Many KOLs on Crypto Twitter have dubbed this ConsensusHK the "least consensus-y" Consensus ever. Perhaps it's because the Ethereum ecosystem was in the minority at this conference, or maybe I somehow found my cozy corner. Driven by my interest in the development of Base and Superchain, and the anticipation of making new friends, I meticulously customized my itinerary. As a result, this trip to Hong Kong reconnected me with a long-lost vibrancy and deep connections with others.
I. Base: The Chinese Enthusiasm and Energy of Builders
Base Builder House
For this recap, I'll skip the deep dive on Base Builder House and just share some awesome personal experiences. I'll save the full, official Base Builder House recap for another post.
I'm truly honored and proud to be one of the supporters of Base Builder House. Base Builder House was a co-living and co-building event for Chinese developers and future builders of the Base ecosystem, fully driven by builder communities, and sponsored by Jojo Exchange, DeAgentAI, and Tako, with community support from 706Creators, GCC, etc. The event took place in Shanghai and Shenzhen, lasting one week in each city, and attracted over 100 Chinese-speaking builders to co-build on Base.
Base Builder House proved to be full of surprises. I unexpectedly ran into Arvin, a familiar fam from the BanklessDAO community, though we'd never actually met in person. Even more serendipitous, Arvin was collaborating with Dasong, a new friend of mine. I was particularly grateful for Dasong's insightful feedback as a reviewer of my recent work in Onchainomics - Farcaster 2026: A Planetary Onchain Economy, his detailed annotations and our discussions on the onchain economy incredibly enlightening. Along with @Twone, they formed an incredible trio and even won 2nd place at the Consensus Hackathon! Amazing!!!
tql @arvinatwild + @tokyo10086 + @BigSongETH 超强组合，三厨狂喜。在这次 Base Builder House Shenzhen Edition 中，虽然是第一次在 Base 上 build，但在极短的时间内，他们也开发了一个完整、逻辑顺畅、可爱的产品。欢迎来到 @base 生态构建！我们的项目在 Consensus 黑客松拿了二等奖！
这次竞争还挺激烈的，众多参赛项目，总共只有十来个项目能获奖。加上我们是第一次在EVM以外的生态上做事，遇到了非常多的问题，深夜通宵看文档改Bug。
第一次尝试在polkadot和Aptos上build，还得到了unique…
Rising New Stars on Base
This event witnessed the birth of many promising projects on Base. From these projects, we can see some new trends and opportunities: the applications of AI Agents, real world impact, even Depin (yes I know this might not be a case in Base ecosystem traditionally, but here we have some real deal Depin projects are considering migrate to Base !!) in the Base ecosystem are gradually maturing; games and social projects are starting to experiment with integrating with the characteristics of the Base chain to create new user experiences; and some applications in traditional industries are also beginning to explore the possibilities of integrating with Base.
Feb 15, Base Builder House, Shenzhen AI Agent Edition. We’re bringing hundreds of builders onchain& on @base
Feb 15, Base Builder House, Shanghai AI Agent Edition.
@shirleneliu69 from @Labs706 is bringing hundreds of builders onchain& on @base.
Huge respect and a massive ape-in to the @shirleneliu69 from @Labs706. New to the Base fam but she's already crushing it and
based !! She's…
*Please note that the Base Builder House judging process is currently underway. During this period, you can check out all the amazing demos submitted during the builder house here: https://www.hackquest.io/zh-cn/hackathons/Base-Builder-House-CN
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II. Base Meetup HK
I joined a panel discussion with @Julie, @Joezhou, @Affe, @Arvin, @Twone and @BigSong to share why we build on Base. What excited me even more was that I also invited friends I met at the Base Builder Houses in Shenzhen and Shanghai to join this gathering. This not only provided a more direct opportunity for Base community members from different regions to interact, but also demonstrated the thriving development of the Base ecosystem across Asia.
Check the brilliant after movie of Base Meetup HK by @pratikmxyz:
.@base builders meetup in Hongkong was lit 
incredible founders energy. Can't wait to share success stories from this region
incredible founders energy. Can't wait to share success stories from this region
III. Superchain's Asia Trip: Insights from Soneium
Superchain Asia Gathering
At the Superchain Asia Gathering event, I had the opportunity to learn more about the Soneium project. Soneium is dedicated to connecting East Asian ACG IP and plans to build an L3 chain based on the OP Stack.
