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… fiercely competitive industry.
Laifen is betting on innovation to break through, and it’s a strategy that requires top-tier marketing.
The company’s performance in the high-speed hair dryer space hints at its potential. In 2022, Laifen posted RMB 290 million (USD 40.6 million) in sales from that line alone, marking a tenfold year-on-year jump. Its Singles’ Day sales soared from RMB 20 million (USD 2.8 million) in 2021 to RMB 290 million in 2022, and RMB 440 million (USD 61.6 million) in 2023.
Grassroots marketing helped drive that growth.
Ye often shares his origin story as part of the brand narrative: growing up poor, scavenging trash as a child, working on factory lines at 17. In 2007, he rode China’s e-commerce boom on Taobao and made over RMB 10 million (USD 1.4 million), only to lose it all chasing projects like manned aircraft and electric scooters.
Those experiences, he says, shaped his mindset. His early struggles instilled a desire to democratize access to technology. E-commerce taught him how to understand users. And his foray into aviation sharpened his motor engineering skills. That convergence led to Laifen and its first breakthrough product.
In the hair dryer market, Dyson had already done the heavy lifting of educating consumers. Laifen merely needed to execute well with a competitive local product.
But the shaving market lacks a defining player. That absence makes Laifen’s path forward less certain, and far more difficult to navigate.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3308284701612548">article</a> was written by Leslie Zhang for 36Kr.

After hair dryers, Laifen targets the other side of bathroom counters with a shaver built from scratch

Hardware

Retail

Consumer Economy

China

As a wave of cost-consciousness sweeps across China, businesses offering quality at a discount have seen earnings surge while their high-end peers struggle.
Quanjude, the restaurant chain known for its gourmet Peking duck, saw revenue shrink 7% on the year during the first quarter through March.
"Consumers are increasingly looking for more mass-market, bargain establishments," said Zhou Yanlong, general manager of Quanjude.
During that quarter, China's retail sales grew 4.6% from the year-earlier period to RMB 12.4 trillion (USD 1.7 trillion), far below the roughly 10% growth the country once posted consistently.
Expensive restaurants and shops are taking the brunt of the slowing consumption. Chow Tai Fook Jewellery Group's sales dropped 12% during the first quarter.
Retail giant Wangfujing Group experienced a 14% decline in revenue at its mainline department store segment. But revenue increased 4% at the company's outlet store arm.
"Outlets have the same quality as the official stores, but they are much cheaper," said a 26-year-old female shopper who lives in the northeastern city of Dalian. "I go to [outlets] once every week."
<a href="/company/luckin-coffee">Luckin Coffee</a>, which rose to become China's largest coffee chain, reported a 41% jump in sales in the first quarter. The performance dwarfed the 5% gain by Starbucks' Chinese operations.
While Starbucks sells a cup of coffee for about RMB 30 (USD 4.2) in China, Luckin's brew generally is less than half the price. Customer reviews suggest little difference in flavor between the two chains.
Going to the movies has caught on as affordable entertainment. Wanda Film Holding, China's largest cinema operator in terms of ticket sales, grew revenue by 23%, thanks in part to hit films.
"I'd rather go on a trip with a friend, but my pay isn't going up," a 23-year-old Zhejiang province man said. "Instead, I go to movie theaters with fully equipped sound equipment."
Even those who can afford travel are taking cost and performance into account. H World Group, which chiefly manages budget and midrange hotels, reported a 2% increase in revenue for the first quarter.
H World's key locations maintained high occupancy rates of 76%. The company is rapidly opening more lodgings, with roughly 2,300 new locations planned for this year alone.
Consumer spending accounts for about 40% of China's GDP, a reality government authorities cannot ignore. During the National People's Congress in March, the need to boost consumption by stimulating domestic demand "across the board" was the first major task cited by <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/China-People-s-Congress/China-sets-GDP-growth-target-at-around-5-amid-rising-trade-war">premier Li Qiang</a> in his government work report.
In 2024, the government started offering subsidies for consumers to upgrade old home electronics for new ones. That initiative is bearing fruit.
Appliance retailer Suning.com turned in a net profit for the January-March quarter after four straight years in the red from 2020–2023, thanks partly to the subsidy.
Yet high unemployment among younger generations and the cost of supporting an aging population loom heavy over China's economy, squeezing consumer sentiment. Concern exists that demand for cheap goods could spur an excessive price war, pushing the Chinese economy into deflation.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-trends/Discount-coffee-hotels-thrive-in-China-s-penny-pinching-economy">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.rwegrgdf5.eu.org/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

Discount coffee, hotels thrive in China's penny-pinching economy

… engagement.
PI’s Pi-0 is world-class, but it didn’t make a splash. Without real-world interaction, these models remain academic.
And you can’t replicate open-source models exactly. No lab can reproduce another’s environment. Hardware-based data can’t be distilled. That’s a major difference from software.
Open source won’t unlock the market for embodied AI. Not in this domain.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3312504088306690">article</a> was written by Wang Fangyu for 36Kr.

