On June 13th, the expert group for the “Dongguan Manufacturing Aesthetics” city brand research project visited various locations including Topstar, Weishi Group, You Yi Wei Sauce & Pickles Workshop, XbotPark, and the China Spallation Neutron Source. They explored the vibrant energy of Dongguan, the capital of trendy toys in China, and experienced the city’s unique blend of technological innovation and advanced manufacturing.
Stroll through the city of youth and feel the pulse of urban trends
Stepping into Dongguan Weishi Culture Technology Co., Ltd., you pass through a long corridor of time, where lights representing different stages of the company’s development illuminate with each step. Here, you can see various IPs in the field of metal puzzle toys and experience the development trajectory of Weishi. From the Ten Miles of Red Makeup series, which recreates ancient wedding customs, to the Great Tang Little Street series showcasing the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty, and the Dongguan Thousand Angle Lamp displaying meticulous craftsmanship, the Chinese style series products, emerging from museums, documents, and murals, captivate the attention of many experts. This also allows everyone to clearly feel Weishi’s strength in persisting on the path of independent brand development.
In the sauce culture exhibition hall of You Yi Wei Sauce & Pickles Workshop, the expert group closely observed the fermentation process and forms of bean paste, enhancing their perception of Liaobu bean paste through multiple senses, including sight and smell. With the explanation from the inheritor of Liaobu bean paste, the expert group gained a deeper understanding of the historical origins, development, and innovations of bean paste culture.
It is worth mentioning that You Yi Wei Sauce & Pickles Workshop has also introduced various innovative products related to sauce culture, such as bean paste tarts, soy sauce ice cream, and specially blended sauce coffee. Renowned artist and important representative of Chinese anime aesthetics, Wu Dinglong, said, “The combination of coffee and sauce, presented in a form that is popular among most young people today, offers new products that allow more people to appreciate and understand Liaobu bean paste culture through tasting.”
Cui Bo, a member of the China Photographers Association and the Curatorial Committee, stated that the topic of manufacturing aesthetics was mentioned as early as the 1980s and holds broad significance within the realm of arts and culture. Dongguan’s current initiative to establish a city brand based on manufacturing aesthetics is an innovative step in domestic city image building. He also suggested that experts should first deepen theoretical discussions on the topic before promoting its practice to ensure an organic integration of aesthetics and manufacturing.
Decoding the benchmark of technological innovation: Polishing the name card of a strong city in technological innovation and manufacturing
“From pots and pans to airplanes, we can make it all,” the representative of Dongguan AFMING Numerical Control Equipment Technology CO., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “AFMING”) introduced to the expert group. AFMING’s five-axis CNC machine tools are the company’s leading products, widely serving the aerospace and new energy vehicle sectors. The production specifications and quality of their high-speed, high-efficiency, and high-precision machining received unanimous praise from the experts present.
With multi-degree-of-freedom robotic arms operating at high speed, skillfully completing tasks such as picking, transporting, and stacking... Upon entering Guangdong Topstar Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Topstar”), the expert group gained a direct understanding of advanced intelligent equipment, including industrial robots, injection molding machines, and five-axis CNC machine tools.
Over the past 16 years, Topstar has evolved from a small factory to a publicly listed company, growing from an initial startup team of a few people to nearly 3,000 employees today. Their vision of “making industrial manufacturing better” has gradually become a reality. Topstar has undergone three major transformations: starting with auxiliary equipment for injection molding machines, then transitioning to the industrial robot industry, and finally entering the “industrial mother machine” sector. Each transition targeted industry needs and pain points, helping Chinese manufacturing breakthrough in its transformation and upgrading process. In just 10 years, Topstar reached the capital market, becoming the first listed company in Guangdong’s robot industry and completing a magnificent transformation in the manufacturing sector from intelligent transformation to digital upgrade.
Lei Ping, President of People Wen Yi (Sichuan) Technology Co., Ltd., affirmed the concept of “manufacturing aesthetics,” stating, “Manufacturing aesthetics aligns with Dongguan’s city positioning of ‘technological innovation + advanced manufacturing.’ We are delighted to see the aesthetic charm of manufacturing in Dongguan and witness a new force and new productive power taking root and flourishing in this city.”
How can one possess the super “X-ray vision” to see through the microstructure of materials? The answer lies within a lychee grove in Songshan Lake Science City. The expert group visited the national treasure, the China Spallation Neutron Source, to explore the “super microscope” of the microscopic world.
It is understood that the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) in Songshan Lake Science City, Dongguan, is China’s first and the world’s fourth pulsed spallation neutron source. As the first major national scientific infrastructure in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the CSNS provides a crucial technological core for the construction of a comprehensive national science center and an international innovation hub in the Greater Bay Area. Currently, the CSNS is actively advancing its Phase II project, with a total investment of approximately 3 billion yuan. This project will offer powerful research tools for microscopic studies in materials science, life sciences, condensed matter physics, and chemistry, and provide a high-performance innovation research platform for the study of major scientific frontiers and key technologies in energy and high-end manufacturing.
XbotPark Robotics Base is an innovative robotics technology incubation platform located in Songshan Lake. During their visit, the expert group conducted a detailed survey of various tech innovation companies at the base. According to the responsible person, XbotPark Robotics Base was jointly initiated by Professor Li Zexiang, Professor Gao Bingqiang, and Professor Gan Jie in 2014. By connecting resources from universities, research institutes, and supply chains in Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, and globally, and leveraging the unique regional and industrial advantages of the Greater Bay Area, the robotics base focuses on discovering and nurturing innovative early-stage entrepreneurs, investing in promising hard tech projects, and incubating world-class tech companies, thereby contributing to the construction of a technologically advanced nation.
“To establish the city brand of Dongguan Manufacturing Aesthetics, we must integrate and advance the beauty of design concepts, product forms, technological expression, and brand communication. It is crucial to focus on the intersection of manufacturing aesthetics with industry, talent, and culture, and to emphasize the long-term shaping of the city’s manufacturing aesthetics influence,” said Zhang Xiaoyang, Director and Associate Researcher of the Marxist Research Center at the Dongguan Academy of Social Sciences. Additionally, he analyzed the example of Harbin’s cultural and tourism breakout, stating that city brands cannot be established overnight; they require long-term accumulation and cultivation.
