A Leap into Next-Gen Tech: See the Future of Fujian-Hong Kong Collaboration in Xiamen

The Hong Kong media delegation began its first day of visits to Fujian on Monday (August 3), departing from Hong Kong and heading directly to Xiamen. In the afternoon, they visited Xiamen Sitan Semiconductor Co., Ltd. and the Xiamen Free Trade Zone to gain first-hand insight into Fujian's latest progress in third-generation semiconductors and institutional opening-up.

The delegation's first stop was Xiamen Sitan Semiconductor Co., Ltd., located in the Torch High-tech Zone in Huli District, Xiamen. Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation's first stop was Xiamen Sitan Semiconductor Co., Ltd., located in the Torch High-tech Zone in Huli District. A national-level "specialised and sophisticated" "little giant" enterprise, the company is a leading player in China's Micro LED micro-display sector, specialising in AR/XR micro-display chips and automotive optical screens. It holds more than 800 independent patents and has invested RMB 1.2 billion in a state-of-the-art Micro-LED silicon-based mass production line, one of the most advanced in Chinese Mainland.

Photo by Bastille Post

According to the company, its Phase I production base in Tong'an broke ground in 2022 and commenced production in 2023. The facility features both Class 100 and Class 1,000 cleanrooms, with hardware specifications approaching those of a professional IC wafer fabrication plant. Annual production capacity reaches tens of millions of micro-display panels, suited for applications including AR smart glasses and in-vehicle projection systems.

Sitan Technology's technical roots are closely intertwined with Hong Kong. The company was founded in 2018 by alumni and scholars of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Its core R&D team emerged from the HKUST State Key Laboratory of Display and Opto-Electronics, focusing on Micro-LED chips and display modules. A significant portion of the company's foundational Micro Display technologies was transferred from the laboratory through patent licensing agreements.

Photo by Bastille Post

Unlike most industry players that can only produce light-emitting panels independently, Sitan Semiconductor is one of only two companies in Chinese Mainland capable of both manufacturing Micro LED panels and independently designing CMOS driver chips. Operating under a fabless R&D model, the company collaborates with global foundry leaders including TSMC, CR Microelectronics, and SMIC. This enables Sitan to offer integrated "panel + driver IC" custom solutions to Tier 1 automotive suppliers in South Korea and international automakers in Europe and the US.

Photo by Bastille Post

Sitan's self-developed Micro LED technology outperforms traditional LCD and OLED screens in image quality, power consumption, and brightness. Pixel sizes can be refined to nanometre-level precision, and its self-developed single-chip full-colour panels deliver 120% NTSC colour gamut coverage, combined with infinite contrast, ultra-low power consumption, and exceptional outdoor brightness. Two mature product lines are now in mass production: a 0.13-inch micro-optical engine module for AR/XR wearable devices, embedded in the Alibaba Qianwen AR glasses and capable of projecting virtual images via a waveguide optical path; and a 0.53-inch white light module for automotive welcome projection, alongside an ADB intelligent headlight system under development. Sitan is also the first manufacturer in Chinese Mainland to have a Micro LED projection solution pass rigorous automotive-grade certification.

Compared to the widely adopted TI DLP automotive projection solutions, Sitan's proprietary technology offers a simpler optical path structure and more compact form factor. It also eliminates costly overseas patent licensing fees. The company has already begun supplying Mobis—a Tier 1 supplier for Hyundai and Kia—and is advancing projects with BMW's "Angel Wings" illumination system and Li Auto, among others.

The smart glasses on display drew significant attention from the media, with accompanying reporters trying them on. Photo by Bastille Post

The smart glasses on display drew considerable interest from reporters, many of whom tried them on. Equipped with Sitan's self-developed chip, the device can project real-time navigation overlays, making it suitable for walking and cycling. It also features instant translation and music playback functions.

Photo by Bastille Post

Company management revealed that while a second-phase production line had originally been planned for mobile phone and television panels, market research led to a strategic reassessment. With the traditional display market saturated and AR wearables offering thin margins, the company is now focusing entirely on the automotive smart display sector, where growth is more certain and product premiums are higher.

The smart glasses, equipped with Sitan's self-developed chip, can project real-time navigation overlays, making them suitable for walking and cycling, while also featuring instant translation and music playback functions. Photo by Bastille Post

Looking at the global Micro LED landscape, a complete manufacturing supply chain is critical. Mainland manufacturers enjoy an irreplaceable competitive advantage through scale and cost control. Overseas tech giants such as Apple and Meta focus solely on end-product development and rely on mainland suppliers for core micro-display modules. Sitan's self-developed optical engines, exported to Japan and South Korea, command prices double those in the mainland market.

