WeDoctor-Led Industrial Ecosystem Cluster Transforms Hangzhou into a Dual Hub of E-Commerce and Digital Health

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned that on April 26, the Huatuo Health Town, China’s first town focused on the intelligent medical and health ecosystem, was officially launched at the Hangzhou Bay Information Port. Driven by the national “Internet + Medical Health” initiative and Zhejiang’s “Digital Economy” wave, Huatuo Health Town has emerged as a new industrial landmark south of the Qiantang River, akin to the Cloud Town’s cloud computing industry north of the river, and is becoming China’s “Silicon Valley” for medical technology. Led by WeDoctor Group, the world’s top-ranked medical technology unicorn, Huatuo Health Town has achieved integration across the entire industry chain, including healthcare services, pharmaceuticals, health insurance, and medical devices.

Han Demin, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and President of the China International Exchange and Promotive Association for Medical and Health Care; Sang Binsheng, Secretary-General of the World Federation of Chinese Medicine Societies; Ye Jianhong, Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Administrative Committee of Xiaoshan Economic and Technological Development Zone; and Liao Jieyuan, Founder of WeDoctor Group, jointly unveiled the Huatuo Health Town. The ceremony was attended by officials from the Xiaoshan District People’s Government, industry organizations, hospital directors from across China, and executives from enterprises based in the town.

As the Huatuo Health Town was officially launched, the new headquarters of WeDoctor Group, a unicorn company, was also announced to be put into use. On the same day, the “WeDoctor Health Carnival” held in the town showcased the “Tangram” model for serving the public and the “Nine Powers” for empowering the industry, which WeDoctor has developed over its nine years of entrepreneurship. Through a nine-stop train format, the event displayed WeDoctor’s nine core capabilities in serving users and the industry, vividly illustrating how technological advancements have transformed national healthcare access and health practices, sparking enthusiastic participation among Hangzhou residents.

In the “Rapid Consultation” experience zone, citizens can consult with specialists from top-tier (Grade 3A) hospitals online within three minutes. In the “Mobile Consultation” zone, users can schedule appointments and remotely access medical reports via their smartphones at any time. The “Expert Consultation” service enables remote multidisciplinary consultations for complex cases by inviting experts from across China. The “Overseas Medical Care” section showcases services offered by more than 30 medical institutions both domestically and abroad, including those in Australia and Thailand. In the “Comprehensive Family Health Management” zone, citizens can engage with dedicated “private doctors” through both online and offline channels. Meanwhile, smart infirmaries make it a reality for office workers to “see a doctor at work,” providing end-to-end services—including consultation, examination, and medication dispensing—within the workplace. Cloud-based mobile clinic vehicles have been deployed in the “Access Top Specialists at Your Village Entrance” experience zone, enabling tens of millions of farmers across China to receive one-stop medical care without leaving their villages.

Underpinning these seven service capabilities is a healthcare system built by WeDoctor over nine years, connecting more than 2,700 key hospitals and 280,000 physicians, with coverage spanning “general practice + specialties” and “online + offline.” This system has become a typical model for China’s exploration of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). By linking patients with physicians, WeDoctor also leverages internet and artificial intelligence technologies to help governments at all levels integrate medical services, pharmaceuticals, and health insurance. It has established a “Three-Medical Integration” platform to promote coordinated reforms among these three sectors, assisting county- and city-level hospitals in enhancing their specialized capabilities and overall comprehensive performance, thereby forming WeDoctor’s “Nine Core Competencies.”

According to reports, the “Huatuo Health Town,” which broke ground in the Hangzhou Bay Information Port over a year ago, has already yielded fruitful results. Currently, under the strategic guidance and business drive of WeDoctor, the town’s industrial cluster effect is rapidly becoming prominent. Institutions such as the Zhejiang University Ruiyi AI Research Center, the Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Immunology at the National Engineering Research Center for New Drug Development, the Haixi Pharmaceutical Platform, Hong Kong Lihe, Tangqiao Technology, and Kangjiu Medical and Elderly Care have established their presence and achieved breakthrough outcomes.

It is reported that WeDoctor and Zhejiang University’s Ruiyi have achieved key breakthroughs in artificial intelligence diagnostic applications across more than ten specialty fields. Together with US-based Genetron Health, a company specializing in third-generation gene chips and sequencers, they launched a portable genetic testing device integrated with next-generation high-density DNA chips. Third-generation high-throughput genetic equipment is expected to be deployed in China within the year. Additionally, WeDoctor has partnered with Hong Kong’s Li & Fung, the largest medical device supply platform in the Asia-Pacific region, to establish China’s first intelligent healthcare supply chain solution and procurement platform.

WeDoctor originated in Xiaoshan and has also brought benefits to the region. Medical technology services such as WeDoctor’s General Practice Centers and smart clinics have enabled residents of Xiaoshan to be among the first to enjoy convenient healthcare services. On that day, with the support of the Administrative Committee of Xiaoshan Economic and Technological Development Zone, WeDoctor donated 1,000 sets of its “Health Pass” services, with a total value of approximately RMB 6 million, free of charge in batches to renowned entrepreneurs, high-level talents, and model worker representatives in Xiaoshan District.

Academician Han Demin pointed out that medical technology unicorns represented by WeDoctor have driven the aggregation and integration of the entire industry in Hangzhou, expressing hope that Huatuo Health Town will uphold the mission of the Huatuo Project, making it easier for more people to access medical care and pursue healthy lifestyles. Director Ye Jianhong stated his expectation that Huatuo Health Town, as a pioneer of Zhejiang’s “digital economy,” will expand from Xiaoshan to the entire province and across China, benefiting the Chinese people.

The wave of the digital economy is sweeping across the banks of the Qiantang River. The cloud computing industry, driven by Alibaba, has given rise to the distinctive Cloud Town, establishing Hangzhou as China’s e-commerce capital. Meanwhile, the medical technology industry, spearheaded by WeDoctor, has fostered the Huatuo Health Town, expanding its service coverage from Xiaoshan to the rest of China and the Asia-Pacific region, and transforming Hangzhou into both an “E-Commerce Capital” and a “City of Health.”