appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Coco Feng

Social media giant ByteDance is helping the 177-year-old Chinese jewellery company Lao Feng Xiang develop a new generation of smart glasses, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), that feature real-time voice navigation and translation functions.
Lao Feng Xiang debuted their initial line of wearable gadgets at Wednesday’s opening of the International Exhibition of Senior Care, Rehabilitation Medicine and Healthcare, the world’s biggest senior care expo, that is being held in the company’s home city of Shanghai until Friday.
Powered by ByteDance’s AI model Doubao, Lao Feng Xiang’s hi-tech eyewear – marketed on the mainland as a “smart assistant” for the elderly – can help translate menus, interpret instructions about medication and chat with users, according to Wednesday’s WeChat post by the jewellery store chain operator.
“In the future, Lao Feng Xiang will continue to plough resources into the field of science and technology for the silver economy,” company chairman Yang Yi said at the Shanghai expo. The so-called silver economy refers to a new market that serves the needs of the country’s rapidly ageing population.
The company’s foray into smart glasses reflects a surge of fresh interest in this wearables segment on the mainland, as new capabilities are made possible by AI to cater to the country’s greying population.

Yang said Lao Feng Xiang would continue to optimise its new products and cater to “more consumers”.
A company representative on Thursday said the smart glasses will be commercially released in September.
Data from the State Information Centre, a think tank under the National Development and Reform Commission, said China’s silver economy last year stood at 7 trillion yuan (US$974 billion), or 6 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.
At the end of 2024, the number of Chinese people aged 60 and above surpassed 300 million, accounting for 22 per cent of the total population, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. More than 200 million of them were aged 65 and older, representing more than 15 per cent of the overall population.
The National Health Commission projected the country’s senior population would exceed 400 million, constituting more than 30 per cent of the total population, by 2035.

Founded in 1848 and a specialist in gold, Lao Feng Xiang was hit hard by the anti-corruption campaign launched by President Xi Jinping after he took office in 2012. The campaign banned government officials from receiving gifts, such as jewellery and gold products.
Lao Feng Xiang in 2024 recorded a 21 per cent drop in revenue from a year earlier, while profit declined 12 per cent, according to the company’s financial report.
“In 2024, the global economic growth lacked momentum, and the domestic demand was insufficient,” the report said. “This was accompanied by the continuous rise in gold prices, resulting in weak consumption of gold jewellery.”
Lao Feng Xiang’s shares in Shanghai slid 1.43 per cent to close at 52.95 yuan on Thursday.
TikTok and Douyin owner ByteDance, meanwhile, has already made a push into the AI wearables market segment. After acquiring the earbuds start-up Oladance last year, ByteDance launched open-ear wearables, Ola Friend, that enable users to talk directly with the company’s generative AI chatbot Doubao.
Additional reporting by Daniel Ren.


Alibaba open-sources medical AI model that can detect cancer and nearly 150 conditions

Ant International embeds AI agents  across all platforms in biggest-ever product upgrade

Hong Kong to recruit AI chief by mid-2027, with confidence in local talent pool

Will AI adoption shrink office space? Asia-Pacific firms are on the fence in survey

Artificial intelligence (AI)

ByteDance helps jewellery firm Lao Feng Xiang push AI glasses to China’s elderly

Powered by ByteDance’s artificial intelligence technology, Lao Feng Xiang’s smart glasses  feature real-time voice navigation and translation functions. Photo: Handout

Lao Feng Xiang chairman Yang Yi, right, tries on a pair of the company’s new line of smart glasses powered by ByteDance’s artificial intelligence technology. Photo: Handout

Lao Feng Xiang displays its new line of artificial intelligence-powered smart glasses in Shanghai on June 11, 2025. Photo: Handout

ByteDance upgrades Doubao AI app with real-time interactive video call function

Doubao’s real-time interactive video call function marks the latest progress made by ByteDance in generative artificial intelligence technology. Photo: Shutterstock

Chinese chatbot app icons displayed on a smartphone. These include, shown clockwise, iFlytek’s Spark, ByteDance’s Doubao, Zhipu AI’s Zhipu Qingyan and Baidu’s Ernie Bot. Photo: Shutterstock

Smart glasses look better, cost less as technology moves on from its Google Glass era

An attendee wears the Amazon Echo Frames smart glasses during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. In 2013, Google Glass set you back US$1,500. Now, smart glasses cost as little as US$200. Photo: AFP

Smart glasses from Rokid at the CES Unveiled Las Vegas at the 2025 Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  Photo: EPA-EFE

The TCL RayNeo smart glasses at the CES tech sho. Photo: AP

Mustard Glasses Inc displays new smart glasses at CES. Photo: EPA-EFE

TikTok owner ByteDance launches US$170 earbuds in China in push into AI wearables

ByteDance’s new AI earbuds are available in China. Photo: Handout

The Ola Friend earbuds are available in four colours. Photo: Handout

Tech

Tech Trends

Business

China Business

News

China Future Tech

The jewellery firm’s foray into the wearables market reflects a surge of fresh interest in smart eyewear with AI-powered capabilities


The jewellery firm’s foray into the wearables market reflects a surge of fresh interest in smart eyewear with AI-powered capabilities.


ByteDance helps jewellery firm Lao Feng Xiang push AI glasses to China’s elderly

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The jewellery firm’s foray into the wearables market reflects a surge of fresh interest in smart eyewear with AI-powered capabilities

The jewellery firm’s foray into the wearables market reflects a surge of fresh interest in smart eyewear with AI-powered capabilities