Oxford summer program fosters global perspectives

In August, 25 Chinese students enrolled in a two-week summer program at St Hilda's College, Oxford, England, which focuses on artificial intelligence and computer science.

The initiative, part of the WeChat Global Exploration Plan, offers students the opportunity to present their self-developed digital mini-programs to the public in Oxford and London.

The program officially opened on Aug 5, where British educator H-J Colston praised the participants' international mindsets. "Chinese people are much more globally minded than we are," Colston said at the opening ceremony.

Tang Jiahao from the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, developed a health management application to help his mother track her well-being. The mini-program utilizes AI to recognize food through photos, log the nutritional data of the foods, and generate personalized health recommendations.

"Innovation has no boundaries," Tang says. "As long as we use technology effectively, anyone can be a creator."

Colston, who cofounded the educational charity Engage with China (EwC), addressed the audience following the student demonstrations and commended their ability to offer practical, real-world solutions.

"These young experts from China are helping to navigate life with technology," she says.

A veteran educator who has visited China more than 30 times since the 1980s, Colston says the country's rapid development, from a bicycle-dominated society to one of the world's leaders in AI, has influenced her commitment to building cultural understanding between China and the United Kingdom.

Founded in 2018, EwC launched a program to promote a "China-literate" generation among British students through school outreach and scholarships for educational visits to China. To date, the charity has reached more than 6,500 students across primary and secondary schools in the UK.

Colston cites an imbalance in cultural knowledge as the charity's key motivation. "Many Chinese students are familiar with Shakespeare and Western culture, but few young Britons know much about contemporary China," she says.

She adds that exchange programs, such as the Oxford summer camp, are essential for fostering global perspectives.

"Making friends with Chinese people will be eye-opening for British students and it gives them a chance to see the world from a new perspective," she says.