On May 17th, the founding chairman of the China-EU Digital Association and Italian economist Luigi Gambardella led an Italian executive team to conduct a survey in Huaqiangbei and gave an interview to "Dialogue on Huaqiangbei". During the interview, the two sides exchanged views on topics such as the development of AI industries, global hardware innovation, and youth entrepreneurship cooperation. At the interview site, the representative product of Huaqiangbei's "Eight Horses" - an AI translation device - was used for real-time communication, completing this dialogue in a "Huaqiangbei style".

"This is a very charming place because this is where real innovation takes place," Luigi Gambardella said straightforwardly when talking about his feelings upon returning to Huaqiangbei again. This year, Luigi Gambardella attended the 2026 China Development Forum. After closely experiencing AI hardware products, the innovation ecosystem, and the global industrial chain, Luigi Gambardella said, "If you want to understand the development direction of the future market and what changes will occur in the industry in the future, you must come here."

"The most distinctive feature of Huaqiangbei is its speed."

If you were to describe Huaqiangbei with a single word, Lu Yijie's answer would be: "Fast".

Lu Yijie has visited Huaqiangbei many times. During the day's research, he went to the Global AI Scenario Application Center, Huaqiang Electronic World, and the Futian Wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Exhibition Hall. He personally experienced a number of the latest AI hardware products from Huaqiangbei, including AI translators, AI glasses, robots, etc. During the interview, the host mentioned a widely circulated slogan in Huaqiangbei - "Design in the morning, prototype in the afternoon, mass production the next day, and go global in a week". Regarding this, Lu Yijie said that this slogan "precisely describes what happens here every day". Besides "Fast", he also specifically mentioned another key word: "Quality". "Today, Chinese enterprises and Chinese entrepreneurs are constantly improving the quality and building their own Chinese brands," he said.

He admitted that every time he comes to Huaqiangbei, he always gains new insights. "New products and services keep emerging here. Every time I come here, I am learning, and I will never learn enough," he said.

"Draw more international makers to jointly create a never-ending CES and the world's first street for AI innovation."

Lu Yijie stated that Shenzhen's influence in the global consumer electronics industry has been deeply reflected in some international exhibitions. He said, "Not only are many Shenzhen enterprises participating in the exhibitions, but more importantly, many products displayed by international enterprises are actually manufactured in Shenzhen." In his opinion, without Shenzhen, there would be no today's CES.

The host then said that Huaqiangbei is building "a never-ending CES" because Huaqiangbei has long gathered a large number of global cutting-edge AI products. Merchants from all over the world can find the latest products, the fastest supply chain, and the latest market trends here. Regarding this, Lu Yijie expressed his agreement. He said, "CES only lasts for a few days each year, but Huaqiangbei is constantly evolving every day, so it is itself a permanent innovation site." He also proposed that in the future, Huaqiangbei should attract more international young entrepreneurs to come here.

During the day's investigation, he also paid special attention to the large number of young entrepreneurs gathered in Huaqiangbei. "Especially, I hope to promote more young entrepreneurs from Europe to cooperate with Chinese young entrepreneurs," he said. During the interview, both parties also talked about the "One Person Company" ecological construction that Huaqiangbei is promoting. The host introduced that since this year, Huaqiangbei has been strongly supporting OPC entrepreneurship and promoting more makers to quickly realize product development relying on the local supply chain. Regarding this, Lu Yijie said, "This is a very interesting new model. 'The government should support such new concepts and give more space.' He said, 'Perhaps in the future, there will really be companies driven entirely by AI.'"

"I really like the concept of 'co-creation'," he said. "We should encourage young entrepreneurs from China and Europe to work together, start businesses together, conduct research together, market together, and jointly sell products to the global market."

In recent years, Lu Yijie has been continuously following the development of AI industries and has also written a large number of related research articles. When asked about suggestions for building the first AI innovation street in Huaqiangbei, he said the core is to remain open and embrace diversity. To attract more international talents, people from different cultures and backgrounds should be involved. The collision of diverse ideas can give rise to more globally competitive innovative achievements.

When talking about the future development of AI, he said that currently there is a lot of discussion and concern about AI, but he prefers to maintain a positive attitude. In his opinion, AI is more like a tool that enhances human capabilities. "I always like to give an example. For me, AI is like the exoskeleton worn by athletes," he said. "It can help us become more efficient, faster, and better informed, thus better completing work and life."

For young people, he also gave his own suggestions: "You must learn how to use AI." At the same time, he also mentioned that all AI technologies ultimately should serve "people". "We develop technologies and create new services, ultimately to make people's lives better," he said.

"Haowangbei can establish its own international network of friends."

When discussing the similarities between Haowangbei and European cities, he pointed out that it's difficult to find a completely corresponding place, but some aspects of the entrepreneurial atmosphere in the Netherlands and Italy are somewhat similar to that of Haowangbei.

"There are many young entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, and they are very enthusiastic about technology; while Italy is very creative," he said. "And in the AI era, creativity is the most important."

At the end of the interview, the host also introduced that currently Haowangbei has gathered a group of international entrepreneurs and international incubators. Among them, an entrepreneur from the Netherlands has lived in Haowangbei for over a decade and has founded an international incubator called "Trouble Maker", helping overseas hardware entrepreneurs connect with Chinese supply chain resources.

Regarding this, Lu Yijie said, "Such an international ecosystem is very meaningful."

"You can establish a 'Haowangbei International Friendship Circle' in the future," he said. "Keep those who have been here in continuous contact, because many people will have very deep impressions after their first visit here."

Source: N Video of Nan Du  Reporter: Zhang Xiaoling  Correspondent: Xu Jiyue