Foreign Entrepreneurs Take Tech Pilgrimages to China
Sunday, 2026/09/06179 words3 minutes525 reads
Foreign investors, entrepreneurs and executives are paying for technology tours in China. They want first-hand access to factories, electric-vehicle plants, AI companies and robotics businesses. Reuters describes them as “tech pilgrims” because they travel to learn, not simply to buy goods or take a holiday.
The tours can be expensive. Robert Wu, who runs a Shanghai research firm, has charged up to US$15,000 for a five-day programme. Another agency, GloPen, said inquiries rose 50% in 2026, mainly from European and Singaporean clients. It now runs more than 100 one-day company tours each month.
Shenzhen is especially important for hardware founders. The city links electronics markets, battery and display suppliers, factories and engineers. Some visitors use China's visa-free entry policy to search for someone who can make their next prototype. Local firms are setting up “hacker houses” where foreign robotics and AI entrepreneurs can live and work.
The trend reflects interest in China’s manufacturing scale, but it does not prove that China leads every technology. Visitors are trying to see for themselves where Chinese companies are competitors, partners or suppliers.
