January 2026 marked the launch of a new international community for digital nomads, which is located in the Lingshui Li’an International Education Innovation Pilot Zone, an industrial park key to the development of the Hainan Free Trade Port.

As a pivotal platform for digital economy innovation and development in Hainan, the new digital nomad hub is dedicated to crafting an all-encompassing ‘live-work-play’ ecosystem for global digital nomads, focusing on providing a full-spectrum support system ranging from policy navigation and capital empowerment to global networking, professional services, and community-driven development.

Li Yanning, CEO of Vision and Village, a Beijing-based cultural development firm, presented the operational milestones achieved during the community’s six-month pilot phase, noting that nearly a hundred pioneers from a wide swath of industries including AI research & development, cross-border e-commerce, and digital art have already signed up. Now, a cohesive community with a profound sense of belonging is being developed through a decentralized co-creation model.

The ceremony also unveiled several key collaborative projects, including the Student Internship and Practice Base of Hainan University and the Hainan Lingshui Co-creation Base of the PHBS-CIE (Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Peking University HSBC Business School) Future Lab.