6-Day Shanghai & Hangzhou AI Innovation Study Tour

A six-day, English-guided study tour for secondary and university groups that takes students inside China's artificial-intelligence and smart-city economy rather than past it. The programme runs across Shanghai and Hangzhou, and visits the Shanghai AI Island and SenseTime, Alibaba's Xixi Park and Damo Academy, the Yunqi Town cloud-computing cluster and Hikvision. Two accompanying teachers travel free of charge.

China's AI sector is not an abstraction for a school group to read about. Hangzhou is home to Alibaba and Hikvision and the Yunqi Town cluster houses hundreds of cloud and AI firms; Shanghai holds the research institutes, the chip and vision companies and the policy experiments that feed them. The programme is built in two city blocks - three days in Shanghai, then the high-speed train west to Hangzhou for three more - so that the students see a state-led research economy and a commercially-driven one side by side. Each city gets a working day and a day on the ground: in Shanghai the AI lecture and the AI Island, then the museum and the tower; in Hangzhou the campuses, then West Lake. The week closes with the students presenting a case study of one company against the rest.

• Alibaba Xixi Park and Damo Academy, Hangzhou - the campus and research institute of the company that built China's largest cloud-computing business.
• Hikvision and the Yunqi Town cluster - the world's largest video-surveillance and machine-vision manufacturer, plus the cloud-computing town built around it.
• The Shanghai AI Island and SenseTime - computer vision and R&D at the centre of China's AI industry.
• A lecture on China's AI industry, covering the global landscape, the national strategy and international competition.
• Shanghai's Pudong corridor, where research institutes, chip companies and policy experiments sit together.
• The Shanghai Museum and the Shanghai Tower - the city's bronzes, ceramics and calligraphy, then 632 metres of skyline over the Huangpu.
• West Lake, the UNESCO-listed lake that Hangzhou's digital economy was built around.

• Accommodation in good 4-star or equivalent hotels, twin share, with daily breakfast as specified in the day-by-day programme
• Meals as listed in the itinerary (local specialty and group dining), with dietary requirements and allergies arranged in advance
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with licensed driver throughout, plus all airport or rail station transfers on arrival and departure
• Professional English-speaking guide for the full programme
• All entrance fees to the sites named in the itinerary, with shuttle buses and cable cars where the site requires them already included in the ticket price
• Activity and coordination costs specifically named in the programme (cooking classes, conservation volunteering, corporate or factory visits, study debrief sessions)
• Travel insurance: 30 CNY per person per day
• Luggage handling at 10 passengers and above
• Bottled water, tour headsets where group size requires them, and local handling services
• All government taxes and service charges as itemised in the quotation

• International air tickets to and from China, and any domestic flights or high-speed rail fares not listed in the itinerary
• China visa fees and any documentation or notarisation costs
• Excess baggage charges
• Meals and drinks not listed in the itinerary, including all alcoholic beverages
• Optional evening performances, additional excursions and any activity marked optional in the programme
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping and personal items
• Gratuities for guides and drivers (entirely at your discretion)
• Anything not expressly listed under "What is included"
• Costs arising from events beyond our control, such as flight delays, weather, or changes to opening hours imposed by the sites

Before you book.

• Entry requirements. China currently grants unilateral visa-free entry to citizens of 50 countries for stays up to 30 days, and 240-hour visa-free transit to travellers from 57 countries via designated ports. Policies and eligible-country lists change, so confirm your own nationality's status with the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate before booking. We will supply a confirmed hotel booking and itinerary for any visa application.
• Passport validity. Please ensure your passport has at least six months' validity and blank pages for entry stamps.
• Travel insurance. The insurance included in your programme is a standard inbound travel policy at 30 CNY per person per day. We strongly recommend that you also hold a comprehensive policy covering medical evacuation and trip cancellation.
• Paying in China. Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept international Visa and Mastercard now, and mobile payment is by far the most convenient option in shops and restaurants. Carry a small amount of cash for the rare vendor who does not accept cards, and let your bank know you are travelling.
• Health and medication. Bring any prescription medicine in its original packaging with a copy of the prescription. If you have a food allergy, tell us at booking - we relay it in writing to every kitchen and, on the culinary elements of this programme, adjust the menu itself.
• Weather and what to pack. Comfortable walking shoes matter more than anything else on this itinerary. Layers are useful in spring and autumn; summers are hot and humid with heavy rain, and winters in northern China are cold and dry.
• Group size and children. This programme operates privately for any party size from the tiers shown. Travellers under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian, or travel with a signed consent letter.
• Pace and fitness. The programme involves full days of walking on uneven ground, including steps at historic sites. Tell us in advance if any member of your party has limited mobility and we will adjust the routing.
• Changes. Site opening hours, in particular at museums and government or corporate facilities, may change at short notice. Where a named visit becomes unavailable we substitute an equivalent experience of equal or greater value and inform you before arrival.