At the invitation of the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) and the Tencent Foundation, 30 Spring Bud girls from six middle schools in Miyi County of Southwest China's Sichuan Province attended a study tour in East China's Shanghai Municipality from December 29, 2024, to January 1, 2025.

During their first stop in Shanghai, the girls visited Tencent Corporation's branch there, with the support of the Tencent's East China headquarters and Tencet YouTu Lab. They felt the fun and convenience brought by the rapid development of science and technology and had a deep understanding of the concept that science and technology can make a difference to human life, when they toured an exhibition hall of the tech company.

An algorithm expert from the Tencent YouTu Lab talked with the girls about the definition and development of the AI industry. The girls showed interest in AI and looked forward to the exploration of the AI world. A girl said that she became captivated with the AI sector and dreamed to be an AI engineer in the future.

The study tour also brought the girls to a production workshop of the Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd, where several C909 passenger jets were under assembly. They watched the assembly procedure of the homegrown aircraft, and were touched by the development and innovation of the commercial aircraft industry.

The girls also visited a command hall for flight test, where women engineers spoke with them about how mankind achieved their dream of flying into the sky and how Chinese sent the C919 aircraft into the sky.

The visit not only helped the girls acquire valuable knowledge but also stimulated their enthusiasm for the aviation industry. One of them said that her dream was to become a pilot and promote the development of the country's aviation sector.

With the support of the Shenzhen New Cornerstone Science Foundation (SNCSF), the girls paid a visit to the Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and followed a SNCSF research team to embark on an exploration journey of stem cells.

The girls learned about the research and development history of insulin synthesis in an exhibition hall of synthetic crystalline bovine insulin. A science popularization lecture briefed them about fruitful results in the stem cell research. They also visited a laboratory. "It is the first time for me to enter a laboratory. It is an interesting tour and the stem cells are amazing. There are boundless possibilities in the world of science," said a girl.

Accompanied by Li Yi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)'s Education Development Foundation, the girls toured around the campus of the university, listened to the introduction about each building's history and development, and appreciated the history and inheritance of the prestigious university.

A Tencent employee and volunteer surnamed Wu gave a lecture about internet-related career enlightenment and planning. "The girls showed great interest in new occupational opportunities brought by frontier technologies and sci-tech development. I hope that this lecture will help them expand horizons and have a clear occupational plan," said Wu.

Before the conclusion of their visit to SJTU, Zheng Min, Deputy Director of the SJTU Working Committee on Women's Affairs, presented books about outstanding women sci-tech and educational workers of the SJTU to the girls, hoping that they will draw inspiration from these women and embrace a better future.

On the night of December 31, 2024, Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and the Tencent Foundation jointly held the Science New Year Conference: Technological Innovation Principal Space Station and Tencent Sci-tech Night in Shanghai Natural History Museum under the guidance of Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission and Shanghai Municipal Education Commission.

The girls attended the event. They marveled at diverse and wonderful species of life on earth, learned about African landscape and watched puppet shows.

The night tour in the museum helped the girls acquire more knowledge, expand horizons and plant a seed of creative thinking and scientific dream in their heart.

On the last day of their study tour in Shanghai, the girls went to Shanghai Astronomy Museum, where they visited exhibitions featuring the formation and terrain of the moon as well as space exploration. The girls experienced the mysteries of the universe with the help of advanced optical tracking projector technology, and were impressed by the achievements in space exploration.

"During the study tour, the girls have made new friends, acquired more knowledge, expanded horizons, grasped a deep understanding of the connectivity between science and human life, stimulated their interest in scientific exploration, and forged new strength toward academic studies and the devotion to sci-tech development," said a teacher of the girls.

The study tour in Shanghai was the first such event held for middle school girls and an integral component of the Spring Bud Girls' Sci-Tech Literacy New Cycle project. The CCTF and the Tencent Foundation in 2024 unveiled the project to deepen cooperation on digital and scientific education for junior and senior high school girls. The project aims to foster a systematic cultivation mode featuring junior high school sci-tech inclusive courses and senior high school study tour-based practical activities within three years, and organize sci-tech camps that feature project-based learning and focus on cultural confidence, cutting-edge science and technology, and other content. Additionally, the project provides girls who have potential and ambition in science and technology with opportunities to take part in national sci-tech contests and have face-to-face communications with excellent women in science and technology, help them improve sci-tech and digital literacy, and guide them to seek long-term development in science and technology.

Photos from CCTF

(Source: CCTF/Women of China)

Editor: Wang Shasha