The science journal Nature's editorial on Rokid glasses in December. [Photo/Nature]

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, has emerged as a global tech standout, landing on the cover of the science journal Nature twice within three months — an achievement seldom seen among Chinese cities.

On Dec 11, Nature featured an editorial cover highlighting Rokid glasses, an AI-powered AR device developed in Hangzhou, calling on countries to engage in global AI governance as China accelerates innovation.

Earlier, on Sept 17, Nature put the DeepSeek-R1 reasoning model on its cover. The paper, led by Liang Wenfeng, marked the world's first peer-reviewed mainstream large language model. On Dec 9, Liang was also named one of Nature's 2025 Ten People to Watch.

For cities, Nature's cover is widely viewed as a benchmark of foundational scientific and frontier technological breakthroughs. Hangzhou's back-to-back appearances point to a deeper shift: innovation increasingly driven by technology companies rather than sheer numbers of universities or institutes.

That momentum is reflected in rankings. In November, the Nature Index 2025 Science Cities placed Hangzhou among the global top 10 for the first time. While it still trails Beijing and Shanghai domestically, its rise has been powered by enterprise-led breakthroughs in AI, AR, brain-computer interfaces, and biotech.

Behind the strong results is a long-term strategy: sustained investment in high-level research platforms, strong policy support for tech firms, ample venture funding, and a business environment known for strong support and minimal interference.

Nature's editorial on DeepSeek-R1 reasoning model in September. [Photo/Nature]