Liu Yibo, Deputy Director of the R&D Centre of Sitan Semiconductor Co., Ltd., gives an interview to the media. Photo by Bastille Post

In an interview, Liu Yibo, Deputy Director of the company's R&D Centre, shared that the team initially attracted venture capital by winning a million-yuan innovation prize in the HKUST Entrepreneurship Competition. The decision to base operations in Xiamen was driven by the city's well-established LED supply chain: "Industry leaders like Sanan Optoelectronics and AU Optronics are right here, making resources readily accessible. Xiamen's policies for tech companies and engineering talent also offer comprehensive advantages over Shenzhen."

On cross-border collaboration, Liu noted that Sitan has established a subsidiary, Sitan International Semiconductor, at the Hong Kong Science Park. All overseas client engagement and participation in international trade shows, including CES, are conducted through the Hong Kong entity.

He also identified Hong Kong as a primary listing destination: "Our overseas client base continues to grow. Though it hasn't yet reached 50% of revenue, our South Korean client's new vehicle project is expected to enter mass production in the third or fourth quarter of next year, which will significantly boost our overseas revenue share. With clients spanning Japan, South Korea, the US, and Europe, and the global shift toward new energy vehicles, our automotive business has substantial growth potential. The Hong Kong capital market is an ideal financing platform for us."

The delegation then visited the Xiamen Free Trade Zone, Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation then visited the Xiamen Free Trade Zone (FTZ). As a strategic national platform for opening-up, the zone has cultivated emerging sectors including cross-border e-commerce, lithium battery exports, international supply chains, and offshore finance. It has introduced multiple pioneering trade and logistics policies and built an integrated sea-land-air international logistics network.

The delegation followed the guide along the route taken during President Xi's inspection visit, visiting in turn the service windows for import cosmetic registration and comprehensive business establishment. Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation first toured the FTZ Government Service Centre, following the route taken during President Xi's inspection visit. They observed service windows for import cosmetic registration and business incorporation, learning about reform measures including "one licence, one code", "35 certificates in one", "tidal window" services, and the "one-stop efficient service" initiative. They also experienced the Fujian provincial government's online service platform (now in its 9.0 iteration), witnessing the zone's streamlined business environment.

According to official data, the Xiamen FTZ has registered over 48,000 enterprises, including nearly 600 Hong Kong-invested companies, accounting for 15% of all Hong Kong-invested enterprises in Xiamen, with a focus on aircraft leasing, finance leasing, and cross-border supply chains. More than 1,000 Taiwan-invested enterprises are also based in the zone, leveraging its bridging role in cross-strait trade and the development of Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan businesses.

Dongdu Customs Comprehensive Service Hall, Photo by Bastille Post

At the Dongdu Customs Comprehensive Service Hall, the delegation observed the full process for Certificate of Origin applications, from online submission and over-the-counter filing to SMS pickup reminders and express delivery. The hall is equipped with self-service terminals, AI-powered consultation kiosks, and 24-hour self-service document collection lockers, significantly reducing processing times.

Photo by Bastille Post

The self-service Certificate of Origin printing machines, Photo by Bastille Post

24-hour self-service document collection lockers, Photo by Bastille Post

Customs officials noted that Xiamen has deployed 450 self-service Certificate of Origin printing points across the city, including at subway stations and convenience stores. The zone has also introduced the "Cross-Border One-Lock" customs clearance mechanism connecting Fujian, Guangdong, Hong Kong, and Macao, streamlining regional logistics and reducing cross-border trade costs. The zone's Industry Exhibition Centre showcased cross-border digital trade, advanced manufacturing exports, and Fujian-Hong Kong collaborative projects.

AI smart consultation machine, Photo by Bastille Post

The Hong Kong media delegation’s visit to Fujian concluded with visits to the Shangxiahang Historic District and the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block (also known as The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys). They toured the Ming and Qing dynasty architectural complexes, learned about cultural heritage preservation and revitalisation, and explored opportunities for cultural and tourism cooperation between Fujian and Hong Kong, as well as spaces for youth exchange.

The Shangxiahang Historic District, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation visited the Shangxiahang Historic District on Nantai Island in Fuzhou. Located near the Minjiang River, this area was once Fuzhou’s most important commercial port and a hub for overseas Chinese merchants. The district retains numerous warehouses, shops, and arcade buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties to the Republic of China period. The bluestone paths and ancient wharf relics intertwine, telling the story of its bustling past with the flow of goods and remittances.

