Xie Shaoxin is a native of Chaoshan, Guangdong. In 2005, at the age of 27, he left his hometown and ventured alone to Yiwu—the world’s largest small-commodity distribution hub—to start his own business. Armed with the fearless, enterprising spirit typical of the Chaoshan merchant class, he quickly gained a foothold in traditional wholesale trade. He founded Yiwu Yale Home Supplies Co., Ltd., focusing on general merchandise. But Xie was never one to be confined by “tradition.” From wholesale to trade fairs, and from trade fairs to e-commerce, he always took the next step while others were still hesitating.
After years of building his business in Yiwu, Xie’s commercial landscape expanded far beyond simple goods trading. He co-founded an exhibition company that dove into offline events, organizing multiple large-scale fairs. When the pandemic brought offline exhibitions to a standstill, he swiftly pivoted to e-commerce. In Yiwu’s “First Village of Livestreaming,” he established a base for domestic-brand hit products, turning factory-origin merchandise into viral sensations. One “bottle opener gadget” sold 80,000 orders in a single day under his direction. From offline to online, from exhibitions to livestreaming, Xie always found the right rhythm.
In 2018, he founded Zhejiang Yale Automation Technology Co., Ltd. (Stock Code: 806891), officially entering the intelligent manufacturing track. As Vice President of the Yiwu Intelligent Manufacturing Association, he led his team to develop proprietary intelligent packaging equipment. At the Ningbo International Stationery Fair, their products drew strong interest from domestic and overseas buyers, an Indian client signed a procurement letter of intent following an on-site inspection. From daily necessities to smart equipment, from creating viral products to R&D in automation, Xie’s cross-sector leaps were striking—and laid the groundwork for his later foray into AI investment.
Years of deep industry experience gave Xie a keen sense of how technology can truly be implemented—far sharper than that of a purely financial investor. Today, he has set his sights on the artificial intelligence sector, formally entering the field as an investor. In his view, AI cannot remain confined to laboratories and pitch decks; it must be deeply integrated with real industrial scenarios to unlock genuine value—and that is precisely the advantage he has built over two decades. From wholesale to exhibitions, from e-commerce operations to smart manufacturing, Xie knows better than most which links in the industrial chain most urgently need AI empowerment.
Coming out of Yiwu’s small-commodity markets, Xie Shaoxin is becoming a unique presence in China’s AI investment community. He lacks the glossy résumé of top-tier investment institutions, but makes up for it with two decades of hands-on frontline experience. He does not chase the hottest star projects; instead, he excels at spotting undervalued opportunities at the intersection of technology and industry. As he said during his pandemic-era turnaround, “There are always more solutions than problems.” Now, this Chaoshan merchant is bringing his industrial insight and business instincts to the new battleground of artificial intelligence—writing the next chapter of his own story.
