.4 percent of all enterprises nationwide, as increasing numbers of young people embrace entrepreneurship.

The Starshine OPC Entrepreneur Community, where Yang is based, was just launched in May. It aims to provide support for early-stage entrepreneurs who often struggle with high costs, limited resources and difficulties accessing real-world application scenarios.

"Early-stage solo startups often face challenges such as high operating costs, fragmented resources, and a lack of real-world application scenarios," said Zu Ying, manager of the community. "We provide free office space, help match supply and demand and assist entrepreneurs in securing business orders," Zu said.

The community has already nurtured over 30 startups in areas such as AI-generated content, intelligent manufacturing, AI agents and enterprise AI services.

Hefei is only one example of a broader trend taking place across China. A growing number of cities in the country are seeking to attract AI-driven entrepreneurs and nurture OPCs.

Suzhou, in east China's Jiangsu Province, has set its sights on becoming a globally attractive innovation hub for OPC talent. Shanghai has registered 169 large language models to provide foundational support for emerging business models such as OPCs.

Many cities are providing AI computing subsidies and opening up real industrial scenarios, allowing entrepreneurs to test and improve their products in real-world settings.

As enthusiasm for AI-powered entrepreneurship grows, some OPC communities have launched targeted training programs to help young people acquire AI skills.

Sun Jingya, manager of an OPC community in Hefei, said the community holds monthly AI training sessions covering areas such as marketing and intelligent office tools.

"We not only teach people how to use AI tools but also analyze the hottest communication trends," Sun said.

After participating in the training, many young people have chosen to establish OPCs in fields such as film, television and marketing, realizing that tasks which once required teams of four or five can now be managed with the help of several AI models.

"As a fine arts graduate, I only realized after taking AI training that ideas and scenes in my imagination could be brought to life so efficiently and with such impressive effects," said Wang Qianqian, a former trainee who works at a Hefei digital media company.

With AI support, Wang, 24, has mastered a wide range of skills, from generating image assets to producing videos in just two months.

Wang hopes to master a range of AI skills and open her own OPC in western China.

"In the future, I can produce promotional videos for cultural tourism and help other companies create the IP content they need. With AI, this is no longer a difficult task," she said.

Across China, similar training programs and entrepreneurial communities are emerging to incubate AI-driven businesses and cultivate a new generation of entrepreneurs capable of using AI to expand their ventures.

As AI tools become more accessible and the digital collaboration ecosystem continues to improve, the boom of OPCs is injecting new momentum into the global economy, said Sun Zhongfeng, associate professor at the School of Sociology and Political Science at Anhui University.

"The significance lies in reshaping how productivity is reorganized, giving ordinary people the opportunities to participate in market innovation," Sun said. ■

Young entrepreneurs communicate at Starshine OPC Entrepreneur Community in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, July 22, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhao Jinzheng)