“A PR stunt”: X Square Robot CEO says humanoid robots don’t belong in factories, calls for focus on generalization

Robotics

Deep Tech

Embodied Intelligence

… reproduce most human facial expressions. The robot features 29 active and several passive degrees of freedom for fine-tuned control of facial and neck movements.
Digit also developed an in-house emotional intelligence model that gives Xialan multimodal interaction capabilities. It comes equipped with high-definition cameras and microphone arrays to support face tracking, lip movement detection, and voice localization. Advanced motion-control algorithms allow it to navigate dynamic and unstructured environments autonomously.
The Xingxingxia robot, the company’s third flagship product, blends high aesthetics with emotional intelligence in a format designed for usability. It is touted as the first commercial bot in China to feature a dual-mode configuration: a humanoid body combined with a wheeled chassis. This enables it to switch modes freely depending on terrain. Notably, the robot can utilize a modular wheeled base that enables 3D mapping, path planning, obstacle avoidance, and guided following, ostensibly covering areas over 10,000 square meters across various flooring types, including tiles, wood, and carpet.
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“The biggest challenge for bipedal robots remains stability and battery life, both of which are crucial in complex commercial settings,” Shen said. “The dual-mode design is our current best approach.”
According to 36Kr, Xingxingxia has a battery life of more than ten hours and supports automatic charging. It can also interface with elevators for multi-floor navigation, making it suitable for deployment in malls, convention centers, and office buildings.
Digit’s business model rests on three pillars: customized development for key clients, joint operations with systems integrators, and investment in its own culturally themed IP lines. One retail collaboration is with wig manufacturer Rebecca, which uses the Xialan humanoid bot in stores. The robot wears customized wigs designed by Rebecca, aimed at boosting in-store engagement and visibility.
Shen said the company has already secured orders totaling a nine-figure RMB sum this year, with customers including major tech firms, power grid operators, banks, state-owned enterprises, and universities. Pilot deliveries are underway, with more than 1,000 units expected to ship by year’s end.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3252533124702469">article</a> was written by Huang Nan for 36Kr.

Shenzhen’s Digit raises funding to scale humanoid robots built for both charm and chores

Artificial Intelligence

… of content. If that works, the viewer becomes the creative spark.
It’s not just making creation easier. It’s a different starting point. AI becomes the tool that catches those fleeting sparks of thought and builds them into something that could inspire others.
<h3>AN: So you believe that just triggering a spark can unlock a new kind of creative productivity?</h3>
TK: Kuaishou and Douyin both started as tools. Eventually, they became massive content and social platforms. I believe whoever redefines what a creator is, defines the next generation of content platforms.
whereRelatedArticle
<h2>Quick takes</h2>
<h3>AN: What’s shocked you most in AI since 2025 began?</h3>
TK: The fact that AI agents have actually become viable.
It’s not just that the product format finally works, it’s reshaping how we build teams. At Nooka, we’re testing whether a team of 5–10 people plus 100 agents can outperform a setup of 50–100 humans.
We now run editing agents, synthesis agents, and tons of small AI tools. Think of them as freelance contractors. If they are cost-effective, they stay.
<h3>AN: What did you misjudge in AI last year?</h3>
TK: I underestimated general-purpose agents like MindOS and ChatDev.
I thought anything with less than 90% task success was useless. But users proved more tolerant. For slide decks or web builders, even 50–60% success is fine. People learn to work around the flaws.
So I've moved from thinking it needs to succeed broadly to recognizing that doing just one thing well might be enough for it to endure.
<h3>AN: What are you most looking forward to in 2025?</h3>
TK: My wedding!
Also, I’m excited about self-improving AI systems. Projects like Sakana AI’s Darwin Godel machine or DeepMind’s AlphaEvolve suggest that models may soon evolve themselves without needing pretraining data.
It’s fascinating, and a little terrifying. Like the start of a sci-fi apocalypse novel.
<h3>AN: Lastly, recommend three books you love.</h3>
TK: First would be Kant’s “Critique of Pure Reason.” I haven’t finished it yet, but I’ve been reading it for years. Every time I return to it, I understand something differently.
The other two would be “Steve Jobs” and “Zhuangzi.”
<a href="/collections/100-ai-creators">100 AI Creators</a> is a collaborative project between AI Now! and KrASIA, highlighting trailblazers in AI. Know an AI talent we should feature? <a href="mailto:ainow@rwegrgdf5.eu.org">Reach out to us.</a>

What happens when AI rewrites Kant, and you get to argue with it?

