The China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) and the Tencent Foundation jointly held a study tour "Wonderful Astronomical Night" under the Sci-Tech Literacy for Spring Bud Girls Project in East China's Shanghai Municipality from July 3 to 6.

The four-day study tour drew the attendance of 30 Spring Bud girls from Miyi County in Panzhihua, a city in Southwest China's Sichuan Province, who embarked on a journey of sci-tech exploration in their lives for the first time.

From AI to VR: Girls' Sci-Tech Exploration

On the first day in Shanghai, the Spring Bud girls attended the Tencent Sci-Tech Experience Day event, which allowed them to grasp a systematic understanding of the charm and value of sci-tech innovation through interactions in immersive exhibition hall, AI basic knowledge classroom, and extended reality (XR) technology.

An AI expert surnamed Chen with the Tencent Academy held a vivid and interesting AI lecture titled "From Life to the Future," in which he guided the girls to find the extensive coverage of AI technology in daily life and help them learn about the AI-related working mechanisms.

The discussion over whether human will be replaced by AI brought the lecture to a climax. Chen encouraged the girls to stay curious about AI and keep using AI tools.

On the afternoon of July 3, an XR expert surnamed Wu with Tencent Corporation gave a lecture about virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies in terms of their basic principles and application scenarios in such fields as education, healthcare and entertainment. A girl Xiaoqi (pseudonym) said that she has understood the VR and AR technologies can help people learn.

The girls put on VR glasses and AR equipment to immerse themselves in 3D movies and VR games. "It seems that I have figured out the definition and content of the future education after wearing VR device. Science and technology have provided us with a special privilege to acquire knowledge beyond textbooks and make imagination to be more vivid," said another girl Xiaoting (pseudonym).

"XR technology has transcended physical boundaries and visualized abstract knowledge. The immersive experience has become a golden key to stimulate children and teenagers' interest in science and technology and ignite their sci-tech passion," said Wu.

From Space Odyssey to Interstellar Travel: Girls' Astronomical Exploration

With curiosity and longing for the universe, the girls visited the Shanghai Astronomy Museum, which is the world's largest planetarium and a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum. They attended a special activity "Wonderful Astronomical Night" jointly sponsored by the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum and Tencent Foundation.

Under the guidance of staff workers there, the girls toured around three exhibitions named "Homeland", "Universe" and "Expedition." During the visit to the "Homeland" exhibition, they seemed to enter the solar system and the 18-meter-long optical planetarium helped them better understand the astronomical knowledge about starry sky, constellations and nebula. The "Universe" exhibition vividly demonstrated the mysterious gravitational phenomenon of the cosmos, allowing the girls to better feel the mysteries of the universe through interactive exhibits. The "Expedition" exhibition featured Chang'e 5 probe, Mars rover Zhurong and the one-to-one replicated Tianhe core module, showcasing China's glorious achievements in the space mission.

"Watching the exhibition boards of China's space exploration journey, I seem to see the majestic rockets standing on the launch site and feel their powerful momentum of breaking through the clouds and flying into the sky. I firmly believe that as long as we have dreams and make endless efforts, nothing is impossible," said a girl Xiaoqin (pseudonym).

The Shanghai Astronomy Museum's self-developed XR immersive astronomical science popularization project "Crossing the Galaxy" brought the girls into the vast universe. A girl Xiaofang (pseudonym) said that the astronomical knowledge on the textbook became alive when astronomical wonders and science-fictional scenes came into her sight and that they were more awesome and spectacular than she had ever imagined.

On that night, the girls gazed at the starry sky, observed the moon and other planets with professional telescopes, listened to the voice of the universe and felt the magic and grandeur of the universe, with the starry night illuminating their sci-tech dream.

From Classroom to Dialogue: Girls' Academic Pursuit

During the AI design class at Tongji University, Wu Jun, a professor with the university's school of design and innovation, talked about the core principles and application scenarios of the AI industry and emphasized the importance of fostering children's creative thinking and divergent thinking in the AI era.

Additionally, girl students at the university shared with the Spring Bud girls about their study methods and time management tips and called on them to work hard, pursue dreams and unleash personal potentials.

At last, the girls toured around the campus and a deep-sea exploration hall. "I have acquired cutting-edge knowledge of the AI sector and gained lots of useful experiences from the university students. The visit has strengthened my determination to study hard and enter an ideal university", said a girl Xiaozheng (pseudonym).

From Intelligent Manufacturing to Scientific Experiments: Girls' Sci-Tech Practices

During their visit to the Guangwei 770 Innovation Workshop, the girls were guided to operate hydraulic robotic arms in separate groups and complete practical tasks such as grabbing and assembling machinery parts, through which they experienced the efficiency and precision of intelligent manufacturing.

 

The girls gathered around an intelligent robot in the sci-tech exhibition hall, and interacted with it. "Through today's experience, I have further realized how science and technology have changed human life. Intelligent robots have not only appeared in sci-fi movies but also entered the real world, making our lives more convenient and beautiful", said a girl Xiaowang (pseudonym).

 

At the Zhiyong Sci-Tech Innovation Base, teachers related the deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver) to explain the application of buoyancy in deep-sea exploration. The girls also made their own buoyant devices and acquired physics knowledge in an intuitive manner. The practices not only brought them closer to cutting-edge science and technology but also inspired their interest in intelligent manufacturing and scientific exploration.

Open the Door to Science and Technology and Ignite Sci-Tech Dream

Many girls shared their feelings about the study tour at the closing ceremony. "I have gained lots of inspirations. I will integrate personal growth with the pursuit of my sci-tech dream, set out for a bright future and strive to be a better person," said a girl Xiaoqin (pseudonym).

"This study tour has left a deep impression on me, refreshed my knowledge of science and technology, and helped me grasp a deep understanding of the importance of sci-tech innovation. In the future, I aspire to engage in sci-tech research and contribute to sci-tech innovation," said another girl Xiaoxi (pseudonym).

"In the past four days, many remarkable changes have happened to these girls. They have further expanded personal horizon and planted the seeds of science and technology in their heart. I hope that they will bring back home what they have seen and learned in the study tour, and share with other children about their feelings and gains, inspiring their peers to hold bigger dreams and embrace a larger world," said a staff worker from Miyi Education and Sports Bureau.

The Shanghai study tour for middle school Spring Bud girls was an integral component of the Sci-Tech Literacy for Spring Bud Girls Project. The public welfare initiative, targeting girl students in middle and high schools, was jointly launched by the CCTF and Tencent Foundation in 2024 to deepen the collaboration between the digital education and scientific education. 

It plans to foster a special cultivation approach integrated with middle school-level inclusive sci-tech popularization courses and high school-level study tour practices in a span of three years, and roll out sci-tech camp activities in relation to cutting-edge technologies and cultural confidence. 

Meanwhile, it is designed to offer girls with potentials and aspiration in science and technology opportunities to take part in national contests and engage in exchanges and collaboration activities with excellent women technological workers, further bolstering the girls' sci-tech literacy and digital competence and guiding them to achieve long-term development in science and technology.

As of this May, the public welfare project had benefited over 2,000 Spring Bud girls in Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou and Chongqing.