Foreign students explore China's 'artificial sun' in Anhui

A group of young students from seven countries, including Russia, Italy and Thailand, recently visited China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), often dubbed the country's "artificial sun," as part of an international summer school in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province.

The 27 participants in the Advanced Fusion and Plasma Research International Summer School toured major scientific facilities on Science Island, getting a close look at China's research into nuclear fusion.

For Aleksei Dukhanin, a master's student from Russia's University of Greifswald, seeing EAST up close was a highlight of the trip.

"It was amazing because you can see the real facility working and scientists in the control room getting results from the plasma experiments," he said.

Melany Carvajal, an undergraduate student from Ecuador's Yachay Tech University, said the scale of the facilities and China's investment in fusion research left a strong impression on her.

Hefei is home to a cluster of major fusion research facilities, including EAST, the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) and the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT). The city has increasingly hosted international student groups and science exchange programs, turning its research infrastructure into a new destination for science-focused study tours.

The visits also offer a glimpse into broader people-to-people and scientific exchanges between China and young people from around the world, including countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The growing interest comes as Anhui sees a rise in inbound tourism. In the first half of this year, the province recorded a 12.1% year-on-year increase in inbound tourist visits, while international tourism revenue rose 24.5%.

Beyond traditional sightseeing, visits to laboratories and major scientific facilities are emerging as a new way for overseas travelers to experience China's scientific development.