A shift in an era is often hidden within the quiet, flowing details. Data shows that by June 2025, the number of One-Person Companies (OPCs) in China had surpassed 16 million, with 2.86 million new registrations in the first half of 2025 alone, a sharp increase of 47% year-on-year. From betting on "hit factories" to empowering "super individuals," the landscape of China's digital cultural creation is undergoing a profound and quiet transformation.
In April, in Chengdu, AI digital artist and AIGC creator Qin Wenshan shared his journey with his OPC: entering the AIGC video field in 2024, building upon his existing business, his company's valuation grew rapidly within six months. On the other side of the city, the Starry Stone team was closely monitoring the backend for the theatrical release of "Shrouding the Heavens." Within 24 hours of its launch, it garnered 38 trending topics across the internet and an initial rating of 9.6. Supporting this hit was a local collaboration network where over 80% of the team worked within a "cup of coffee's distance."
Simultaneously, the 13th China Internet Audio-Video Conference was in full swing in Chengdu, where "OPC" appeared as a sub-topic for the first time at this major industry event, becoming a hot topic within a hot topic. These three scenarios point to the same core: AI empowerment and human-machine collaboration are颠覆ing the existing models of audio-visual and cultural creation. One person, one computer, one set of AI tools. As "one person becoming an army" becomes possible, what kind of industrial ecosystem can serve as the most solid camp for this new force?
**The Mighty Force of "One Person"** Ouyang Chenglong's workstation is in an OPC community office in Chengdu, equipped with just one computer, a few sketches, and a web product under iteration. Yet, this not-yet-fully-formed project has already attracted attention from over 6,000 users and connected more than 30 related manufacturers. This programmer, who worked in the automotive industry for eight years, resigned after the Spring Festival this year to become his own CEO. He focuses on a relatively niche interest group—military equipment enthusiasts. "Money-making ideas might be short-term," he says. "But if it's something you've loved since childhood and still find fascinating at 30, then it's not just a passing trend."
In Chengdu's High-Tech Zone "Hi-Tech π Cube OPC Community," Shi Bingcheng, a 16-year veteran of the gaming industry, is working with one partner and several "AI employees" to develop a single-player game called "Cyber Journey to the West." Since starting in May 2025, with the help of AI tools, art resource costs have been reduced to one-fifth of traditional methods. With two people and AI, they completed 90% of the development in seven months. "A small boat is easier to turn," he says. "An OPC can make quick decisions, validate ideas rapidly, and test hypotheses quickly, using relatively low costs to gauge player preferences."
Zeng Qiuyuntian, a university student who hasn't yet graduated, is already creating AI comic dramas in the π Cube community. This senior from Chengdu University of Information Technology started teaching himself video editing in middle school. His core team now numbers no more than 10 people. "Previously, filming a live-action promotional video required lots of equipment, took months, and cost hundreds of thousands. Our costs can be much lower," he says. He has already drafted a contract with a Chengdu-based short drama distribution company and expects to launch soon.
These stories may seem small, but they collectively point to an accelerating reality: AI tools are redefining the boundaries of an individual's creativity. Future company structures will see massive, scaled enterprises on one end and "super individuals" at the core on the other, coexisting in parallel. A more interesting analogy is the "swarm structure": humans retreat to a central role, specializing in aesthetics and judgment, while AI agents collaborate around them, handling all repetitive execution. Both paths lead to the same conclusion: AI can replace repetitive tasks but cannot replace aesthetic sense and judgment. The truly competitive force of the future will be the "judgment-possessing commander."
**No Longer an Island** The biggest enemy for a one-person company is not technology, but loneliness. Before joining the π Cube community, Shi Bingcheng worked from home in isolation. "The biggest difficulty working from home is the 'boredom'—developing alone with no one to communicate with. Making games requires finding publishers and investors, which means running around everywhere; it was hard to even get a foot in the door."
In Chengdu's Jinniu District, Wang Wei's entrepreneurial journey illustrates how this dilemma can be overcome. Six months ago, her company, Yuanqi Gongsheng, started with two people and established the "AI Chuangzhiyuan" OPC community within the AI Digital Creation Intelligence Park. Within half a year, the community has attracted numerous OPC talents. "We have a partnership system with every OPC team that joins; we take on orders together and make money together," she says.
