On July 9, a group of seven writers from six APEC member economies, including Indonesia, South Korea, Mexico, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam, visited the Shenzhen Science and Technology Museum. This visit marked the second day of the 2026 Global Writers in Guangdong Program.
The museum, recognized as one of Shenzhen's "top 10 new cultural landmarks," immediately captured the visitors' attention with its ship-like architecture and futuristic "liquid-metal exterior," which set the stage for an immersive journey into China's technological advancements.
Upon entering the "Hello, World" exhibition hall, the writers were greeted by a striking 7-meter-high silver spherical screen resembling a floating "intelligent pupil." After standing in the sensing area for a few seconds, the visitors saw their own images instantly projected onto the giant display.
Delighted by the surprise, the writers eagerly took out their phones to capture the moment, with their own smiling faces shining back at them on the screen. Another popular stop was the "innovative R&D of traditional Chinese medicine" exhibit, where visitors could press buttons to view streamlined demonstrations of both traditional and modern production processes for well-known remedies.
The display was complemented by actual herb samples, offering a quick yet comprehensive glimpse into the evolution of Chinese herbal medicine. Throughout the museum, QR code audio guides, touch-operated panels, and voice devices were readily available. Nearly 1,000 interactive exhibits vividly presented real-world technological applications, allowing the foreign writers to experience China's fast-moving tech scene up close.
South Korean writer Song Gabin, who has long been engaged in economic research on South Asia and East Asia, found herself drawn to the X-Bot coffee robot, which had attracted a long queue of visitors. She watched with keen interest as the robot, powered by a large AI model and coordinated by a robotic arm, customized coffee orders for the waiting crowd.
"It's so amusing—you just upload a photo, and the robot prints the image right onto the coffee foam," she said, playfully mimicking the robotic arm's movements. She added that the machine would be a huge hit in South Korea and said Shenzhen's strong culture of cross-disciplinary innovation offered her a glimpse of China's promising future.
Singaporean academic Tien Ming Lee, a professor at Sun Yat-sen University, was particularly impressed by a four-legged robot dog. He said the museum demonstrated how AI has evolved beyond data analysis into a wide range of real-world applications.
"It is truly leading the way," he said, adding that he was inspired to explore how such robotic technologies could be applied to his own research.
After the tour, Peruvian poet Gian Pierre Codarlupo said that witnessing children interacting with robots and drones left a lasting impression on him. In his view, technology is at the heart of Shenzhen's development and has created new possibilities for poetic expression.
He mentioned that he had long been exploring the intersection of poetry and technology, and the visit provided fresh inspiration for both his reportage and poetry. Having grown up in a coastal city, he has always drawn inspiration from the sea and now looks forward to experiencing Shenzhen's coastline firsthand. He hopes to weave the city's technological innovation together with its mountains and sea into a new body of work.
Author | Jiang Chang
Photos | Nanfang Plus
