挑辅具、喝咖啡、看表演——2026福祉博览会的科技与烟火气Picking up accessories, drinking coffee, and watching performances - the technology and fireworks of the 2026 Welfare Expo

Reporter Shi Wenjun from ChinaTimes. net. cn reported on Beijing photography

On September 3rd, the 2026 China International Welfare Expo opened at the National Convention Center in Beijing, with a continuous flow of people on site: smart wheelchairs smoothly passed through the passages, and audiences gathered around exoskeleton robots to experience. The nearby booth was filled with the aroma of coffee, mixed with laughter from theatrical interactions.

This exhibition innovatively created the "Assistive Equipment Market" area for the first time, and simultaneously moved the Beijing Assistive Equipment Consumption Subsidy Policy to the site, setting up a national subsidy policy consultation desk on site; At the same time, a group of cultural disability assistance special booths such as Happy Theater Group, Boundless Coffee, Yameng Xiaojia, and Golden Blind Staff appeared at the venue, using art, coffee, homestays and other lifestyle carriers to create a path of disability integration that is different from technological aids. The interweaving of cutting-edge technology and humanistic warmth presents a diverse and inclusive landscape of both technological sophistication and human warmth at this welfare expo.

The first auxiliary equipment market was established, and the national subsidy policy was directly implemented on site

Assist the on-site market

The "Assistive Equipment Market" of this year's Welfare Expo is a special section designed for exhibiting users to benefit the people. 63 booths are planned for the market site, with nearly 90 brands and service providers participating. The categories cover multiple fields such as rehabilitation aids, elderly friendly daily necessities, and smart health equipment, accurately matching the personalized needs of different groups.

The policy dividend is the core highlight of this market. The market has set up a special area for convenient services, implementing the Beijing consumer goods trade in subsidy policy: key disability and elderly friendly products such as intelligent electric wheelchairs, intelligent companion robots, rehabilitation exoskeleton robots, and intelligent nursing beds purchased on-site can enjoy a special subsidy of 15% of the transaction price. Each person can enjoy one subsidy for each type of product, with a maximum subsidy of 1500 yuan per item. On site handling of the entire process of consultation, verification, and cancellation.

The Welfare Expo has always been an important platform for disabled friends to purchase and experience assistive devices. In recent years, we have been considering designing more content for users, so that they can buy their desired products while browsing the exhibition. Wu Xiaogao, Director of the Industrial Promotion Office of the Assistive Devices Center, stated that in July this year, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce included some assistive device products in the scope of consumer subsidies, and the exhibition therefore launched a national subsidy zone for assistive device markets.

The design of assistive device markets and national subsidy booths is the first attempt of this year's Welfare Expo. In the future, we will integrate more resources to enable disabled friends to buy their desired products at more favorable prices, "Wu Xiaogao said in an interview with the Huaxia Times reporter.

Disabled audience member Zhang Yugang

Zhang Yugang, a disabled audience member who came from Yanqing District, Beijing, believes that the exhibition is not only an important channel for purchasing assistive devices, but also a fixed agreement for new and old friends to meet offline. The national subsidy this time is very attractive, and I feel that the subsidy level is higher than other purchasing platforms, "Zhang Yugang said frankly. He was most looking for a lightweight wheelchair for this trip, and after communicating with the staff on site, he has expressed his intention to purchase it.

The impact of technology on assistive devices is leapfrog now, and products related to brain computer interfaces and artificial intelligence are at the forefront, which is the biggest highlight of this year. As someone in the electronic technology industry, I can feel that the exhibited technologies are all at the forefront of the industry, "Zhang Yugang said in an interview with the Huaxia Times reporter.

Sui Yi, a wheelchair bound audience member, believes that the emergence of the national subsidy zone is a positive signal.

Previously, everyone reported that assistive devices for people with disabilities were expensive, and a few years ago, we didn't see the word 'national subsidy'. This year, there is a dedicated area, which shows that the country realizes that our purchasing power is different. Moreover, the product has a layered design, with prices ranging from high to low, making us more selective. "Sui Yi also mentioned that most high-tech assistive devices are still relatively expensive and more suitable for people with certain financial resources, but for those who truly have urgent needs, having national subsidy is definitely a good thing.

