Aerial view of Phoenix Island's curved towers and the harbor in Sanya, Hainan

Sanya · Yazhou District

Set up your AI one-person company in Sanya.

We help founders get registered, get the paperwork right, and get settled — in a place where the local government actually wants you here. We'll also tell you honestly when something isn't going to work.

OPC means "One-Person Company": a founder-led AI micro-company. Hainan's AI OPC route is for individuals and small teams using or developing AI tools, generally no more than five people.

Start the 2-minute check See what's involved

Setup: OPC formation, step by step
Paperwork: Documents and translations
Landing: Housing, workspace, first month

Who this is for

We live in interesting times, to say the least.

Young and active mid-career professionals are weighing their options right now. Most will keep weighing. A few will go long. This is for the few.

Suitable if you...

are motivated to live and work legally in Asia — you want a reliable work visa, in one country or across several, without handing control of both your work and your visa to an employer
are a self-starter, not a clock-watcher — you want work-life balance, but you still care about doing high-quality work
are fearless — you're willing to try something new and radical, something not all of your friends or family would risk
are interested in pioneering a community — you want to build something in China, not just visit it
consider yourself an exceptional person — you know your abilities in one or more areas, or you feel you have real untapped potential
have ability with technology — intermediate to advanced, willing to learn new tools and apply them
are interested in AI — you're working out how AI should fit into your work and your products, and where the human part of a task still matters

Why this, why now

A pioneering career opportunity

We're looking for new and pivoting university graduates, serial entrepreneurs, and a few digital nomads — anyone planning their next career and life move, seriously.

China is opening up

...but opportunities here tend to change fast. Still, once you are grandfathered in, you are secure. Hainan, and particularly Sanya, is currently among the most flexible and fastest ways for a truly motivated person to gain access to China, and to greater Asia.

A tropical haven

Work and live on the coast of sunny Hainan Island — China's "Silicon Island" — part of the year, or year-round.

A community of practice

Collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs at all stages of their careers, foreign and Chinese alike, in a relaxed, low-stress environment. And by the way — we're part of the community too, not just a business.

Streamlined processes

We offer a one-stop setup, and we're intent on establishing ourselves as a reputable China business partner. We've already tested the process with our own friends. And the Yazhou, Sanya, and Hainan governments are highly motivated to welcome qualified foreign talent to the area.

A versatile talent ecosystem

Technical chops are valuable, but other skills matter too. The emphasis here is on the AI economy — and on people who can connect AI to something they already know how to do well.

A valuable window of opportunity

There is a limited period for this round of registration. This is not to rush you — it's just that typical programs tend to come with stricter conditions later, and the best ones tend to be short-lived. But once you succeed, you are grandfathered in. If this looks right for you, it may be worth looking into.

What we do

What we actually help with.

We're a small operation. We handle the setup slice of the process — registration, applications, landing — and we try not to pretend otherwise.

Find out whether this fits you

Before anyone fills in a form, we'd rather you know whether the OPC route actually suits your situation. That's what the 2-minute check is for. If it isn't a fit, we'll tell you that too.

Get the registration through

Founder status, company activity, required documents, translations, portals, the sequence of local steps. This is the part we've done before, more than once.

Apply for what you're actually eligible for

The support programs exist. So do the eligibility rules and the reviews. We help you put together a clean application, and we'll tell you honestly what we think your odds are.

Land in Sanya

Housing, workspace visits, local appointments, the small logistics that are hard to arrange from abroad.

If a step isn't something we can help with, we'll say so, and point you to someone who can.

Where you'd be

Yazhou Bay, on the western edge of Sanya.

Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City is built around Nanshan Port, Nanfan Technology City, Deep-Sea Technology City, Education and Research City, and the global animal and plant germplasm resource base. In plain terms: a science park with real adjacent industries — seed research, deep-sea tech, life sciences, digital economy — and a local government that's actively recruiting founders.

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Tech Park Area

Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City

This is the practical setup area for OPC paperwork, enterprise services, shared workspaces, incubator visits, and local coordination.

District: Yazhou, western Sanya
Focus: AI OPC setup and settling-in support

A look inside the park

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Tree-lined courtyard between the incubator buildings — Exterior campus and courtyard

Entrance of the Hainan Innovation and Entrepreneurship Incubator — Incubator entrance

Landscaped green courtyard outside the incubator — Green outdoor area

Marble reception lobby with the science-city name on the wall — Reception lobby

Glass entrance marked 'OPC Community' — OPC community entrance

Yazhou Bay International Business Hub signage — International business hub

Rows of shared desks with numbered workstations — Shared workspace desks

Glass-partitioned office area — Glass office area

Open desks with a world map wall behind them — Open desks and rooms

Conference room with a long table and chairs — Meeting room

Lounge seating next to open bookshelves — Lounge and shelves

Kitchenette and rest area with bar stools — Tea and rest area

Wall-mounted floor layout and directory map — Floor layout map

Reception desk with backlit signage wall — Reception desk signage

Yazhou Bay basic situation Yazhou service portal Tech enterprise support measures Hainan AI OPC measures

The policy side

There is real support. There is also real fine print.

Hainan's 2026 AI OPC measures support micro-enterprises that develop or use AI tools for innovation and entrepreneurship. The programs exist. So do the eligibility rules, the local implementation quirks, and the application reviews. We'll help you put together a clean file. We won't pretend to know the outcome.

Low-cost or free workspace, service teams, events, and public services in the park
Vouchers or credits for compute, models, data, or AI tools
Project support: scenario access, data resources, financing, talent services
Living support: housing, medical, residence, and family document routes

Nothing on this page is a guarantee of approval, funding, free workspace, rent reduction, residence permits, visas, import benefits, or tax treatment. Anyone who guarantees those is selling you something.

Read the full policy and funding reference, with sources →

AI + the field you already know

Marketing services Tourism services Trade and logistics Education Wellness and healthcare Consulting Digital economy Life sciences Nanfan seed industry Deep-sea technology