In August, a group of 20 entrepreneur students from Huazhi International UK study tour embarked on a deep learning journey across prestigious universities, technology, business, finance, and culture in the UK with anticipation and longing.

01.

Entering Niujian: True innovation begins with continuous learning

Cambridge University and Oxford University are two coordinates that cannot be avoided during this trip to the UK

Visiting from Cambridge University to Professor White's course on Cambridge History and Innovation; From boating on the Kang River to visiting the campus of Oxford University, what students truly enter is not only the ancient college buildings, but also the educational traditions, academic spirit, and knowledge accumulation that have been passed down for hundreds of years behind the two universities.

At Cambridge, Professor White takes everyone to re-examine the development of this university from the perspectives of history and innovation. Outside the classroom, the ancient college buildings on both sides of the Kang River are intertwined with the ongoing scientific research and innovation, making "tradition" and "innovation" no longer two opposing words.

Entering Oxford is another feeling.

If Cambridge is more easily associated with seeking truth, pragmatism, and how scientific research results can be applied to industry, then Oxford's rich history, humanities, and speculative temperament make people realize again that the true power that can last for hundreds of years often does not come from a certain technology, but from a set of ideas that can be continuously inherited and updated.

This is also the most thought-provoking thing for entrepreneurs standing in the Niujian campus.

A company that wants to go for ten or twenty years relies on its products and market; But to walk longer, what really needs to be accumulated are often culture, talent, and the ability to continue learning.

And from Cambridge University to Cambridge Science Park, this power extends from campuses to industries.

This is no longer just knowledge in the classroom, but how scientific research connects with industry and how innovation moves from universities to the market. From Niujian to Cambridge Science Park, students see a path of knowledge generation, talent gathering, scientific research innovation, and then industrial transformation.

This also provides a more specific answer to the power of academia: a truly powerful university is not just about cultivating outstanding individuals, but also capable of continuously influencing industries, cities, and even the entire world.

For entrepreneurs who are running businesses today, this power is also worth re understanding - the competition of enterprises, on the surface, is a competition of products, technology, and markets, but on a deeper level, it is actually a competition of talent, cognition, and organizational culture.

02.

From AstraZeneca to Burberry: How can century old enterprises go far?

If the Bull Sword shows how knowledge generates innovation, then AstraZeneca, Burberry, and the Rothschild family make students start thinking about another question: why does a company travel through time?

AstraZeneca is the "heart" of a world-class biopharmaceutical company and the global research and development hub for numerous multinational pharmaceutical giants.

Here, we gather early research and development of innovative drugs driven by artificial intelligence and data science, focusing on major disease fields such as tumors, rare diseases, respiratory and immune diseases, and committed to accelerating the translation of cutting-edge scientific research achievements into clinical treatment plans.

Entering AstraZeneca, what you see is the long-term investment and business logic behind a world-class biopharmaceutical company.

For pharmaceutical companies, research and development is often a long and patient game, and the resources invested today may take many years to see results. But precisely because of this, companies that can truly cross cycles never just focus on the market changes in front of them.

At the graduation dinner, William, a student from Huazhi International, summarized three reasons why AstraZeneca can maintain its competitiveness in the long run: continuous research and development innovation, strict quality control, and the strength of the enterprise to give back to society.

These three points may seem simple, but they are precisely the most difficult things for enterprises to persist in.

Innovation is not just a product upgrade, but a continuous investment; Quality is not a slogan, but a bottom line that runs through the entire business process; And how far a company can ultimately go depends not only on how much money it earns, but also on what value it can create for society.

Leaving AstraZeneca, the students walked into Burberry again.

If AstraZeneca represents technology and R&D driven long termism, then Burberry represents how brand and culture transcend time.

A brand can exist for a hundred years, obviously relying on more than just a classic product. What truly needs to be continuously maintained is the culture, aesthetics, and value recognition behind the brand.

This has a similar logic to the inheritance of family businesses.

In the visits and exchanges of the Rothschild family, people are not only concerned about a family story that has lasted for hundreds of years, but also about the risk control, global layout, and intergenerational inheritance behind it.

Why are some businesses and families able to survive for generations, while others find it difficult to cross three generations?

