"Click, click and click..." Accompanied by the crisp sound of working robotic arms, a jumbled Rubik's Cube was quickly restored by a robot in less than 30 seconds. The performance was demonstrated by four girls of the Spring Bud InnoGirls Program during a reception for the International Women's Day in the China National Convention Center in Beijing on the afternoon of March 6, 2026.

It was the second time for the 14-year-old Ma Xingyan and the 15-year-old Li Qinhan, both from Miyi of Southwest China's Sichuan Province, to work together to present their self-made Rubik's Cube robot. In October 2025, they displayed the Rubik's Cube robot 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, in Beijing.

"Please scramble the Rubik's Cube, place it into machine compartment and then press the start button," said Li to guests. Meanwhile, Ma explained to them the "magical" principle behind the Rubik's Cube robot. According to her, the robot can scan the face colors of the Rubik's Cube, transmit the data to its "brain," calculate the restoration steps with image analyses and processing, and send relevant instructions to the three robotic arms for precise operation.

After watching the rapid restoration of the jumbled Rubik's Cube, a foreign guest gave a thumbs-up to them. Facing compliments, Ma said modestly, "Thanks to the support of the Spring Bud InnoGirls Program, we have systematically studied robotics programming and other sci-tech courses, which have broadened our horizon and enabled us to embrace a more beautiful and diverse world."

Behind the calmness and confidence of the girls lie in the dedicated efforts and empowerment made by the Spring Bud InnoGirls Program.

Ma comes from an ordinary family of the Yi ethnic group in Miyi. The participation in the Spring Bud InnoGirls Program in 2024 brought her to the world of science and technology.

At the beginning, Ma didn't know anything about basic syntax. After a while, she became deeply interested in programming course. It took only a year for her to win a third prize in the National Youth ICT Competition, a national professional event endorsed by the Ministry of Education. She said, "I want to become a programmer and create a better future with science and technology."

"At first, I had no idea about code and thought that it was extremely complex. Later I realized that it wasn't as difficult as I previously imagined when I became concentrated in learning programming course," said Li. "Programming has further sharpened my logical thinking ability and enhanced my confidence. In the future, I dream to be an architect and I hope to incorporate this kind of thinking abilities into my future creations."

Ayixie Abuduaini and Fatima Maimaitituxun, two middle school students from Kashgar of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, joined Ma and Li to present the Rubik's Cube robot in the reception. During their participation in a study tour of the Spring Bud InnoGirls Program in Beijing in this February, they were selected as new presenters for the Rubik's Cube robot.

Although they are younger than Ma and Li, they behaved appropriately and met with a warm response from guests for their well-organized introduction and natural demonstration.

In the study tour in February, Fatima persistently honed her assembly skills and won recognition and praise from teachers and other attendees for her fast assembly speed. She said she aspired to be an engineer in the future because she believed that the combination between engineering and technology will lead to many conveniences to public life.

"The sci-tech courses during the study tour made me feel the immense power of science and technology. I want to better serve our country and my hometown with knowledge and skills," Ayixie said.

The Spring Bud InnoGirls Program was jointly launched by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) and Tencent Foundation in 2021. Targeted Spring Bud girls in junior and senior high schools, it organizes sci-tech camps featuring project-based learning and focusing on AI-generated content (AIGC) technology, cultural confidence and other content. It is aimed at nurturing a systematic education model featuring inclusive science and technology courses for junior high school students and study tour-based practical activities for senior high school students, and helping Spring Bud girls further improve sci-tech literacy and digital skills and achieve long-term development in science and technology. 

So far, it has been implemented in Sichuan, Xinjiang, Yunnan, Guizhou and other six provincial regions, assisting over 10,000 girls in breaking down gender stereotypes and geographical barriers and shinning in the sci-tech field.

The four girls' excellent performance has vividly reflected how the Spring Bud InnoGirls Program empowers the all-round development of girls through science, technology and education.

"I really admire them since they have already had an access to frontier technologies at such a young age. Their future will be very brilliant," said a guest from a higher education institution. "The Spring Bud InnoGirls Program has created an excellent sci-tech growth platform for girls from remote areas and enabled them to embrace new waves of technologies in the digital era. It is expected to exert profound and positive influences on their future in terms of academic choices, career plans and life trajectory."

The Spring Bud InnoGirls Program will ignite the dream of more girls and promote their healthy development, helping them write a brilliant chapter of life with knowledge and skills.