Harvard students engage in cultural exchange in SZ

Harvard students recently visited Shenzhen for cultural exchanges with local students, key firms, and institutions of higher education as part of the Harvard Summit for Young Leaders in China (HSYLC). 

Harvard students and Shenzhen Middle School students conduct seminars. Photos courtesy of HSYLC

During their visit, the students provided an eight-day Ivy League-style curriculum experience for their Shenzhen counterparts at Shenzhen Middle School. The Harvard students brought Harvard’s original 12-15 person micro-seminars, covering four major fields such as science and technology, economics and business, humanities and arts, and social sciences and totaling 30 different seminars.  

Harvard students pose for a group photo outside Tencent's headquarters in Shenzhen.

After their time at Shenzhen Middle School, the Harvard students visited leading tech companies in Shenzhen, including Tencent and DJI, as well as the Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School. The students gained insights into Tencent’s advancements in industrial internet, artificial intelligence, mobile payments, and digital infrastructure. At DJI’s exhibition hall, the students marveled at the company’s industrial and agricultural drones, imaging products, and more.

Later, the student delegation visited the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hub (E-hub), where they learned about the excitement of sailing from Nezha Sailing, a renowned sailing sports organization located in the E-hub.

Harvard students take a group photo with Nezha Sailing staff at Nezha Sailing's base in the Airport Ferry Terminal in Qianhai. 

Nezha Sailing has so far provided a series of sailing lectures and training courses to experts, alumni from esteemed domestic universities, and over 2,000 Hong Kong students. The organization has also achieved numerous national and international accolades in sailing competitions.

Harvard students sail.

Under professional coaches' guidance, the students learned essential sailing skills and enjoyed the breathtaking skyline of Shenzhen and the magnificent Shenzhong Link.

At the closing dinner, the Harvard students shared their experiences and insights from their stay in Shenzhen. They all agreed that the trip had broadened their horizons, deepened their understanding of Shenzhen’s innovative spirit, and fostered their sense of teamwork and courage through sailing.

HSYLC is a prominent international academic exchange program for high school students organized by Harvard’s officially registered student association in Asia. More than 20,000 Chinese high school students have used this platform to gain a glimpse of the world and the program has facilitated more than 1,000 Ivy League-level admissions for Chinese high school students.

Since its inception in 2006, HSYLC has become Harvard's largest overseas exchange activity for undergraduate students and faculty, bringing together more than 1,500 scholars from Harvard and other world-renowned universities across five continents to engage in dialogues with Chinese high school students.