Stepping into the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center in Beijing, visitors are immediately immersed in a futuristic atmosphere. Robots, showcasing their capabilities in various scenarios -- from calligraphy and brewing coffee to dancing and delivering bilingual announcements -- make a dazzling impression.

The ongoing 2025 Zhongguancun Forum (ZGC Forum) Annual Conference highlights the transformation of Zhongguancun, China's "Silicon Valley," into a global innovation hub, marked by groundbreaking technologies and the convergence of global expertise.

From humanoid robots seen throughout the venues to gene therapy for "blindness treatment" featured at the exhibition center, the five-day event, which began on Thursday, is captivating guests from over 100 countries and regions with China's emerging industries.

In addition, the lively discussions and promotions surrounding topics such as the development of ZGC, a world-leading sci-tech park, and the cooperation under the ZGC Global High-Level Think Tank Alliance, are heightening guests' expectations for technological collaboration aimed at advancing human well-being.

Humanoid robots walk during a permanent exhibition at the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center in Beijing, capital of China, March 27, 2025.(Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Harnessing cutting-edge technologies

Nearly 100 robots from 15 companies are actively engaged throughout the event to enhance the experience of the attendees. More importantly, they showcase how humanoid robots are rapidly advancing to boost productivity and expand their real-world applications, driven by the relentless research and development efforts of various companies.

For example, a humanoid robot named "Adam" amazed visitors with an elegant dance during the conference, showcasing its advanced full-body motion control. Through the fusion of unique hardware design and reinforcement learning, the development team has enabled Adam to coordinate joint movements precisely, achieving human-like agility and flexibility, explained Anna Leung, brand director of Adam's developer, PNDbotics AI Co., Ltd.

"From my perspective, the ability of humanoid robots to integrate vision-driven guidance, limb control, and generalized autonomous operation truly makes them valuable assistants to humans. The most exciting era for humanoid robots, which is the era of productivity, is about to begin," said Wang He, founder and CTO of Beijing Galbot Co., Ltd., speaking at the opening ceremony.

During the ceremony, China's 10 major scientific and technological achievements in 2024 were unveiled, covering cutting-edge fields such as artificial intelligence and gene therapy. The forum has become a key platform for tech companies to showcase their latest innovations.

Inspired by insights from international experts at the previous ZGC Forum, Beijing Matrix Technologies Co., Ltd. recognized the critical role of material innovation in driving industrial progress. Determined to revolutionize thermal insulation, the company's CTO, Zhong Feipeng, and his team dedicated eight years to overcoming key technical challenges, ultimately developing a new soft insulation material named Y-Warm.

Several years ago, they leveraged the Zhongguancun Forum to introduce Y-Warm to the global market. Over the past four years, they have partnered with more than 200 companies from the United States, Europe and Japan, expanding its applications in apparel, footwear, outdoor gear, and medical supplies. "The forum has served as our fast track to innovation and helped us bridge the gap from technology to real-world impact," Zhong said.

This photo taken on March 28, 2025 shows the introduction on brain-machine interface systems during a permanent exhibition at the Zhongguancun Exhibition Center in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

Cultivating innovative glusters

At the ZGC International Innovation Center, visitors eagerly tried out XR smart glasses that project high-quality images onto a virtual screen about three meters away. Developed by Beijing NED+AR Display Technology Co., Ltd., the smart glasses are significantly thinner and lighter than traditional VR headsets, while still delivering a large, immersive display.

The company's co-founder, Duan Jiaxi, said that this year marks a decade since the company established itself in the Zhongguancun Shijingshan Science Park. "I originally settled here because there were some policy supports, such as rent reduction and investment fund support. We have partnered with some internationally renowned enterprises and completed the C-round investment this year."

In recent years, Beijing has used Zhongguancun as a testing ground for new reforms, rolling out pilot policies, improving the business environment, and fostering a supportive ecosystem for emerging industries.

"Zhongguancun is at the forefront of innovation, and we believe that companies in the general robotics industry should develop here. With its growing industrial ecosystem, we hope to collaborate with algorithm research companies and other partners to refine our products and accelerate the maturity of the humanoid robotics industry," Leung said.

Notably, Beijing has built a strong foundation in embodied intelligence robotics, with top research teams, emerging startups, and ideal application scenarios in research, manufacturing, and retail. Leading the way, it introduced an action plan for embodied intelligence this February, setting a national benchmark for the industry.

With a focus on future industries, Beijing aims to foster a top-tier innovation ecosystem and strengthen its role as a global hub for open innovation.

The development of Zhongguancun ranked first in the comprehensive evaluation of national high-tech zones in 2024. The total revenue of enterprises above the designated size reached 9.4 trillion yuan (about 1.29 trillion U.S. dollars) last year, up 8 percent year on year.

People learn about a bionic humanoid robot at the Zhongguancun International Innovation Center during the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference in Beijing, capital of China, March 27, 2025.
(Xinhua/Zhang Chenlin)

Promoting global cooperation

The 2025 ZGC Forum hosted multiple parallel forums to boost global sci-tech cooperation, focusing on topics including carbon neutrality, youth talent development and regional collaboration.

The ASEAN Innovation Cooperation and Development Forum, for example, brought together representatives from China and ASEAN countries to explore how the two sides can work together to advance innovation cooperation. The Trans-Himalaya Earth Science International Cooperation Forum discussed joint response to major global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity, and ecological sustainability.

At a parallel forum focusing on sci-tech innovation cooperation between China and the Republic of Korea (ROK), multiple strategic cooperation agreements were reached.

Zhongguancun's Dong-Park will carry out business cooperation with the Korea Innovation Center in China in the field of embodied intelligence and build a platform for technology transfer and cooperation.

"We hope to strengthen the cooperation in science and technology between China and the ROK in order to promote global competitiveness of enterprises from both countries," said a representative from the ROK.

Ebba Lund, CEO of the International Association of Science Parks and Areas of Innovation (IASP), emphasized the importance of connections, especially at events like this forum. She noted that such gatherings create valuable opportunities for global innovation.