It all started online. A glowing sunflower, which produces light through bioluminescent genes to make it a self-luminous plant, went viral online through a short video, attracting millions of views.

Netizens marveled. Comments poured in. More importantly, investors were attracted. "Before the online buzz, we were chasing investors. After going viral, they started finding us," said Li Renhan, founder of Magicpen Bio, a Hefei, Anhui province-based startup and developer of the self-luminous plant.

In much of the world, the internet is an escape from real life. But in Hefei, the story is about the compounding power of attention — how every click, every comment, every "like" adds velocity to scientific development.

Across this inland city of 10 million, a new development model is taking root — one where frontier science, civic engagement and viral media are fused into a larger force the city calls "network civilization".

Here, lab-born innovations are introduced to the public through livestreams and comment sections, where everyday users influence the trajectory of R&D, and where the machinery of high technology is backed not only by government funding, but also by online attention.