Visually impaired audience member Zhou Wenqing (first from the left)

For the national subsidy, Zhou Wenqing hopes to truly lower the price. For example, glasses with obstacle avoidance or AI voice function should not be much more expensive than other AI glasses on the market. For us, a price of a few thousand yuan may be more affordable. ”Zhou Wenqing told reporters.

From the perspective of exhibitors, national subsidies not only bring precise traffic, but also undertake the function of market popularization. Cai Xiaohui, a staff member of Beijing Heyi Ci Elderly Living Products Co., Ltd., told reporters that this is their first time participating in the national subsidy booth, and the number of people consulting in front of the booth has not stopped.

We brought lightweight wheelchairs and smart wheelchairs to the exhibition, with a maximum subsidy of 1500 yuan for products priced over 10000 yuan, "said Cai Xiaohui. Many visitors came out of admiration for the national subsidy, and the number of inquiries on that day was not small, but the process from inquiry to transaction still needed to be completed.

Customers who have long admired a certain product will place orders directly when they encounter national subsidies; more people will first understand and experience it, and then consider it later. Today's exhibition is more like a promotion event for smart products, where we explain and demonstrate while also doing user education, "said Cai Xiaohui.

Diversified disability assistance in cultural booths

Disabled audience member Wu Lihong, "Yameng Xiaojia" host Cui Yameng, disabled audience member Sui Yi (from left)

At the Welfare Expo, the reporter was attracted by a special booth.

The booth is composed of the Happy Theater Group, Boundless Coffee, Yameng Xiaojia, and Golden Blind Staff. In the exhibition hall filled with high-tech products, the booths featuring art, coffee, and homestays showcase the diverse paths of disability assistance.

The reporter from Huaxia Times learned that the Happy Theater Group was established in 2023, hoping to use art to break down the cultural participation barriers of people with disabilities. Sun Yaoyao, the founder of the Happy Drama Troupe, introduced that the troupe not only has actors with different disabilities, but also includes able-bodied actors, rare disease patients and other different groups. This is the first time that the Happy Theatre Company has participated in the Welfare Expo.

Disabled partners have the right to participate in all social activities, and art is a bridge that spans all languages, allowing us to express our voices in more diverse forms. During the exhibition, the theater troupe also launched immersive experience activities such as accessible drama games and sign language songs on September 5th, inviting audiences to participate together.

Founder of "Boundless Coffee" Zou Yang

Accompanied by the aroma of coffee, the sign of "Boundless Coffee" stands out prominently among the high-tech booths. There are two layers of expectations hidden in the name of founder Zou Yang: literally meaning there are no boundaries, hoping that all partners, regardless of disability or health, can sit down and have a cup of coffee equally; At a deeper level, it breaks down the psychological boundaries between people and dissolves strange looks. Part of the revenue from this coffee sale will be donated to the public welfare project of accessible small and micro transformation.

Cui Yameng, the organizer of "Yameng Xiaojia" at the booth, warmly greeted the exhibiting audience. It is understood that she self funded the transformation of her apartment into an accessible homestay, exchanging stories for accommodation and expanding the travel routes for people with disabilities.

In Cui Yameng's plan, she hopes to drive more hotels, homestays and other public spaces to actively pay attention to barrier free renovation through her own actions. In her opinion, the transformation that can be completed by ordinary families has a lower threshold for businesses, and the individual demonstration effect will promote the overall follow-up of the industry. She always believed that accessibility should not be a niche public welfare, but should become a normal part of life.

In this special booth, the Golden Blind Stick team invited the audience to put aside the habit of "looking with eyes" for the time being, and let the audience perceive the world of visually impaired groups with their ears, hands and hearts through interactive links such as tactile paving knowledge experience, universal design contrast, vision simulation card challenge, etc.

This booth is too special. Coffee and homestays are ordinary things in life, but they are really close to our daily lives. "Wu Lihong, an exhibitor, said that high-tech assistive devices are very good, but the price is still far from ordinary disabled groups; Coffee shops and accessible homestays, as forms of disability assistance, make people feel that a better life is within reach.

There are not only high-end accessories in the exhibition hall, but also smoke and fire, which is the complete welfare. I hope there will be more booths like this in the future, "said Wu Lihong.

Source: Huaxia Times Editor in Chief: Zhou Nan Editor in Chief: Wang Xiaohui