International visitors get a glimpse of future smart life in Wuxi

A city that builds tomorrow, today

Wuxi, once known for its textiles and traditional manufacturing, is reinventing itself as a hub for intelligent production. Under the city's three‑year action plan (2025–27) for smarter, more digital, and better-connected manufacturing, it aims to have 60 percent of its industrial enterprises above designated size equipped with basic‑level smart factories by 2027.

As the eight guests boarded their coach at dusk, the consensus was clear: the devices were fun, the robots were startling, but what lingered was the sense that these are not far‑off fantasies. They are products rolling off assembly lines — reshaping how people work, commute, and even unwind. China's manufacturing story, as seen through Wuxi's lens, is no longer about catching up. It is about setting a pace — and the rest of the world is just beginning to keep up.