A Ukrainian visitor at the sixth China International Consumer Products Expo in Haikou, Hainan province, last week slipped on a pair of ordinary-looking glasses. Seconds later, he broke into a smile and exclaimed, "Nice!"

The lightweight device — weighing just 49 grams — had just translated a sign for him, taken a photo and displayed a navigation route. It was a small moment, but one that captured the spirit of this year's expo: technology is quietly redefining everyday life, and the world is taking notice.

The glasses, developed by Chinese brand Rokid, support photography, real-time navigation, language translation and mobile payments — all without ever requiring the user to pull out a smartphone.

Ye Ziling, the brand's public relations manager, said the device has attracted strong interest from international visitors. "Many foreign attendees have been drawn to it," Ye said, adding that the glasses are reshaping daily routines. For cyclists, for example, they offer hands-free navigation and the ability to capture scenic moments along the way, making rides both safer and more enjoyable. She said the product has already reached consumers in more than 100 countries and regions.

Just a few booths away, a different kind of smart product drew a crowd of Chinese consumers. Singapore-based OSIM unveiled a wellness chair that performs a facial scan in dozens of seconds to measure heart and breathing rates, stress levels and other health indicators. Based on such data, the chair designs a personalized massage routine — targeting both physical fatigue and mental tension.

The warm reception for these AI-powered products — one from China and one from Singapore — offers a vivid example of the "tech fever" defining this year's expo.

From intelligent home appliances to smart wellness solutions, the exhibition halls were filled with cutting-edge innovations that stretch the imagination of what a cool future life could be. They also highlight the vast opportunities China's consumer market presents to companies from around the world.

Analysts say that whether it is "shopping in China" or "exporting to China", what lies underneath is the country's new drivers of economic growth — and the fresh business prospects those drivers create for the entire world.

As consumption patterns evolve with new business models and supportive policies, the Hainan expo has become a key window for both domestic and foreign companies to track shifts in Chinese consumer behavior and explore fresh opportunities, said analysts and business executives.

The six-day event, which concluded on Saturday, is the first major international expo held in Hainan since the free trade port launched its island-wide special customs operations in December. Those operations offer companies a closer look at the policy environment and new investment prospects.

Chen Lifen, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council, said China's consumer market is not merely expanding. It is undergoing an upgrade.

"Demand for high-quality, personalized and internationally sourced products is growing rapidly," Chen said. "Opportunities for both Chinese and global brands are expanding alongside it."

Global consultancy Accenture said in a report that "What makes China's 1.4 billion consumers so compelling is the powerful convergence of economic, demographic, technological and cultural forces reshaping their behaviors."

Accenture said its 2025 study revealed that AI has already transformed the Chinese consumer landscape and will have profound implications in the years to come.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Chinese consumers are not becoming more acquisitive as their purchasing power grows. Instead, they are boldly redefining what a good life means and can look like, Accenture added.

The report echoes the words of Deserine Lim, who oversees headquarters management and East China operations at OSIM. Lim said Chinese consumers love new products driven by AI.

The senior executive said the expo provides a high-quality offline space for interaction.

"It allows brands to forge deeper connections with professional buyers and affluent consumers," Lim said, adding that Hainan is no longer just a free trade port in a geographical sense — it is becoming a global bellwether for consumption trends.

Meanwhile, more Chinese companies are using the expo to showcase their latest and most advanced technologies. One striking example is the flying car — something that once existed only on movie screens — now made tangible and testable at the expo.