from the perspective of a blockchain enthusiast backpacking around Asia

In February, I left my day job at a Bay Area software startup to take a few months off to travel before heading back to school. As part of this trip, I decided to do a bit of traveling around China.

I’ve had a fascination with China for a couple reasons: 1) I am ethnically Chinese and wanted to learn more about my heritage, and 2) I’m bullish on the long-term outlook of the country’s ascent as a global leader. Particularly in light of recent political events in the U.S., this is becoming a reality at a faster pace than I had imagined.

After a short stint in Hong Kong, I decided to go with a buddy to Shenzhen, the southern gateway to mainland China.

What’s all the rage with Shenzhen?

Shenzhen is currently the 4th largest city in China (23 million people) and is known for being the hardware capital of the country. Well-known companies that were founded here include: Tencent, Huawei, ZTE and DJI.

I was shocked to learn that Waltonchain had moved their headquarters here a few months prior (simply because I did not know), but it makes sense given the company’s focus on hardware, and Shenzhen’s focus on technology. In fact, it was just announced a few days ago that the Shenzhen municipal government has launched a USD $80mm blockchain-focused venture fund.

After spending two days in Shenzhen, my plan to leave the following day to Guangzhou was interrupted. As soon as I found out that the company had moved here from Fujian province, I decided to throw a hail-mary and shoot them an email to see if they would be willing to afford me a visit, because as many of my friends and family know, I’m a big fan of the project.

The next morning, I received an email from the team saying they would be willing to show me around! I was ecstatic. I cancelled my train ticket to Guangzhou, packed my bags and headed for the Hi-Tech industrial park, home to many of Shenzhen’s technology companies and startups.

The complex where the company is based, also home to a number of other tech companies and startups.

I was greeted by Jesse and Alison, members of the marketing team with whom I had been corresponding. They took me to meet with Welson Wong (Chief Strategy Officer), who thanked me for my support of the project and proceeded to give me a tour of the office.

Initially, what surprised me the most was the sheer amount of people employed by the company. I know they are relatively young, so I had always assumed they were run like a scrappy startup with all employees crammed in a small, windowless room. This wasn’t the case. I met the engineering teams working on the RFID software, web/mobile wallet software, Freyrchain, and the Waltonchain marketing and operations teams.