The Shangxiahang Historic District, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Today, through protective restoration and the integration of cultural and creative elements, the Shangxiahang Historic District is gradually transforming into a cultural space that blends historical memory with modern life. Visitors can stroll among the ancient houses and experience the profound commercial culture of Fujian.

The Shangxiahang Historic District, Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

The prosperity of the Shangxiahang Historic District is inseparable from the delicate fragrance of jasmine. Jasmine is the city flower of Fuzhou. A century ago, the streets of Shangxiahang were lined with tea warehouses, their fragrance filling the air. Tens of thousands of dan (1 dan ≈  50 kg) of jasmine tea departed from the docks, its aroma spreading far and wide. The city’s most representative tea‑making technique, the Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process, became Fuzhou's first world‑class intangible cultural heritage item. In 2014, Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process was included in the fourth batch of National Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. In 2022, six national‑level intangible cultural heritage representative projects, including “Scenting Techniques of Jasmine Tea, Fuzhou” from “Traditional tea processing techniques and associated social practices in China,” were inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Thus, Fuzhou jasmine tea possesses two highly valuable “world‑class” titles.

The Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process, Photo by Bastille Post

The Fuzhou jasmine tea scenting process uses roasted green tea as a base, mixing in fresh jasmine buds. After several rounds of mixing and resting, the aromas blend, allowing the tea flavour and floral fragrance to permeate each other and become one. Fujian is the birthplace of jasmine tea, employing a “scenting” process. This involves piling jasmine flowers and tea leaves together, allowing the flowers to release their fragrance and the tea leaves to absorb it. Finally, the flowers are sifted out, leaving only the tea leaves. Therefore, Fujian's distinctive jasmine tea is “tea without flowers” – you taste the tea, but smell the delicate jasmine aroma.

Tea leaves, Photo by Bastille Post

The tea‑making process is meticulously timed. Jasmine flowers must be picked in the afternoon, around 2 or 3 pm when the sun is strongest, as the buds are full and the fragrance is most intense. After being transported back, they need to be spread out in a well‑ventilated area overnight, allowing the buds to naturally open and release their fragrance. The tea artisans then stay up all night to ensure the aroma is at its peak, locking the fresh essence of jasmine into the tea leaves. During the scenting process, layers of flowers and tea are alternately piled up. The tea absorbs the floral fragrance, and then the flowers are sifted out, completing one “scenting cycle”, which in the local tea artisans' dialect is called “yin”, a term passed down through generations in the industry. The minimum is three scenting cycles, considered an entry‑level process, while the maximum can reach nine. Nine‑scented jasmine tea requires three months to process. Between each scenting cycle, the tea leaves need to “rest” for several days to allow their properties to stabilise before proceeding to the next cycle. After scenting, the final step is roasting to lock in the aroma and moisture. The entire process is lengthy and complex, relying entirely on the tea maker's experience and patience.

The Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block (also known as The Three Lanes and Seven Alleys), Photo by Bastille Post

Another representative attraction in Fuzhou, the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block (also known as The Three Lane and Seven Alleys), is a national‑level historical and cultural block, hailed as a “living fossil of the residential ward system.” Composed of three lanes, seven alleys, and a central axis, Nanhou Street, the block preserves over 200 ancient buildings from the Ming and Qing dynasties. It produced a large number of influential figures in modern Chinese history, including Lin Zexu, Yan Fu, Shen Baozhen, Lin Juemin, and Bing Xin, hence the saying, “One Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block is half of modern Chinese history.” The block perfectly preserves its Ming and Qing architectural complex, with a well‑organised layout of lanes and alleys, and simple yet elegant residences, revealing the profound cultural heritage of Fuzhou.

Sanfang Qixiang's 'Love Tree," Photo by Bastille Post

Yan Fu's historic residence, Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation visited Yan Fu's historic residence, an old house built in the Qing Dynasty, which was the residence of Yan Fu, a modern Chinese enlightenment thinker, in his later years. Although the house is not large, its layout is rigorous, and the furnishings in the halls are simple, revealing the scholarly spirit of this translator of Evolution and Ethics. Then, the delegation entered the Waterside Performing Stage, a wooden stage built over a pond. This stage, once a place for officials and their families to hold banquets and watch plays, still retains its exquisite elegance.

