While many first-tier cities in China are currently issuing metaverse-related action plans and support policies, Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province, has already showcased several innovative application scenarios in the field.

As an emerging digital industry, the metaverse offers a fully immersive virtual world where individuals can interact, work and play as online avatars of themselves.

Hefei is said to have achieved notable milestones in this field – including the transformation of Shenfu village, an ancient village in Baohe district, into a digital simulation for visitors to explore.

Furthermore, local retailer Baida Group has introduced a digital spokesperson called Ai Xiaobai, who excels at live streaming, marketing and training.

A view of Ai Xiaobai, which is released by the Baida Group. [Photo/gxq.hefei.gov.cn]

Elsewhere, the largest bookstore in Anhui province – located in Hefei city – is now known as the Yuan Bookstore, offering virtual human interactions and real-time broadcasting.

Hefei's commitment to the metaverse industry is said to be all the more evident as it has included it in government work reports for two consecutive years and it has actively developed applications scenarios.

On Feb 14, the Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone issued an action plan for the development of the metaverse industry.

The plan incorporates the concept of the metaverse into the zone's future industrial development strategy and outlines detailed plans to make the zone a hub for the metaverse industry.

The action plan also outlined the goal of attracting 50 scientific and technological leaders in the metaverse field to the high-tech zone by 2028, along with 100 young entrepreneurial and innovative teams and 50,000 practitioners involved in related industries.