WIC Global Youth Leaders wowed by digital development in Zhejiang

A delegation of honorees of the 2023 World Internet Conference (WIC) Global Youth Leadership Program pose for a group photo at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium of the just-concluded 19th Asian Games. [Photo/Liu Chunyu]

A delegation of honorees of the 2023 World Internet Conference (WIC) Global Youth Leadership Program learned about digital development in East China's Zhejiang province during a visit to Wuzhen town, Anji county and Hangzhou city from Nov 10 to 11.

They are from China and seven other countries and are the first group of Global Youth Leaders under the program.

Their first stop was the World Internet Science and Technology Museum in Wuzhen, where a speaker talked with them in a thematic lecture about China's solutions to build a community with a shared future in cyberspace.

Juliana Novaes (L1), from Brazil, talks with other members of the delegation during their visit to an internet-themed cafe. [Photo/Dong Dazheng]

Juliana Novaes, a member of the Brazilian delegation at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) sponsored by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and a doctoral student majoring in artificial intelligence at the University of Leeds, is deeply interested in solving the problems in the digital development of developing countries.

Noting that innovation is the source of the internet development and that young people are the backbone forces in this process, Novaes called for efforts to further motivate youth to devote themselves to the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace, shoulder their historic responsibilities and work together for a bright future.

Anji in East China's Zhejiang province is the birthplace of the eco-environmental philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. [Photo/Dong Dazheng]

At Yucun village in Anji, the group was told that this is the birthplace of China’s eco-environmental philosophy that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. Under the guidance of the philosophy, the village has successfully blazed a new path in green and harmonious development.

During the past decade, Yucun has further reinforced its digital development and committed itself to the building of a new rural governance system that features security, convenience, openness and connectivity.

The delegation listens to an introduction about the utilization of digital technologies in the food processing sector. [Photo/Liu Chunyu]

Francis Acquah Amaning, from Ghana, is an enthusiast of the development of digital villages. He said that it is amazing for Chinese farmers in Yucun to fully integrate digital management with their tea plantation, processing and sale and that the utilization of advanced internet technologies has enabled people to better monitor the manufacturing and flow of agricultural produce.

The delegation poses for a group photo at the Zhejiang Provincial Museum. [Photo/Liu Chunyu]

When visiting the Zhejiang Provincial Museum and listening to an introduction about its efforts to strengthen the protection of cultural relics with digital solutions, Rajan Parajuli, who comes from Nepal, said that the adoption of technological methods to bring history back to life bears great significance in telling young people where they are from and where they are heading.

The tour also brought the delegation to Alibaba's Xixi Park and the A Space known as Ant Group's headquarters in Hangzhou, where they learned about the commitment made by the Chinese tech heavyweight and its financial arm to push for the development of e-commerce, cloud computing, logistics, digital entertainment and other sectors.

Leng Feng (L) and Ye Chenhui, both from China, engage in talks during their visit to Alibaba's Xixi Park and the A Space known as Ant Group's headquarters in Hangzhou. [Dong Dazheng]

Ye Chenhui, a Chinese member of the delegation, said that the fast development of 6G-borne AI technology is expected to further facilitate cooperation among human beings, general AI-powered products and those for special purposes, and expressed his hope that Alibaba and other leading internet firms will fully leverage their technological strengths in advancing the development of the AI industry.

Leng Feng, also a Chinese member and an expert in internet technology, called on young people to follow the trend of the times, shoulder their responsibility and mission in the new era, and contribute unique efforts to the high-quality development of the digital economy.

The delegation also visited the National Supercomputing Center (NSCC) and Baidu's Apollo Park in Wuzhen as well as the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium of the just-concluded 19th Asian Games.

Prior to the visit, the youth leaders participated in the 2023 WIC Wuzhen Summit, which aims to serve as a platform to promote mutual learning and exchanges between young people worldwide, make their voices heard and enable them to tell their own stories about the building of a community with a shared future in cyberspace to the global audience.