"Click, click, click..." On October 14, at the site of the "Achievement Exhibition on Digital and Intelligent Empowerment for Women and Girls" – a supporting event of The Global Leaders' Meeting on Women – two silver robotic arms accurately picked up a Rubik's Cube and spun it rapidly under the gaze of Chinese and foreign guests. In just over ten seconds, the chaotic colored squares returned to order, and the audience immediately broke into waves of admiration. This stunning "Rubik's Cube Robot" was created by Ma Xingyan, a student from Miyi County No. 1 Junior High School, and Li Qinhan, a student from Miyi County No. 3 Junior High School in Sichuan Province. It is a vivid epitome of the "Spring Bud Tech Girls" pursuing their dreams in science and technology.

The Spring Bud Tech Girls Project is a key further initiative of the "Spring Bud Project – Dreaming of the Future" campaign. Launched by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund (CCTF), this project aims to actively develop health education, digital education, and science education for women, enhancing girls' scientific and technological literacy as well as digital skills. In 2024, Miyi County became the first pilot county in Sichuan Province for this project.

The six faces of the Rubik's Cube are just like the multi-dimensional growth path of the Spring Bud Tech Girls. At the event site, the two 14-year-old girls confidently explained the working principle of the "Rubik's Cube Robot" to the guests. Their confidence stemmed from the trials and hardships they overcame time and again. "We encountered many challenges when assembling the robotic arms and writing the code," Ma Xingyan shared with a smile, "but the process of solving problems has greatly improved our logical thinking and teamwork skills." Li Qinhan said, "The Spring Bud Tech Girls Project and this exhibition experience have not only enhanced our comprehensive abilities but also allowed us to see a variety of scientific and technological works. While broadening our horizons, we have gained a lot, and this will become the driving force for us to move forward."

The rotation of a Rubik's Cube cannot be achieved without the coordinated support of each face. Since the project was launched in Miyi County, relying on online courses and offline study-research resources provided by the China Children and Teenagers' Fund and Tencent Foundation, over 2,000 students in the county have been able to access cutting-edge science and technology. At the same time, the county has continuously strengthened the construction of campus hardware support and curriculum systems, forming a dual support system. All middle schools, central primary schools in towns and townships, and some village primary schools in the county are equipped with information technology classrooms. Miyi County No. 1 Junior High School has a "Xiaoping Science and Technology Innovation Laboratory," Miyi County No. 2 Primary School has an artificial intelligence laboratory, and Wendo Middle School is equipped with a maker space. In 2025, Miyi County organized 20 "Spring Bud Tech Girls" to participate in training for information technology competitions for the first time. In the Sichuan Division of the National Youth Communications Technology Innovation Competition themed "China's 'Chip' Empowers the Chinese Dream," Ma Xingyan and Chen Hanxu won the provincial first prize, while another 8 students won the provincial second prize and 10 won the provincial third prize. In August, good news came again – Ma Xingyan and Chen Hanxu won the national third prize at the national finals.

The charm of the Rubik's Cube lies in the constant creation of new possibilities. "It only took the children one year to go from learning programming basics to showcasing their achievements on a world-class platform. Seeing these promising talents emerge one after another, we are extremely proud!" said He Yong, an information technology teacher at Miyi County No. 3 Junior High School. "Supporting a 'Spring Bud' means striving for a share of 'spring light,'" said Wang Fangbi, executive principal of Miyi County No. 3 Junior High School. She added that in the future, the school will continuously upgrade its faculty, hardware facilities, and curriculum settings to benefit more teachers and students, cultivate a fertile ground for educational development, and help more children step out of the mountains and march toward a broader world.

Today, the two award-winning girls have clear plans for their future: Ma Xingyan aspires to become a programmer to solve more problems with code; Li Qinhan plans to integrate programming thinking into architectural design and hopes to become an excellent architect when she grows up. From the depths of the mountains to the international stage, the "Rubik's Cube Robot" is not only rotating colored squares but also unlocking infinite possibilities for the future of the Spring Bud Tech Girls – with science and technology as the axis and "digital and intelligent empowerment" as the wings. (Text/Photos by Xia Yujiang)