There is no simple answer to this question, but the answer must be hidden in those invisible things: systems, abilities, culture, and generations' persistence in long-term values.

And this time in the British group, there happens to be a particularly touching "inheritance" story.

Amy is a 'second generation student', and her mother was the first generation student of our Chinese made international program. Now she has brought her own child to the UK. Three generations have successively embarked on this study tour, which has become an impressive scene at the graduation dinner.

The so-called inheritance is not just about handing over the enterprise to the next generation, but also includes handing over the ability to learn, broaden horizons, and choose the future to the next generation.

This may also be another layer of meaning for entrepreneurs to take their children out.

03.

From Imperial College London to the London Stock Exchange: Two trump cards for future businesses

The other main theme of the trip to the UK is technology and capital.

At the Imperial College London Big Data Center, students are starting from cutting-edge fields such as big data and technological innovation to re-examine how digitization is changing business operations.

Today, competition between enterprises is no longer just about product, channel, and price competition.

Whoever can access information faster, utilize data more effectively, and truly integrate technology into business processes, is more likely to gain new growth opportunities in the rapidly changing market.

As William, a Chinese student, said at the graduation banquet:

From Imperial College London Big Data Center to Imperial College London, students see the forefront of scientific research and technology; Entering the London Stock Exchange, the perspective extends from "how companies can do well" to "how companies can grow and expand".

For many physical enterprises, the capital market may not be right in front of them, but understanding capital, rules, and the financing and development logic of different stages of the enterprise is itself a cognitive reserve that entrepreneurs need to complete in advance.

Tom mentioned in his sharing that physical enterprises will eventually enter the capital market. Understanding and learning in advance can lay a foundation for the future development of the enterprise.

This is also the significance of studying abroad.

It's not about waiting for a company to reach a certain stage before starting to learn, but about standing in the future position in advance and seeing what we still lack.

Along the way, 20 students constantly exchanged ideas on business management and shared their experiences with each other.

Some people have come all the way from Canada, some have departed from the United States, and some have been participating in study tours organized by Chinese institutions for over a decade. Every year, they almost "overcome all obstacles" to participate in overseas study tours. People from different cities, industries, and ages come together again through a shared learning experience.

And this kind of connection between people is also a value that cannot be replaced by a study tour.

04.

What did you really bring back after 8 days?

From Cambridge to Oxford, from technology parks to century old enterprises, from Imperial College London to the London Stock Exchange, and then to the British Museum and National Gallery.

In 8 days, everyone saw different aspects of the past, present, and future of the UK.

Some people see the rich history and culture, some see technological innovation and industrial transformation, some pay attention to business management, some think about family inheritance, and some rediscover themselves through communication with peers.

Joe had lived in the United States for a long time, and this time he came to the United Kingdom, he felt the rigor and order in management and academia as a country that pioneered modern industry, as well as the historical heritage of this land.

Per's statement, on the other hand, is more like a common feeling among many entrepreneurs after they step out: "Only when we go out can the enterprise make progress

In these 8 days, of course everyone has seen the UK.

But in the end, I am also rethinking my own business, my family, and my next steps.

At the graduation dinner, as certificates were handed over to the students, the British study tour was about to come to an end.

Some people are already looking forward to their next gathering, some have made plans to eat hotpot in Chongqing, some have invited everyone to visit Changbai Mountain in Jilin, and some have spoken seriously, hoping that the two colleges can "come and go frequently" in the future.

The journey will end, but learning will not.

Going out is not to worship the world, but to understand it; Not to copy others, but to find the answer that suits oneself.

As William said at the graduation dinner:

Standing at the starting point of the Industrial Revolution and watching this century long wave of capital from afar, 20 Chinese entrepreneurs did not take away any gifts - what they brought back was a refreshed scale for re examining themselves.

We will also work with our classmates to engrave this scale into every day of the company's future.

The question mark of Britain has just fallen, and the journey across the Pacific is already on the way -8 days and 5 nights, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, focusing on the three dimensions of "technology empowerment, business insights, and cultural integration", building a diversified learning system of "theoretical research+field investigation+scene experience".

Seats are limited, let's depart together.