A digitalization initiative in Qujing, Yunnan Province, has come under scrutiny after its flagship projects were abandoned or shut down, revealing a stark mismatch between investment and actual usage. Investigative reports have found that the "Digital Qujing Operations Center," which was responsible for building the city's "Urban Brain" and the "Qujing Tong" app, is now deserted.

Random street interviews in Qujing showed that most residents were unfamiliar with the "Qujing Tong" app, and data from the Qujing Municipal Data Bureau confirms its dismal performance, with only around 60 daily active users as of the end of 2025. The project's origins trace back to 2021, when local authorities, impressed by Hangzhou's "Urban Brain" governance model, decided to replicate it by introducing corporate investment through a bidding process. This led to the restructuring of the Qujing Digital Economy Company, with the government co-funding the "Urban Brain" through service procurement.

Lacking in-house technical expertise, the local government delegated the core technical assessments and solution design to an external enterprise. The company presented an all-encompassing "Urban Brain" proposal, but the local government was unclear on how to actually implement it. After the "Urban Brain" was completed, not only did "Qujing Tong" fail to gain traction, but the "One Network for Unified Management" platform also underperformed, while the government continued to pay nearly 30 million yuan in operational fees for three consecutive years.

In 2025, a municipal inspection team flagged the project as a potential risk for wasting public funds. Consequently, the Qujing government decided to halt all operational payments to the operator. The Data Bureau subsequently signed an agreement to terminate the contract with the Qujing Digital Company, officially ending the "Urban Brain" project. By March 2026, "Qujing Tong" was completely removed from major mobile app stores, permanently ceasing all services.

In total, the "Urban Brain" project consumed substantial public resources, with the municipal finance department injecting 29.7 million yuan and local state-owned enterprises contributing an additional 17 million yuan, bringing the city's overall investment to 46.7 million yuan.