On October 28, 2023, the 18th "Challenge Cup" National College Students' Extracurricular Academic Science and Technology Works Competition, co-sponsored by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, China Association for Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, All-China Federation of Students, and Guizhou Provincial People's Government, was held at Guizhou University. The competition was jointly guided by the Dean Professor Xu Hong, the Vice Dean Professor Li Hui, and Associate Professor Dr. Li Chunxiao from our college. The undergraduate students Zhang Chenwei, Yang Yue, Luo Jiayi, Wei Feiyu wrote research report on the supply side transformation and upgrading of China's cultural and tourism industry in the new era, jointly completed by Lv Yueyao, Sun Xuefei, Liu Zhongyu, and Tang Haiyu. They won the special prize in the main track. This is the first national special prize of the "Challenge Cup" won by the team of teachers and students led by our college, indicating that the college has made significant progress in carrying out tourism characteristic teaching and research rooted in the motherland.
The "Challenge Cup" competition, featuring a "1+1+2" overall structure consisting of the main competition, the "Opening List" special competition, the red special activity, and the "Black Technology" exhibition, attracted participation from more than 2,000 universities, with over 400,000 works and more than 2.5 million students.
Rooted in the country's major needs, the Research Report on Supply-side Transformation and Upgrading of China's Cultural Tourism Industry in the New Era has been a three-year study focused on Shanxi as a model, aiming to provide Nankai wisdom for the national cultural tourism industry's transformation. The team employed methods such as facial emotion recognition, longitudinal tracking, big data mining, machine learning, and quantitative modeling to track consumer changes and market trends. They analyzed industrial cluster shortcomings across government, enterprise, and livelihood dimensions, collecting over 3,000 questionnaires and 600,000 sets of quantitative data, thus offering intellectual support for government and enterprise decision-making. Their work in implementing targeted supply-side policies garnered a strong social response.
The team produced four research mentor books totaling over 300,000 words, highly recommended by national scholars and entities including the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the University of Science and Technology of China. The undergraduate students, serving as main authors, wrote five high-level papers, with two published in top international journals, boasting an impact factor over 12. Their work has impacted 9 provinces and 23 cities and received recognition from numerous national and local leaders.
During the competition, the college provided robust support for the project. President Xu Hong and Vice President Li Hui guided the project's theme selection and optimized its research design and plan. Associate Professor Li Chunxiao offered patient and rigorous guidance, discussing every sentence and paragraph with the students to ensure precision and clarity. The project team's success reflects the dedication and high expectations of the college's leaders and teachers. The students displayed serious engagement, clear task division, effective communication with instructors, application of knowledge to complex problems, and innovative thinking.
Our college consistently integrates innovation and entrepreneurship education into the talent training process, aligning it with discipline construction and professional strengths. We lead young students to embrace the scientific spirit and attitude, fostering self-reliance in tourism disciplines, encouraging hard work, and contributing to the promotion of scientific and technological self-reliance and the acceleration of building a scientific and technological powerhouse.
The "Challenge Cup" competition is a high-profile event co-sponsored by various national organizations and local provincial governments. Since its inception in 1989, it has become a significant platform for over 2 million college students per session, playing a crucial role in nurturing young innovative talents, enhancing quality education in colleges and universities, and promoting economic and social development. Having been held for 17 consecutive years, the "Challenge Cup" has seen many winners who have become academicians, heads of key laboratories, professors, and doctoral supervisors. It has made a significant impact on universities and society at large, earning the reputation as the "Olympic" event of scientific and technological innovation for contemporary university students.
（Translator: Undergraduate Education Office, Youth League Committee Office, Proofreader: ZHANG Kun, CHEN Yujia）