Yan Fu's historic residence, Photo by Bastille Post

Besides the ancient architecture, the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block also features Yanyuan restaurant, which serves the renowned Tongli Rouyan (also known as Tongli tiny wontons). Founded during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, Tongli Rouyan has been passed down through five generations and are one of Fuzhou's most renowned time‑honoured brands. Rouyan, also known as “Taiping Yan,” is an indispensable traditional delicacy for Fuzhou people during festivals, weddings, and funerals. Its name, a homophone for “Taiping” (meaning peace and prosperity), embodies the Fuzhou people's good wishes for peace and good fortune.

Tongli Rouyan, Photo by Bastille Post

Chen Junfan, the fourth‑generation inheritor of Fujian's intangible cultural heritage of Rouyan craftsmanship, explained that Tongli Rouyan insists on traditional handmade production, selecting lean pork from the hind leg, repeatedly pounding it to create paper‑thin wonton wrappers, which are then wrapped around a special meat filling. The finished product is crystal clear and has a tender texture. He revealed that he will travel to Hong Kong to participate in this year's HKTDC Food Expo at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, allowing Hong Kong citizens to experience the taste of Fuzhou.

Chen Junfan, Photo by Bastille Post

The delegation also observed the Shoushan stone carving technique up close. Shoushan stone is the foremost of China's traditional “Four Great Seal Stones,” produced in Shoushan Township, northern suburbs of Fuzhou. It was included in the first batch of National Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage lists in 2006. At the Shoushan Stone Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance Base, the delegation saw a “Manchu-Han Imperial Feast”, including sea cucumber, durian, and even a hamburger carved from Shoushan stone.

The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast carved from Shoushan stone, Photo by Bastille Post

The Manchu-Han Imperial Feast carved from Shoushan stone, Photo by Bastille Post

The hamburger carved from Shoushan stone, Photo by Bastille Post

Ye Qin, an inheritor of Shoushan stone carving technique, explained that Shoushan stone has been mined since the Song Dynasty. Due to its soft texture and rich colours, it is particularly suitable for intricate carving, requiring great skill in design from the carver. She pointed out that the Song Dynasty was the most prosperous period for literati, and seals were widely used in calligraphy and painting. Shoushan stone, with its moderate softness, ease of carving, and ability to leave clear impressions, became the preferred material for seals. She emphasised that seals are a unique symbol of China's five‑thousand‑year culture, “This is the symbol of China.”

The stone seal, Photo by Bastille Post

Ye Qin further pointed out that Shoushan stone is a non‑renewable resource, with a formation cycle of hundreds of millions of years. With increasingly strict controls, its mining volume will continue to decrease in the future. “If you come to Fuzhou in 5 or 10 years, there may not be any more of this stone for carving, but the carving technique is eternal; only the medium of creation has changed.”

Sun Zhaoyong, another representative inheritor of Shoushan stone carving technique, said he is currently creating the “Fuzhou Fu” series, incorporating Fuzhou cultural symbols such as Wuyi rock tea and jasmine tea into Shoushan stone carvings.

Zhou Wei. Photo by Bastille Post

Zhou Wei, chief engineer of the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block, stated that the block has adhered to the principle of “protection first, rescue first,” actively utilising digital means to empower cultural tourism experiences while repairing and protecting historic buildings. An AR tour project has already been launched, allowing tourists to interact with ancient architecture through their mobile phones, making the old houses “speak and interact,” telling the historic stories of the thousand‑year‑old alleys to the public in a more vivid way.

The ancient structures on site, Photo by Bastille Post

According to Zhou Wei, the Sanfang Qixiang Historical and Cultural Block has established a mature research and study reception system. The block has a Fujian‑Hong Kong Youth Science and Technology Innovation Exchange Base, which regularly receives Hong Kong youth research groups. In 2025, the block officially received 10 groups of Hong Kong tourists, totalling over 200 people. The “Connecting Hearts, Meeting in Youth: Fuzhou & Hong Kong” event held this March attracted 100 Hong Kong youths to the block for study tours, enhancing their understanding of Fujian culture through visits to traditional houses and experiences in intangible cultural heritage.

He also mentioned that Fujian and Hong Kong have reached a cultural tourism cooperation agreement to jointly develop multi‑stop tours, joint promotion of intangible cultural heritage, and study tours of traditional houses for Hong Kong and Macau youth. The Fujian‑Hong Kong Youth Science and Technology Innovation Exchange Base established within the block continues to provide a platform for cultural exchange and entrepreneurial cooperation between young people from both regions.