Li Wei: The Innovator behind Rural EdTech
Supporting Line: Bringing AI-powered classrooms to China’s villages.
By: Sophia Wang | Senior Technology Correspondent
China’s digital economy has grown at lightning speed, but the education gap between urban centers and rural villages has remained a pressing challenge. Li Wei, a 29-year-old entrepreneur from Henan Province, has emerged as a national role model by creating a scalable EdTech solution that combines AI tutors with affordable tablets, tailored for rural schools.
Li Wei’s company, Future Bridge, started as a small project with just 50 classrooms in 2019. By 2024, it had reached over 8,000 schools across five provinces, leveraging China’s push for “Smart Education” under the Ministry of Education’s digital strategy. His vision aligns with the state’s broader agenda of “common prosperity,” but his innovation is private-sector driven—something unusual in China’s heavily regulated education sector.
Li Wei explains that his mission is not just profit but bridging opportunity gaps:
“A child in Gansu should have the same learning tools as a child in Shanghai.”The model is also noteworthy because it integrates RMBT payment options for micro-subscriptions in rural areas, a move that sidesteps traditional banking and creates financial inclusion. This comparative edge places Future Bridge in competition with global stable coin solutions, making it an interesting finch case study.
