The eyes of Xiaoyao (pseudonym), who comes from Qianjiang District of Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, were filled with anticipation and light when she gazed upon the Yanshan Mountains on a bus to Beijing on the morning of October 21. It was the first time for her to go to Beijing. Along with her were four high school students from Qianjiang and 10 middle school students from Miyi County of neighboring Sichuan Province.

The girls visited Beijing to attend a study tour under the Spring Bud InnoGirls Program, which lasted from October 21 to 26. Themed "Building Dreams through Digital Intelligence," the study tour was one of the major events of the new round of Spring Bud InnoGirls Program. It was jointly held by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF), Tencent Foundation and Tencent Youth Learning Academy to provide participants with an immersive experience of cutting-edge technologies. 

Learning from Women Sci-Tech Workers

During the study trip, women sci-tech workers left a deep impression on the girls and helped them gain a deep understanding of women's roles in science and technology.

Dr. Wang Yaqing, from the Beijing Institute of Mathematical Sciences and Applications, talked with the girls about the mysteries behind artificial intelligence and underscored women's unique strength in sci-tech research.

Tencent's women employees were invited to share with the girls about their observation of users' demands in the R&D process and their strength in team working.

Girl students from Qiuzhen College of Tsinghua University also shared their stories of pursuing studies with the Spring Bud girls.

In addition, the study tour also brought together several students, who used to be beneficiaries of the program and now study at prestigious universities in the capital city. The face-to-face exchanges helped the Spring Bud girls find effective learning methods and gain self-confidence in achieving personal dream through hard work.

The exemplary stories and experience of those inspirational women have made positive differences upon the Spring Bud girls. "Women can also excel in scientific and mathematical studies. I believe that as long as we study hard, we will perform well in both maths and other disciplines," said a Spring Bud girl Xiaoyu (pseudonym). 

Developing AI Applet 

Under the guidance of teachers from Tencent Youth Learning Academy, the girls learned the development of their own AI applets at the headquarters of Tencent Holding Corporation in Beijing from October 22 to 25. They were divided into five groups to develop learning supportive platforms or intelligent tools.

It was a challenging task for them. Some girls became nervous, but none of them shrank back. "The girls picked up the skills much faster than expected," the teachers said.

At last, the performance of the girls went beyond expectations and received high praises from teachers. During a presentation gathering in Beijing 101 Middle School, they gave a detailed explanation about their self-developed applets with full confidence in front of representatives of the CCTF and Tencent Foundation as well as contestants of the 2025 S.-T. Yau High School Science Award competition.

At that moment, they realized that programming was no longer unreachable for them and that they had gained additional strength from the study tour.

Becoming More Confident

The six-day study tour brought big and positive changes to the Spring Bud girls.

At first, they hesitated to ask questions when they attended a lecture. Later, they proactively raised questions during their meeting with Tencent volunteers and university students.

"I find that excellent people tend to keep a low profile." "In the past, I didn't dare to speak loudly in public places. But now, I want to share my applet development stories when I come back to school." "There are many outstanding women employees in Tencent. I also want to work there and deliver benefits to others with my research and products in the future." "It is okay if you're not as good as others; it's enough to be better than you were yesterday." These are the heartfelt words of the girls.

The positive changes of the girls have been noticed by their teachers. "These girls seldom have any opportunities to use a computer at home. Now, they can not only independently develop applets, but also dare to ask questions, confidently present their work, and even invite guests to scan codes and experience the applets. I couldn't have imagined these changes before," said a teacher surnamed Tian from Miyi.

"Sci-tech activities have enabled them to grasp the logic behind products, and to understand that the essence of research and development lies in human connections. This awareness is crucial for their long-term growth," said another teacher surnamed Li from Qianjiang.

New Starting Point

Ma Xingyan and her partner Li Qinhan, both from Miyi, displayed their self-developed robots at the Exhibition on China's Progress in Digital and Intelligent Empowerment of Women and Girls, a side event of the Global Leaders' Meeting on Women, on October 14, 2025.

Their participation has shown the country's concrete efforts and noticeable achievements in promoting girls' education and development through digital and intelligent empowerment.

The girls will share with their peers at home about what they have learned and seen in Beijing, and inspire more girls to write a new chapter of digital and intelligent empowerment.

In 2024, the CCTF and Tencent Foundation jointly launched the new round of Spring Bud InnoGirls Program to strengthen cooperation in digital and scientific education, organize sci-tech camps, featuring project-based learning and focusing on cutting-edge science and technology, cultural confidence and other content, for middle and high school girls with sci-tech potentials, and offer middle school girls universal AI class, Python training class and white-list contest-oriented class. The program also provides Spring Bud girls with opportunities to participate in national sci-tech contests and communicate with scientists and excellent women sci-tech workers, further bolstering their sci-tech and digital literacy and guiding their long-term development.

This year, the program has been included as an outstanding case in the white paper titled China's Achievements in Women's Well-Rounded Development in the New Era, released by the State Council Information Office. By this October, it has covered over 2,000 girls from Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Gansu provinces and Chongqing Municipality.