Mission to China: Where the Future Is Being Built

From Romagna to China: a Journey Into innovation

From May 8 to May 17, Michela Gulminelli and Vittorio Foschi, co-founders of Technacy, took part in the Inspirational Mission to Discover Chinese Technological Innovation, organized by Confindustria Romagna together with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in China and led by Pierluigi Alessandri (Vice-President Confindustria Romagna) and Lara Piraccini (Manager Internationalization).

Eight days across two regions, the Yangtze River Delta and the Greater Bay Area,where the delegation from Romagna was able to visit Shanghai, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Guangzhou, Foshan and Shenzhen to discover companies that are redefining the global technological landscape.

Here is what Vittorio and Michela told us...

Robots Have Left the Lab

Step by step, it became increasingly clear that robotics in China has now emerged as a growing industrial reality.

In Shanghai, Michela and Vittorio visited Flexiv, a global leader in advanced robotics known for its groundbreaking innovations in adaptive robotic systems. It combines force control, artificial intelligence and  cutting-edge hardware to create adaptive robots capable of near-human dexterity. The AGIBOT company, founded less than three years ago, has already mass-produced its 5,000th humanoid robot.

In Hangzhou, Unitree Robotics showed the Italian delegation quadruped and humanoid robots that move with a fluidity that is difficult to describe in words. Watching a humanoid robot walk in production, not in the lab, is one of those experiences that changes your perspective.

In Kunshan, the Embodied Robotics Innovation Center showcased something particularly significant: a center where real working environments are reproduced on a 1:1 scale, so that artificial intelligence models are trained directly in the contexts in which the robots will need to operate. An approach that brings research closer to manufacturing reality in a concrete and immediate way.

Tomorrow's Energy, Already Running

In Jiaxing, the visit to Chint Electric opened another window on Chinese innovation: that of clean energy and the transition to a more sustainable production model. The Chint Group is now present in more than 140 countries, with 2024 sales of RMB 178 billion. In the world of smart energy, Chint is already a global benchmark.

From Electric Cars to Flying Taxis

In Guangzhou, the future of mobility is already tangible.

XPENG, produces electric vehicles that are true digital platforms on four wheels: advanced autonomous driving, total connectivity and a user experience that redefines the very concept of the car. The most surprising moment was with EHang: electric unmanned eVTOL aircraft, with commercial licenses already active in China and over 30,000 demonstration flights in 12 countries. Knowing you could already board one makes it all feel very real!

The Digital Giants

We can't leave out our visit to Huawei in Shenzhen. Huawei 's campus, with buildings resembling a medieval university, artificial lakes and indoor shuttles, reflects a company with 208,000 employees operating in 170 countries, one that makes artificial intelligence a concrete industrial infrastructure.

Then there's Tencent's headquarters: the architectural statement of a company connecting over 1 billion people across WeChat, gaming, fintech and the cloud.

A Taste of Romagna in Foshan

In the midst of so much Chinese innovation, one of the most exciting moments was visiting SACMI Nanhai, the Chinese plant of SACMI Imola. Finding the same quality and work culture we know from home, in the middle of Southern China, gives a precise sense of what true internationalization means. An Italian story to be proud of.

What We Take Home

ight days is not enough to understand China. But it is enough to understand that something important is happening here, something we in Europe are still watching from afar. What strikes you is the speed with which ideas take shape in concrete, advanced technologies and how AI is increasingly embedded in every process.

At Technacy we believe that staying up-to-date on what is happening in the world of innovation is an integral part of our work: it allows us to broaden our vision and look ahead with greater clarity.

Michela and Vittorio's experience in China confirms something we feel in our industry every day: technology is turning into concrete reality faster than ever. For Italian companies, understanding which transformations are already underway is the first step to growth.

Special thanks to Confindustria Romagna and all its staff for making this mission possible: thanks to their work, we had the opportunity to discover remarkable companies and experience them firsthand.