A conference for digital nomads, solo founders, and one-person companies — held inside Shanghai's new visa-free Special Economic Zone. Walk in, work, meet the people building the future of independent business. Walk out. No stamp.
Shanghai Oriental Hub is China's first "境内关外" zone — inside the border, outside the customs line. Operational since November 28, 2025. 48-hour pre-registration, visa-free entry, expedited clearance, connected to Shanghai international airport. Ideal for people who want to see China first-hand without the geopolitical complications of a full entry.
Not a hotel ballroom. Not a generic conference center. A purpose-built Special Economic Zone designed as a gateway for foreign visitors — built with the explicit intention of being accessible, visa-free, and stamp-free.
Independent operators. People who ship their own work.
Indie hackers, bootstrappers, and OPC operators running revenue-generating businesses without a team. Looking for supply chain, payment rails, and distribution in Asia.
People already running their work from Bali, Chiang Mai, Lisbon, Medellín. Curious about China but unwilling to commit to a visa, stamp, or full immigration process.
Small-team hardware founders who want Shenzhen-grade manufacturing access without relocating. Conference includes curated supply-chain introductions.
Family offices, angels, and BD teams looking for entry points into Chinese tech and operator communities — without the friction of full China immersion.
Solo founders. One-person companies. Builders who ship. If the below list feels like your reading list, this conference is for you.
全球大脑，中国智造
The thesis: the best independent builders operate globally. The best manufacturing, supply chains, and operator networks sit in China. OPC Summit is the first conference designed to bring those two sides into one room — without either side having to cross a visa line.
A cross-border team: China operations on the ground in Shanghai, international outreach from Shenzhen. More organizer and partner announcements coming.
Marketing lead at Neo Blockchain, LLM from Kiel. Leads on-the-ground operations in Shanghai and the partnerships between the Oriental Hub SEZ, Chinese operator communities and international attendees. The bridge between the Chinese institutional side and the foreign builder side.
Based between Shenzhen and Shanghai. Runs First Foreigner — first-hand reporting on what's actually happening in China's tech scene. Leads international outreach, programming and the foreign-builder side of the summit.
Many OPC Summit attendees pair the conference with muShanghai — a 28-day tech immersion in Shanghai (May 10 – June 6, 2026) focused on AI, biotech, robotics, and gaming. The two events are back-to-back by design. See both on the events map.
Tickets, speaker announcements, agenda, visa-free logistics. I'll send updates as they happen — no spam, unsubscribe anytime.
I'm Dominik. I help organize the OPC Summit and write about China at First Foreigner.