Senior representatives from national ministries, provincial and municipal governments, universities, industry associations and research institutions, experts and scholars, primary and secondary school educators, as well as people from all walks of life including the business, media and public welfare sectors attended the opening ceremony.

Since its launch in 2015, the Expo has become a key national platform for presenting and exchanging educational innovation practices. Permanently hosted in Zhuhai since 2018, it has showcased nearly 10,000 projects and welcomed over one million participants.

At the theme report session of the opening ceremony, Cheng Jianping, Chairman of the University Council, emphasized that innovation plays a critical role in driving high-quality educational development. He noted that the Expo serves as an important mechanism for advancing reform, encouraging collaboration among governments, universities, enterprises, research institutions, social organizations, and international partners. He highlighted BNU’s continued efforts in teacher development, digital education initiatives, and global cooperation, expressing hope that the Expo will further promote knowledge exchange and the application of innovative practices.

Tian Zuyin, Deputy Chief Inspector and Director-General of the Department of Basic Education, Ministry of Education, stated that China’s basic education has entered a new phase focused on quality and equity. He encouraged participants to draw on the innovative practices presented at the Expo to advance comprehensive development, practical innovation, and high-quality basic education nationwide.

Zhang Jiaji, Vice Chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Committee of the CPPCC, highlighted Guangdong’s efforts in modernizing education and deepening regional collaboration within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. He noted that since settling in Zhuhai, the Expo has become an important platform for Guangdong’s engagement with national and international education communities.

Su Hu, Vice Mayor of Zhuhai, emphasized Zhuhai’s long-term commitment to prioritizing education. Through collaboration with BNU, the city has established the BNU Zhuhai Campus, launched the Zhuhai Education Innovation Transformation Base, co-founded the Guangdong Provincial Center for Teacher Development, and supported several cross-regional education initiatives.

The event was chaired by Wang Shoujun, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Committee and Executive Vice President of BNU.

Students from Zhuhai gave an opening performance.

The 2025 Expo brought together experts, researchers and educators to explore the growing integration of education and technology. A series of notable achievements and initiatives illustrate how scientific and technological advances are enhancing teaching and learning.

During the release session of the opening ceremony, BNU, together with professional teams from Civil Aviation University of China and other universities, as well as front-line science and technology teachers, jointly launched the "Make an Airplane" aviation science curriculum. Featuring high-fidelity teaching tools and immersive hands-on experiences, the program provides students from primary to high school with a new model of technology-integrated science education.

During the keynote report session, Li Dongsheng, Chief Engineer at the Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (COMAC), delivered a report titled “Aviation Technology and the Future” in which he discussed how aviation high-tech engineering projects can be transformed into valuable resources for basic education.

Wu Jie, a member of China’s first astronaut group and a former astronaut trainer, gave a talk titled “The Work of Astronauts”, offering insights into astronaut training, spaceflight preparation, and mission experiences.

A full-scale simulation cabin of the C919 large passenger aircraft attracted significant attention. Under the guidance of professional pilots, students were able to operate simulated flight control systems, gaining hands-on exposure to aviation engineering and flight principles.

The Expo covers more than 30,000 square meters, featuring nearly 2,000 participating organizations and hosting over 50 forums and 1,000 workshops across six exhibition halls.

The Regional Halls (Halls 1-2) comprise 32 themed zones and feature 1,041 project boards. A total of 1,003 workshops are held in this section, along with a dedicated session showcasing the work of outstanding principals, teachers, and researchers and four regional micro-forums.

The Higher Education Hall (Hall 3) showcases 472 projects from 66 universities.

The Theme Hall (Hall 4) presents selected innovation cases, international education practices, advances in science education, and projects in arts education.

The Society Hall (Hall 5) features enterprises specializing in AI education, robotics, personalized learning, AI-powered assessment, smart teaching tools, and AR/VR technologies.

The International Education Hall (Hall 6) presents 108 project boards featuring international youth programs, provincial exchange initiatives, cultural education projects, and global expressions of traditional Chinese culture.

Two major brand forums drew broad attention. The Education Directors Forum, held in Zhuhai for the first time, brought together more than 400 education administrators from across the country to discuss key issues in basic education reform. The First National Conference on Science Education for Primary and Secondary Schools, jointly organized with the Chinese Society of Education, explored practical strategies to strengthen science education and produced recommendations for future practice.

This year’s Expo expanded both onsite and online engagement. The online platform continuously opened up high-quality course resources, innovative achievement cases and expert lecture contents, regularly organized thematic discussions, local exhibitions and campus salons, enabling innovative achievements to break through the limitations of time and space and take root and sprout in a wider range.

For the first time, the Expo introduced an Innovation Project Investment and Financing Zone, supporting education technology projects through showcasing, matching, incubation, and promotion. The Innovation Roadshow Competition, themed “ Education + AI,” featured tracks in student development, teaching and research, and school management.

The Expo also developed a database of innovative practices and an expert resource pool to ensure that outstanding achievements can consistently play a leading and exemplary role.

Building on a decade of development, the China Education Innovation Expo will continue to bring together diverse expertise and resources, and contribute to the advancement of modern education in China.