In July, under Beijing’s 35°C heat, at the arrival gate of Terminal 2 in the Capital Airport, Mr. Cao from Xueersi Online School stood in a bright orange "Xueersi  Science" T-shirt, trying to identify the faces of the children in the waves of people.

This spring, Mr. Cao participated in the "Spectrum Action Plan" charity program and represented Xueersi in donating science thinking course gift packs and teaching materials to a primary school in Linxia, Gansu. At Shuiquan Elementary School, he delivered a special lesson on "The Basic Principles and Structure of Ships." a maritime-themed lesson was a novel and exciting experience for both the teacher and children in this remote mountainous region of Linxia. Mr. Cao was picking up the two young listeners from that class, Xiao Jun and Xiao Yan. After their successful reunion, Teacher Ma introduced the students, explaining that Xiao Jun had been the top student in Grade five for a long time, while Xiao Yan was the new top student in Grade Four. When Mr. Cao asked why she was called the "new" top student, Xiao Yan laughed and replied, "Because the previous top student transferred to another school." In July during summer vacation, Xueersi invited outstanding students from Shuiquan Elementary to Beijing, and specially arranged a special four-day educational trip for them. Their exciting journey to the capital was about to begin!

Beijing feels both familiar and strange.

"What did you expect Beijing to be like?"

"Magnificent!" Xiao Yan answered instantly.

"I think... it has a high GDP," Xiao Jun paused, then added, "Yeah, a really high GDP."

"What’s GDP?"

"It means the city is very wealthy."

The four days were packed with activities—visiting the China Science and Technology Museum, watching the flag-raising ceremony at Tiananmen Square, hiking the Great Wall, touring Peking and Tsinghua Universities, and meeting scientists at Xueersi.

For the two young children, Beijing was both familiar and strange. They had already learned about the famous historical sites and stories of Beijing from textbook narratives and in the classroom, and had also learned about the bustling scene of Beijing from parental anecdotes. But knowing and seeing were two different things. How would the concrete structures of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, the soaring skyscrapers and expansive science museums, or Beijing's solemn architectural monuments be etched in their memory?

"How have you been feeling during your time in Beijing?"

"Hot! It's too hot!" both Xiao Yan and Xiao Jun exclaimed.

"You want to climb the Great Wall in this hot weather?" the teacher asked.

"Haven't you heard the saying, 'He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man'?" they replied.

"But it's extremely hot - are you sure you can handle it physically?"

"No problem! I walk three kilometers to school every day" .

Walking outdoors in Beijing's scorching heat for several consecutive days requires tremendous courage. But the two students still persisted in completing their daily itineraries. After all, everything in Beijing was new to them, and they were eager to explore as much as possible.

Face to Face With Scientists: What will the future of AI be like?

On the afternoon of July 21, as special guests, Xiao Yan and Xiao Jun visited the Heying Center where Xueersi is located, to attend an academic lecture titled "Will AI Take Away Our Jobs?", delivered by Professor Zengchang Qin from Beihang University.

This is part of a series of events organized by Xueersi Online School, inviting leading scientists from various fields to deliver lectures and interact with students. Professor Qin immediately captured the children's attention with an engaging opening experiment: How does AI portray people in different living conditions? Assuming an elderly woman living in a traditional Beijing hutong experiences a monthly income increase from 1,000 yuan to 10,000 yuan and eventually to 100,000 yuan, how would AI present these changes in her lifestyle? Xiao Yan and Xiao Jun listened with rapt attention, completely engrossed in the scenario.

Next, Professor Qin guided the children to imagine potential applications of AI. When someone shouted "Desert!", Xiaojun quickly added, "We could use it to grow plants in the desert!" Having grown up in the northwest region, the two children were quite familiar with its ecological environment. Their spontaneous responses reflected the deep-rooted ecological consciousness typical of children raised in this area. For them, applying AI robots to ecological protection represents the most genuine vision of technological application.

The opportunity to communicate face-to-face with scientists made all the present students very excited. Teacher Ma, who accompanied Xiao Yan and Xiao Jun to Beijing, teaches three subjects at Shuiquan Elementary School: science, English, and art.

Taking the stage to share her thoughts about the lecture, she said: "Having worked deeply in rural education for seven years, I urge everyone to focus on improving science education in rural areas. In most rural schools across central and western China, science classes are typically taught by Chinese, math, or English teachers, or by rehired retired educators." Due to the shortage of qualified science teachers and inadequate teacher training programs, the quality of science education in these areas remains subpar. There is an urgent need to provide access to high-quality educational resources and expertise to improve teaching standards and enhance the quality of science education. Time flew by, and soon the two students and Teacher Ma boarded the plane back to Gansu. After landing in Lanzhou, they would continue with a two-to-three-hour drive to return to their village, where their homes and school were located. After seeing them off, Mr. Cao received a long WeChat message from Teacher Ma. She wrote that she and the students had thoroughly enjoyed the trip, deeply appreciating Beijing’s rich cultural heritage and experiencing a completely different approach to education. "Don't forget to contact us next time you're in Linxia - we'd love to treat you to some delicious hand-pulled lamb! " Beijing isn't actually that far, and there are plenty of opportunities ahead. Xueersi is also delighted to have been part of your wonderful summer experience."