In mid-April, Yuanqi Gongsheng secured the first 1 million yuan "OPC Loan" from Chengdu Bank, enjoying a full government subsidy on the loan interest. This marked the first time this exclusive financing channel for "one-person companies" was opened in Chengdu. Wang Wei said, "As small super individuals, our scale is tiny, but we are still seen and supported by the government. This is a great encouragement for us."
Ma Weiwei, Deputy General Manager of Tianfu Software Park, offers a more direct observation: an OPC entrepreneur spends most of their day alone in front of a screen. What they need is to be undisturbed. The community's role isn't just to provide a desk but to create an ecosystem—computing power, financial services, policy consulting, and skill enhancement. "Supporting OPC development isn't really about providing office space; it's about reducing the mental energy consumption of the entrepreneur."
**From "Blockbusters" to "Individuals"** Chengdu is hailed as a new highland for popular culture. The city's digital cultural creation industry has a solid foundation—firmly positioned in the nation's top tier, leading in comprehensive strength in central and western China. In 2025, the total revenue of the core digital cultural creation industry in the city reached 413.97 billion yuan, with nearly 900 large-scale enterprises. "Honor of Kings" was born here, the "Nezha" series was refined here, and the national anime "Shrouding the Heavens" surpassed 16.5 billion cumulative views across all platforms.
During the Internet Audio-Video Conference, the Jinguan Xingyao "AI + Cultural Creativity" OPC Acceleration Plan was launched, pointing the way towards an even smaller unit. This plan focuses on AI+IP, connecting OPC individuals, scenarios, platforms, and communities, using Chengdu's unique cultural and tourism scenes as a driver to promote efficient connections between OPCs and resources like scenic spots, streets, villages, and intangible cultural heritage.
He Yuan, Lead AI Industry Researcher at the New Economic Development Institute (iNED), pinpointed the underlying logic: the real power of a "one-person company" isn't low cost, but fast decision-making and rapid iteration—in an era where product cycles are measured in weeks, speed itself becomes a barrier. In his view, rather than betting on the next "Nezha," it's better to let a hundred vertical tracks bloom. "The vitality of the industry is shifting from the randomness of blockbuster hits to the inevitability of a thriving ecosystem."
The official opening of the "Rongshu" OPC Community coincided with this vision. Tian Li, Party Committee Secretary of the School of Journalism and Communication and Vice Dean of the New Media Institute at Peking University, offered a judgment from another angle: AI's biggest variable is "lowering the industry threshold, enabling mass participation." And Chengdu's most core resource isn't the quantity of products, but an "inherent optimism." In other words, once this emotional value is empowered by AI, it transforms into scalable product potential.
Thus, policy support, available scenarios, market demand, creative capability, and an optimistic, proactive attitude... have ignited the trend of OPCs converging on this "new popular culture highland."
Director Tang Congyu's relocation serves as a footnote to this ecosystem's appeal. The company he founded in Beijing, Yingyidian Film Technology, chose to establish a branch in Chengdu last year. After adopting AI for film scene generation, they secured a collaboration for "Shrouding the Heavens." When asked about the reasons for choosing Chengdu, he cited three factors: strong support, a concentration of young talent, and a friendly environment for AI startups. "The overall environment is excellent, giving more young people the opportunity to create their own things."
**Boundaries and Depth** From bamboo slips to movable type, from lead and fire to light and electricity, from film to digital... each evolution of tools has expanded the boundary of "who can create." Today, AI has pushed this boundary significantly further. It hasn't replaced anyone; it has simply given more people with ideas the opportunity to bring those ideas to life.
Ouyang Chenglong's platform is still iterating. Shi Bingcheng's "Cyber Journey to the West" is expected to begin Early Access testing in June. Zeng Qiuyuntian's AI comic drama is about to officially launch. What they are doing may not be massive in scale, but each project is growing authentically.
During the Internet Audio-Video Conference, influential online figure "Wuhe Qilin" (Fu Yu) revealed that he and his team have completed an 85-minute AI-animated film, hoping for a theatrical release soon. Discussing the impact of AI on traditional creation, he said, "It's not that technology is replacing people; it's that people who master technology are gradually replacing those who don't. Traditional art practitioners need to leverage their professional strengths and find their place within this new trend."
What a city can truly offer creators is never just the amount of subsidies or the clauses of policies, but something that can be called "permission": the permission for one person, with one computer, to spend half a year or even longer, polishing a dream. The permission to experiment, the permission to take it slow. The era is racing forward. This "permission" has already taken root, growing into "one-person armies" for more and more ordinary people.
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