More than 60 high school students from the Greater Bay Area took part in a four-day innovation camp at City University of Hong Kong (Dongguan) in February, designed to encourage hands-on learning and critical thinking.

The PROJECT X Innovation Winter Camp, held from 7 to 10 February, gave participants the chance to visit major research facilities, attend lectures by leading academics, and work on their own engineering projects.

Organisers said the aim was to move beyond traditional textbook learning and help students develop a deeper understanding of how science and technology are applied in the real world.

Visits to research centres

On the first day, students toured the country's key scientific facilities around the campus – to see how basic research supports national strategy. They also visited the XbotPark robotics base in Songshan Lake, where they learned how technology developed in labs can be turned into commercial products.

The following morning, Professor Zhang Hong, a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and IEEE, gave a lecture on intelligent equipment and autonomous systems. He was joined by two industry representatives, who spoke about the latest developments in artificial intelligence and computing.

Project-based learning

Students were then divided into two groups to work on drone and robotics challenges. Under the guidance of university mentors, they went through the full engineering process – from defining a problem and building models to testing and refining their designs. Unlike traditional classroom teaching, there were no standard answers. Participants had to experiment and find solutions themselves.

Lai Weiming, a student from Dongguan Middle School, said the camp felt very different from his usual classes. “It's much more flexible here. We work on our own projects and the teachers just guide us. There's no fixed answer to anything,” he said.

Ye Ziqian, from Donghua Senior High School, described the camp as a “preview” of university life. He said the combination of lectures, visits and practical work gave him a better idea of what interdisciplinary study might involve.

Developing new skills

The programme also included team-building activities and a campus treasure hunt, designed to encourage collaboration and problem-solving.

Xu Yang, a postgraduate student at CityUHK (Dongguan) who acted as a mentor, said he tried to teach students how to approach technical problems systematically. “Instead of giving them the answers, I asked them to check the logs, read the error messages and understand what each line of code means,” he said. “It's not just about learning the operating system – it's about learning how to think like an engineer.”

A shift in science education

University leaders said the camp reflected a broader effort to rethink how science is taught. Professor Liu Zishun, Vice President (Research and Innovation) at CityUHK (DG), said innovation was not about working alone or having sudden flashes of inspiration. “It's about collaboration, being driven by real problems, and being willing to try and fail,” he told students at the opening ceremony.

Professor Li Juan, Vice President (Academic) at CityUHK (DG), said she was impressed by how engaged the students were. “Their eyes were shining,” she said. “What makes humans different from machines is our creativity and imagination. That's the light we need to nurture.” She added that the camp was just the beginning. “Life is a marathon. This is only the first kilometre.”

Organisers said the winter camp was part of a wider push by the university to open up its research facilities to the public and encourage young people to think beyond exam results.