Entertainment

Creative

Once touted as the pinnacle of medical aesthetics, China’s hair transplant industry is now facing a period of reckoning. Capital once poured in, lured by projections that the market could exceed RMB 100 billion (USD 14 billion). Today, the industry is grappling with eroding consumer trust, aggressive price wars, inconsistent service quality, and a rising number of post-procedure disputes.
As the traditional “follicle relocation” model reaches its limits, clinics are faced with a choice: continue burning through marketing budgets or return to their medical foundations.
At the latest annual meeting of the Chinese Hair Research Society, Cui Shaofang, executive director at hair solutions firm Barley, spoke with 36Kr about the latest shifts in the field.
The following transcript has been edited and consolidated for brevity and clarity.
<h3>36Kr: What changes have you seen in the hair transplant and hair care market over the past year?</h3>
Cui Shaofang (CS): Two developments stood out to me. First, the number of providers—including major chains, public hospitals, and independent clinics—has now surpassed 3,000 across China.
Demand for hair transplants has been steady, but the influx of new players has intensified pricing competition. Today, many procedures are offered at prices even lower than pre-pandemic levels. Services that once cost RMB 20,000–30,000 (USD 2,800–4,200) are now marketed as all-inclusive packages for just a few thousand yuan, with no cap on grafts. That’s misleading and ultimately compromises professional standards.
Flat-rate pricing may simplify billing, but it obscures the value of medical care and pushes clinics to behave more like marketing operations than healthcare providers. At Barley, we’ve opted out of this race. We no longer attract customers with low entry prices only to upsell them later. Last year, we returned to a per-follicle pricing model.
This structure improves transparency. Every yuan spent is tied to a defined number of follicles. It removes the ambiguity of bundled pricing and reinforces our diagnosis-first approach. Patients receive a professional assessment before any treatment, ensuring they understand exactly how many follicles they need. It’s our way of practicing precision medicine.
The second trend is the rise and fall of consumer-grade hair care brands. Many shampoo and scalp care startups boomed last year but have since declined. With consumers more budget-conscious, people are sticking to essentials, leaving non-therapeutic products increasingly overlooked.
<h3>36Kr: Many clinics are expanding into hair retention products. Barley has its sub-brand, Xiaomai. How is it different?</h3>
CS: We’re not in the same category. Most competitors offer basic consumer products like shampoo and conditioner. Xiaomai, by contrast, operates under a medical license and focuses on therapeutic solutions for hair retention and regrowth. It’s what we’d call a semi-essential service.
We’ve recently opened Xiaomai to franchise partners, but we’re selective. We’re looking for operators who have experience in the hair care space and are willing to upgrade from retail-focused shops to licensed medical clinics. These partners usually have solid teams and operational know-how. What they lack are medical capabilities and brand credibility, which we can provide.
Our expansion is measured, not aggressive. Our goal this year is to open 50 Xiaomai locations. The pilot clinic in Shenzhen’s Nanshan district is already profitable, and we aim to replicate that success.
<h3>36Kr: What is Barley’s overall growth trajectory?</h3>
CS: Our performance last year was comparable to the year before. Our core business remains centered in first- and second-tier cities, with Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou accounting for 50–60% of revenue. Hair transplant procedures still represent 65–70% of our income.
We currently operate 40 clinics globally, including one in Chicago. Domestic expansion is capped at 50 clinics, as we’ve already covered the major provincial capitals. Over the past three years, we’ve closed only one clinic, in eastern China, due to overlapping market coverage.
Most people undergo a hair transplant only once in their lifetime, so there’s little justification for unchecked expansion.
We’ve also seen average customer transaction values begin to climb again. Last year, we shifted our operational focus back to clinical integrity. Price wars can distort priorities. At one point, we were reacting to market pressure in a way that felt disconnected from Barley’s original mission.
A proper clinical journey begins with diagnosis, followed by treatment planning, and then a decision: surgery or retention therapy. When pricing is prioritized over medical judgment, the entire process is undermined.
The per-graft pricing model originally came from overseas, and it remains the norm there. So we’re not raising prices, but we’re also refusing to slash them unsustainably. We’re balancing post-pandemic consumer sentiment with the true value of medical services.
After a year of operating under this model, we’ve found that customers are actually more receptive. While they remain price-sensitive, they aren’t blindly chasing the lowest quote.
We’re also diversifying our offerings. Beyond traditional procedures, we now provide treatments such as female hairline adjustments, eyebrow transplants, facial hair procedures for men, and long-term care for chronic hair loss conditions. These additions help us address a broader spectrum of patient needs.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3314520982595587">article</a> was written by Hu Xiangyun for 36Kr.

