"It is extremely beautiful. It is the first time that I have ever seen the sea," said Leilei (pseudonym), a Tibetan student at Qinghai University, when a plane brought her to the airport of Xiamen, a coastal city of southeast China's Fujian Province, on July 6.
She joined 19 girl students from Sichuan University, Xinjiang University, Qinghai University and China Women's University to attend a study camp of the 2026 Spring Bud Girls' Healthy Growth Project.
The five-day study tour was organized by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF) and domestic sportswear maker Anta Sports Products Limited.
"I was filled with anxiety when I entered the university due to my family's economic stress." said Yangyang (pseudonym), a first-year student at Sichuan University. "The Spring Bud Girls' Healthy Growth project supported me, like a warm beam of light shining into my life."
Jiajia (pseudonym), a student at Xinjiang University, comes from a rural family. The financial assistance from the project has mattered much to her and inspired her to make steady progress in academic performance and engage in volunteer and charitable activities.
During the ice-breaking activities, the girls gradually learned more about each other.
The first leg of the study camp was 982 Creative Space, a digital smart sports complex built by Anta Group in Jinjiang, where the girls gained a complete understanding of the sportswear brand's development history and corporate principles.
They were deeply impressed by the company's smart logistics park, automated equipment and daily package handling capacity.
Several girls of them, majoring in information management, said that it was a surprise for them to find that the supply-chain models learned from textbooks could actually be put into operation in such a large-scale scenario.
The girls attended two special courses about self-growth after their return to the Anta Building in Xiamen. The first course focused on workplace image and etiquette, teaching them about self-introduction techniques and workplace dress code, and helping them build confidence in public places. In the other course, an engineer from Anta Group talked about her career journey and encouraged the girls to dare to think, take actions and not be afraid of making mistakes.
Rongrong (pseudonym), a student at Qinghai University, said that she has gained a deep understanding of the warmth and responsibility behind the sportswear brand from the introduction of its history, environmentally friendly research initiatives, advanced logistics systems, sponsorship of the Olympics Games and commitment to charity.
Qunqun (pseudonym), a student at China Women's University, said that the visit allowed her to learn more about workplace etiquette and future career development.
During their visit to Wudianshi traditional block in Jinjiang, the girls were touched by the ancient red-brick houses with swallow-tail ridges, white granite doorways and tranquil courtyards.
The girls, wearing floral headdress (also called zanhua, or zanhuawei, a traditional symbol of Xunpu women) and dressed in traditional costumes, strolled along alleys and posed for photos.
The girls also watched performances featuring intangible cultural heritage such as clay ocarina, nanyin music, string puppetry and glove puppetry, and experienced the fun of controlling the puppets.
The visit helped them grasp a deep understanding of the inheritance and development of traditional Chinese culture and intangible cultural heritage, and better appreciate lifestyles and life philosophies of local residents.
The study camp also brought them to Dadeng Island, a tourist attraction in Xiamen and only a few kilometers away from Kinmen Island.
A visit to Xiamen University further deepened their respect for Tan Kah Kee (1874-1961), a patriotic Chinese entrepreneur, educator, philanthropist and social activist. Walking in the university's history museum and Lu Xun Memorial Hall, they became fully absorbed with its rich scholarly heritage.
As the sun set over the sea, the closing ceremony unfolded on a beach. Dressed in white T-shirts, they stood hand in hand and posed for a group photo. With tears glistening in the eyes, they couldn't help but hum along with the song Goodbye as it played.
Xiamen has witnessed the girls' positive transformation. In the past five days, the girls had acquired knowledge, firmed up aspirations and gained strength and courage to forge ahead and embrace a better future.
Photos from CCTF
(Source: CCTF/Women of China)
Editor: Wang Shasha
