On June 15, 2025, students from BFSU ICC embarked on an immersive study tour to prestigious universities in the UK. This journey, which blended academic exploration, cultural enrichment, and urban experiences, not only allowed students to experience firsthand the academic allure of G5 universities such as Cambridge and Oxford, but also enabled them to engage in a cross-temporal dialogue of civilizations amid museums, historic architecture, and diverse cuisine.
Academic Feast
Exploring the Frontiers of Knowledge in the Classrooms of Top Universities
In the morning mist of Cambridge, mathematics tutor Douglas Barnes unveiled the mysteries of statistics to students with a formula for maximum likelihood estimation. As a scholar who completed his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies consecutively at Trinity College, Cambridge, he not only explained the ingenious structure of the three-year undergraduate curriculum in detail, but also helped students understand true academic nourishment through the unique teaching mode of supervision/tutorial, where students and professors conduct face-to-face discussions on coursework. In the AI classroom, the exploration of concepts and applications such as linear regression, universal approximation theorem, neural networks, and natural language processing was like opening Pandora’s box, sparking deep debates among students about the ethics of technology.
Physics tutor Richard Neil, who holds both undergraduate and master’s degrees in physics from Trinity College, Cambridge, brought earthquake wave propagation and optical principles to life in class with a rainbow spring and magnifying glass; Ms. Tatiana Codreanu, who has a master’s degree from Imperial College and a doctorate from Oxford University, guided students in biology class to explore the origins of life, the history of human evolution, and modern biology; Mr. Sam Kirkbride, who completed his undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral studies in mechanical engineering at Cambridge, led students in designing future technological products for 2050—from brain-computer interfaces to tactile holographic devices, students let their imaginations run wild, and their “engineer’s mindset” was further strengthened through a rocket-making challenge, controlling costs and completing tasks with limited resources. These interdisciplinary courses are like puzzle pieces that construct a multidimensional understanding of world-class education for students.
Cultural Roaming
Understanding the depth of civilization in museums and streets
In front of the China Porcelain Gallery at the British Museum, students paused to gaze. The blue-and-white porcelain patterns, traversing time and space, are both a tribute to craftsmanship and a meditation on cultural heritage. In the Natural History Museum, the blue whale skeleton and groups of dinosaur fossils silently narrate the epic of life's evolution, while the Prime Meridian at Greenwich Observatory condenses the mystery of global time zones beneath one's feet. The oil paintings and suits of armor at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge, the electrical grinding machine and the first airplane at the Science Museum, the Buddha statues and sculptures at the Victoria and Albert Museum—each is a slice of civilization; every moment of lingering is a dialogue with history.
Punting boats glide across the reflections of Cambridge’s Bridge of Sighs; the World War II-era subway trains shuttle through the brick tunnels of Russell Square; Thames river cruises encounter the glass curtain walls of the City of London. When the prototype of the Hogwarts Great Hall from Harry Potter—Christ Church College Dining Hall—and the golden fences of Buckingham Palace unfold before one's eyes, the symbols from books are finally transformed into reality.
Of course, embracing the world with an “open stomach” is also an essential step in cross-cultural growth. From fish and chips at Cambridge’s Eagle Pub to South African grilled chicken at London’s Nando’s; from Italian panini to Vietnamese pho; the specially arranged international culinary experiences break the students’ stereotype of “monotonous British cuisine.” At Cosmo Buffet Restaurant, Chinese steamed buns, Japanese sushi, and Indian curry share the same stage, perfectly mirroring the diversity and inclusiveness of this study tour.
Growth Imprints
Comprehensive Knowledge Gains from Classroom to the Streets
The twelve-day journey unfolded like a slowly spreading scroll: deriving formulas on the lawns of Cambridge, listening to the organ in the chapel at Oxford, decoding genes in London’s laboratories, and touching civilizations in the corridors of museums... When the return flight soared into the sky, the students took home not only souvenirs, but also the emails of Cambridge professors, application advice from Oxford seniors, and traces of civilization from the museums. What they gained was not just an expansion of their knowledge maps, but also the vision and courage to "see a bigger world". As lead teacher Ms. Guo wrote in the activity log: "Falling in love with a university because of a class; understanding a civilization because of a city—this is a more vivid lesson in growth than any textbook can provide."
