by Xinhua writer Wang Teng
HAIKOU, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- At dusk, the salty sea air drifted over a beach on south China's Hainan Island, where a young man sat alone.
The man, Li Baihong, founded a one-person company (OPC) specializing in software development.
Unlike traditional ventures, an OPC is usually led by a single entrepreneur with AI tools handling tasks that would otherwise require a larger team.
His "employees" are three laptops loaded with AI assistants helping him develop software.
Now, he has earned about 200,000 yuan (about 30,000 U.S. dollars) in six months since the company was established.
In April this year, he resigned from a leading Chinese internet company in Shanghai and flew to Hainan with his belongings in three suitcases.
"I've explored several OPC communities in cities such as Hangzhou and Shenzhen. But I chose Hainan because the working environment here is like a forest park," said Li, adding that his happiest moment each day is the 10-minute e-bike ride to the seaside after work.
On the day he landed in Hainan, he submitted the documents to the local authorities online and received his business license seven days later.
Li's company is based in Hainan Free Trade Port Resort Software Community, just a 10-minute e-bike ride from the beach. The community offers entrepreneurship coaching, rent-free offices, and funding for entrepreneurs.
Under Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) policies, eligible companies can benefit from a preferential corporate income tax rate of 15 percent. "I used to earn a high salary in Shanghai, but the taxes were high as well. So, the tax rate is one of the factors I consider when running my own company," he said.
To date, the community has attracted more than 400 AI-powered OPC enterprise entities and 700 makers, as well as entrepreneurs from overseas, said Si Xinying, director of Chengmai Digital Economy Research Institute, which is based in this community.
As the sun sank below the horizon, Li was still sitting on the beach. Lights came on at a port in the distance, and the sound of a ship's horn drifted in.
The next day, I took a bus along the western stretch of the Hainan Island loop road and reached Yangpu Port, the largest cargo port in the Hainan FTP.
When I arrived, customs officers were inspecting a shipment of coconuts imported from Thailand. Using intelligent inspection equipment, customs can complete inspection of a single shipment in under three minutes.
"If the machine detects abnormalities, the shipment will be sent for manual inspection," said Zeng Jie, deputy head of the supervision department of Yangpu Port Customs.
Since last December, the Hainan FTP launched island-wide special customs operations, a system that treats the whole island as a special customs area. As of Oct. 22, the Yangpu border inspection station has inspected 4,104 inbound and outbound vessels, up 11.95 percent year on year.
Among the goods unloaded from Yangpu Port are shipments sent to Hainan's duty-free shops. Currently, 12 offshore duty-free shops are located across Hainan Island.
Sanya City was the final stop on my reporting trip to Hainan. On the last day, after booking my departure ticket, I went to the Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex to buy duty-free goods for my family.
The sprawling mall offers a wide selection of international brands, attractive duty-free prices and convenient pickup services.
Tourists holding departure tickets from Hainan Island, including but not limited to train, ship or airplane tickets, may purchase duty-free goods in any duty-free shop on the island. After payment, they can take the goods with them or choose to have them delivered.
"Since the launch of special customs operations, foreign tourists who meet the requirements and plan to leave the island and the country can enjoy a tax exemption of 100,000 yuan per year to buy duty-free goods in Hainan, like other Chinese tourists," introduced Zhang Bin, general manager of China Duty Free Group Sanya Downtown Duty Free Store Co., Ltd.
There, I met a tourist from Russia carrying several shopping bags. She told me that it was her first time visiting China.
"It feels wonderful, because I can enjoy the island's tropical coastal scenery and buy international goods at such great prices," she said.
From January to September 2026, Haikou Customs supervised duty-free sales worth about 16.29 billion yuan in Sanya, with about 2.4 million shopper visits and about 12.59 million items purchased, up 16.48 percent, 6.29 percent, and 6.24 percent year on year, respectively.
After shopping, I headed to the airport. When the plane took off, I could see the golden beach and the cerulean sea outside the window. Although my trip has come to an end, the story of Hainan FTP continues. ■
