Interest in science a boon for tourism, inquisitive minds

Study courses

Hefei authorities have been collaborating with educational tourism bodies and travel agencies to develop over 1,000 courses that cover topics such as AI, quantum computing, green energy, and aerospace.

The educational tour programs have evolved from simple industrial tourism ones to diverse, multi-themed courses.

Hefei is home to several mega-science devices, including the Steady High Magnetic Field Facility and the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak, or EAST, which is key to a nuclear fusion reactor, also known as an artificial sun.

The EAST program is crucial to both the China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor project and the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project.

The area where the mega-science facilities are based is called Science Island, which has been listed as one of China's top 10 science and technology tourism bases.

Innovative exhibitions at the Anhui Innovation Pavilion, such as "Entering the Realm of Mega-science" and "Quantum Mysteries", offer students firsthand insights into national scientific advancements, said Zhou.

The venue hosted over 300 educational tours by the end of August for this year, attracting nearly 30,000 young participants.