Since the dawn of 2025, DeepSeek has maintained an unwavering surge in popularity, not only shaking up the US-dominated AI landscape but also amassing 100 million users within a week—without any advertising. This feat sets a new benchmark as the fastest app to achieve such a milestone, eclipsing ChatGPT's two-month journey.

DeepSeek's meteoric rise has catapulted Hangzhou, its birthplace, to new heights on the global technological stage. This isn't Hangzhou's first foray into tech stardom; humanoid robots dancing yangko during the Spring Festival Gala and the globally beloved 'Monkey King: Havoc in Heavens' also hail from this city. Together, they form the recently viral 'Six Little Dragons of Hangzhou' in the tech world.

01

Who Are the 'Six Little Dragons'?

The 'Six Little Dragons of Hangzhou' comprise DeepSeek, with its groundbreaking large model; Game Science, behind the phenomenal domestic game 'Black Myth: Wukong'; Unitree Robotics and CloudMinds, leading the global quadruped robot market; BrainCo, a pioneer in brain-computer interfaces; and Qunhe Technology, boasting the world's largest indoor scene cognitive deep learning dataset. These six Hangzhou-based enterprises are 'tech nouveau riches' at the forefront of new technology fields, wielding significant industry influence and known as 'the mysterious eastern force'.

Table: Hangzhou's 'Six Little Dragons' of Technology Enterprises

Source: Compiled by Firestone Creation based on public information

Notably, Hangzhou's 'Six Little Dragons' lean towards hardcore technology. According to Firestone Creation's Industrial Data Hub, these enterprises focus on cutting-edge fields like robotics, AI, the metaverse, and brain science, differentiating them from the e-commerce and software services of previous-generation internet giants like Alibaba and NetEase. While these earlier titans relied on business model innovation to transform lifestyles and consumption patterns, the 'Six Little Dragons of Hangzhou' are driven by technology, venturing into more foundational and basic technological realms.

Feng Lei, deputy director of the Firestone Creation Industrial Research Institute, attributes this shift to several key factors:

Firstly, industrial upgrading demands. Hangzhou is transitioning from an 'E-commerce Capital' to a 'Hard Technology Capital,' with policies promoting ecosystems in intelligent IoT, advanced manufacturing, and more to avoid low-threshold industrial involution.

Secondly, the shift in global technological competition focus. Humanoid robots, large models, quantum computing, etc., have become new battlegrounds for international competition. Hangzhou enterprises are securing their voice through 'hardcore innovation,' exemplified by Unitree Robotics' inclusion in NVIDIA's global partnership list.

Thirdly, capital preferences and technological barriers. The hard technology sector boasts higher barriers to entry. Hangzhou has forged these barriers through deep cooperation between universities (like the Zhejiang University Robotics Laboratory) and enterprises.

02

Why Are the 'Six Little Dragons' from Hangzhou?

As the 'Six Little Dragons' continue to captivate the world, questions like 'Why Hangzhou?' have sparked heated debates and prompted deep reflections on new productivity development across regions. Even provincial media have posed introspective queries, such as 'Hangzhou has DeepSeek, what do we have?' and 'Why can't we cultivate our own 'Six Little Dragons'?'

In Feng Lei's view, the collective explosion of Hangzhou's 'Six Little Dragons' is no coincidence. Hangzhou stands at a critical juncture of technological explosion. Data reveals that in 2023, Hangzhou's core digital economy industries surpassed 650 billion yuan in added value, accounting for over 30% of GDP. With 24 unicorn enterprises and numerous listed companies, Hangzhou ranks fourth nationwide, underscoring the robust momentum of its technology industry.

Feng Lei attributes this concentrated explosion to two primary factors: Firstly, the synergy of technological accumulation and policy dividends. Since 2017, Hangzhou has been investing in hard technology fields like AI and robotics, with profound technological沉淀 in AI, cloud computing, and big data. Policy-wise, the Hangzhou Municipal Government has introduced three '15%' technological innovation support policies, ensuring substantial financial backing for tech enterprises' R&D and growth.

Secondly, the international environment spurs industrial innovation. US chip sanctions against China have fueled domestic substitution demands, exemplified by DeepSeek's low-cost large model training and Unitree Robotics' robot exports, affirming technological autonomy. Additionally, Hangzhou boasts a significant venture capital fund (1.2 trillion yuan, one-sixth of the national total) and leads the nation in net talent inflow, fostering an 'industry-university-research tropical rainforest' ecosystem.

Feng Lei emphasizes that Hangzhou's ability to nurture outstanding tech enterprises stems from its innovative soil:

Innovative policy thinking: The Hangzhou government paves the way for technology through 'institutional innovation,' such as the country's first metaverse government service hall and measures to reduce enterprise R&D risks.

Efficient industry-university-research collaboration: Universities like Zhejiang University and Westlake University enjoy a 'zero-distance transformation' model with enterprises, enabling rapid productization of research results.

Integrated capital chain and industrial chain development: Giants like Alibaba and Hikvision form the industrial chain foundation, supported by abundant venture capital funds. For instance, during Qunhe Technology's Series B funding, 40 institutions competed for investment, showcasing capital's acute niche market sensitivity.

03

Innovative Zhejiang Behind the 'Six Little Dragons'

The remarkable success of Hangzhou's 'Six Little Dragons' has also spotlighted Zhejiang's technological innovation globally. According to the 'China Regional Innovation Capability Evaluation Report 2024,' Zhejiang's regional innovation capability has ranked fourth nationwide for three consecutive years.

The 2025 Zhejiang Provincial Government Work Report outlines plans to lead new productivity development with 'Innovative Zhejiang' and establish a modern industrial system. The province's first meeting of the year emphasizes promoting education, science, and technology talent integration reforms and advancing the deep integration of technological and industrial innovation.

From 'innovative province' to 'Innovative Zhejiang' as a distinctive hallmark of China's provincial-level modernization, Zhejiang reaffirms its commitment to innovation. Currently, Zhejiang is accelerating 'Innovative Zhejiang' construction and developing new productivity tailored to local conditions. Hangzhou focuses on emerging industries like intelligent IoT, biomedicine, and integrated circuits. Ningbo strengthens and extends its green petrochemical industrial cluster. Shaoxing revitalizes historical classic industries through technological innovation. Jiaxing capitalizes on smart photovoltaic and computing center projects...

Extending from the 'Six Little Dragons,' Feng Lei suggests focusing on strengthening basic research and common technology platforms, improving the industrial chain and global layout, and optimizing talent policies and entrepreneurial environments. These measures will address technological bottlenecks, international barriers, insufficient industrial ecosystem integration, and structural talent shortages, igniting a new engine for 'Innovative Zhejiang's' high-quality development.

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Author | Firestone Creation: Feng Lei, Weng Jianping

Reviewer | Firestone Creation: Yin Li