As China’s hair transplant boom fades, what comes next?

… subtler negotiation: who gets to define how shared space is used. One neighborhood official recalled a dispute over a Harmay window display that residents found too tall. After mediation, the brand agreed to lower it. These small compromises help maintain the street’s delicate equilibrium, which may be the key to its sustained commercial appeal.
“A heritage district isn’t a museum, and it’s definitely not a ghost town,” a local resident said. “It’s busy during the day, but come nightfall, the neighborhood is still calm and quiet.”
In Commonalities: Production of Behaviors, the author describes the ideal street as a mix of intimate zones that together create a vibrant public space. While most examples in the book focus on public parks or civic corridors, it also cites commercial developments. Anfu Road now feels like a real-world case study in that coexistence, though whether the balance can last remains to be seen. For now, the only thing to do is to keep walking, watching, and taking note.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3314584208140295">article</a> was written by He Zhexin for 36Kr.

Adidas lands on Anfu Road, joining the retail mix shaping Shanghai’s storied street

… tools are already being used in sectors such as construction digitization, renovation measurement, fire site modeling, traffic accident documentation, and industrial manufacturing.
In practice, drones and robots equipped with Odin 1 can enter disaster zones to deliver real-time 3D maps, helping emergency responders access accurate structural information. On construction sites, Odin 1 can log spatial changes, track progress, and assess build quality, streamlining project management and reducing labor demands.
Manifold is collaborating with several robotics manufacturers to lower the cost of smart sensing modules and offer integrated solutions for navigation, scanning, and localization. Odin 1 is scheduled to enter mass production in July and will be launched globally thereafter.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3300840875383303">article</a> was written by Huang Nan for 36Kr.

Memory for machines: Manifold Tech’s Odin 1 brings spatial recall to robotics

Internet of Things

Drones

… months.
Tencent recently upgraded its AI agent development platform to better enable companies to build their own smart AI agents, which can reportedly handle tasks from coding to data analysis without manual input. For its own AI agents, Tencent plans to transform them from quick response tools into tools that can ultimately interact with other applications and external APIs to offer comprehensive user support.
Alibaba launched its all-in-one AI assistant Quark in March. Its "super box" interface can perform a wide range of tasks, including deep search, content creation, image generation, and coding.
In April, ByteDance launched its latest thinking model Seed-Thinking-v1.5, which the company claims outperforms DeepSeek's R1 in generic tasks and is also more cost competitive. Its AI-powered productivity platform <a href="https://rwegrgdf5.eu.org/bytedance-launches-coze-its-new-ai-agent-platform-in-beta">Coze</a>, which is only available in China, meanwhile, can automatically analyze questions to generate output like web pages, power point presentations or text documents.
whereRelatedArticle
Not everyone is convinced that the era of AI agent is near, or that there are meaningful ways to rank where US and Chinese companies stand in the AI race.
"The posts I saw about agentic AI are primarily marketing hype," said the University of Michigan's Corso. "There has been little evidence that any new advances have been made, partially due to the lack of reasonable benchmarks available that map to meaningful user outcomes and the lack of actual understanding of the user needs."
And while the US-China tech competition continues to heat up, some still believe AI advancement should be a global effort.
"We're not in a world of zero-sum games," Yossi Matias, head of Google Research told Nikkei Asia in an interview.
Matias declined to comment on how Google's AI efforts compared to those happening in China.
"If we see innovation coming from various places, it'll actually lead to more advancements everywhere. So I'm really excited about what we see from everywhere," he said.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Tech-Asia/US-vs-China-Who-s-leading-the-race-to-make-AI-agents-a-reality">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.rwegrgdf5.eu.org/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

US versus China: Who's leading the race to make AI agents a reality?