Tatsu from Startale is supporting Soneium Gaming BD I had a in-depth discussions with Ronak, Tatsu from Soneium, and Kaimin from SONX, exploring Soneium's positioning within the Superchain ecosystem, specifically asked whether Soneium would build its own sequencer and its potential for innovation with different various I.P.s with all the east asian fandom economy.
This event also gave me the chance to connect with Rose from Mint Blockchain, who is exploring the idea of a Superchain Podcast. This is a fantastic concept, and I believe this podcast could potentially become an important channel for connecting Superchain ecosystem builders and spreading the Superchain philosophy in APAC market, should it come to fruition.
Mint Blockchain x Optimism sticker is really cute
IV. ConsensusHK main stage: The Web3 Path for Finance
While at the main stage of ConsensusHK, I connected with Sam Liu, a Web3 entrepreneur with a TradFi background, similar to my experiences. We explored the potential of merging the gold market with DeFi and discussed the possibility of an AMA project centered on this topic. Our conversation also led to the observation that Zan's business model more closely resembles investment banking than Fintech/SaaS. This raises the question: can Web3 technology enhance efficiency, transparency, and accessibility in traditional financial markets? It's certainly an area deserving long-term consideration.
V. AI Agents and Quantitative Trading: A New Paradigm for Web3 Investment
I also had exchanges with @Will and 0xHarryWeb3, two veteran investors from China who shared valuable experience on investment philosophies and trading techniques.
I was particularly interested in their mention of the application of AI Agents in quantitative trading and investment. AI Agents can learn from vast amounts of market data and trading strategies, automatically execute trades, and continuously optimize their performance. This will undoubtedly bring new opportunities and changes to the Web3 investment and trading field.
VI. An Unexpected Surprise: Token of Love Music Festival
I want to give a special thanks to @Julie from Tako and @tak_shire（Such amazing energy and a vibrant personality, really love her vibe! ）from 706Labs for giving me the opportunity to join this amazing music festival!! I didn't realize there would be EDM, or KSHMR, when I originally signed up! As a big fan of EDM, being able to experience KSHMR remix live was a huge surprise for me, and not only musical enjoyment, but also an emotional release. I've suppressed so many emotions during the three years of the pandemic, I didn't went to any music festival since 2019, felt a long-lost sense of freedom, enthusiasm, and love again. This further strengthened my belief that Web3, Crypto, or onchain, whatever you call it, is not just about technological and financial win, but also about exploring connections and emotional resonance between real people.
Was vibing out to @KSHMRmusic with @tak_shire during the Token of Love Music Festival 
during ConsensusHK. I hadn't realised there would be EDM, let alone KSHMR, when I originally signed up.
As a big fan of EDM for a decade XD, experiencing KSHMR's remixes live was a huge…
during ConsensusHK. I hadn't realised there would be EDM, let alone KSHMR, when I originally signed up. As a big fan of EDM for a decade XD, experiencing KSHMR's remixes live was a huge…
Conclusion
My trip to ConsensusHK was incredibly rewarding, gained a deeper understanding for the Base and Superchain's dynamic, made many like-minded friends, and a surprisingly brillian, out of plan music festival. I believe that with the joint efforts of numerous builders, creators, and pioneers, the future of the new internet will be even brighter. I also look forward to sharing my observations and thoughts from this trip with more people, onchain& offchain, with real people, real connections, and real emotions and love.
Author Bio
Farcaster | X | Linktree | Zora (For Colletable Edition)
183Aaros.eth is a long-term contributor to the onchain economy, an onchain economics researcher and senior analyst focusing on onchain economic activities and their impact on off-chain economies. He's also the founder of the LeapOnchain, an association of onchain native Analysts& DAO experts. His recent essays series - Onchainomics #1, #2 and #3 have received 3500+ mints on Zora and won the 2nd and twice 3rd place in multiple Kiwi News contest. You can explore more of his works and information on his personal homepage.
Previous workpiece
Onchainomics #1: Introduction to Onchainomics: Shaping the Future of Borderless Economy
Onchainomics #2: Bridging Onchainomics with Decentralised Social: a Social Platform, or an Emerging Re-globalisation Society
Onchainomics #3: L2s' Competition and Culture: How Asymmetric Information Shapes the Landscape
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