About the 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge

Co-hosted by Tsinghua University, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Chile, the Universidad del Pacífico in Peru and Minera Las Bambas S.A., the event attracted the participation of more than 310 teachers and students from 27 universities and enterprises across four countries: China, Brazil, Chile and Peru. The 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge is divided into two stages: the Preliminary Competition and the Transnational Final, aiming to promote cross-cultural communication and collaboration, and inspire the innovative thinking and practical capabilities of global youth in the field of poverty alleviation.

On June 7, 2025, the Preliminary Competition of the 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge was successfully held, with Tsinghua University as the offline main venue and participants from Latin American countries competing simultaneously in a hybrid online and offline format. After a fierce competition, 12 innovative teams stood out and advanced to the Transnational Final. In August 2025, the Transnational Final of the 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge was held in Brazil and Chile successively.

In January 2026, 32 Latin American university students who advanced to the final came to China for cultural immersion activities, including face-to-face exchanges with Chinese teachers and students, visits to China's poverty alleviation bases and institutions, and Chinese cultural tours.

The 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge received support from the Chinese Embassy in Brazil, the Consulate-General of China in Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian Embassy in China, the Chinese Embassy in Chile, the Chilean Embassy in China and the Chinese Embassy in Peru. We sincerely thank renowned domestic and foreign enterprises for their strong support for the event, including Envision Group, CGE, Minera Las Bambas S.A., China Mobile International (Chile), Kuaishou International Business (KSIB) and Banco BOCOM BBM S.A..

On the morning of January 22, 2026, the on-site research in China of Tsinghua University’s "China-Latin American Youth Responding to Global Challenges — 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge" and the 10th Session of the "Rural Entrepreneurship +" Innovation and Creativity Camp were grandly launched at the Zhangjiajie (Cili) Station of Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation in Hunan. Young students from Tsinghua University and Peru gathered with local government representatives, experts, scholars and enterprise representatives to hold an exchange meeting on "Resilient Rural Revitalization Service System and Public Space Activation", conduct in-depth exchanges and on-site investigations, and jointly explore innovative paths for poverty alleviation and rural revitalization.

Participants in the event included Wu Jinwei, Member of the Party Group and Deputy County Magistrate of Cili County People's Government; Liu Peng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yanghe Tujia Township; Chen Taotao, Director of the Tsinghua University Latin American Center, Director of the Research Center for China-Latin America Management Studies, SEM, Tsinghua University and Professor of the Finance Department at the School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University; Nifta Lau Ibarias, Research Fellow of the China and Asia-Pacific Research Center at the Universidad del Pacífico in Peru; Hua Zhen, Translation Expert at Minera Las Bambas S.A.; Zhao Daqi, Director of the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Creation Center of Tsinghua University Rural Construction Research Institute and Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation; as well as Qiao Ziti and An Haozhen, PhD candidates at the Tsinghua University Latin American Center. The event was hosted by Zhao Daqi, Director of the Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Creation Center of Tsinghua University Rural Construction Research Institute and Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation.

First of all, Teacher Zhao Daqi briefly introduced the development of Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation and the talent training of the "Rural Entrepreneurship +" project.

Ms. Zhao Daqi giving an introduction

Subsequently, Liu Peng, Secretary of the Party Committee of Yanghe Tujia Township, delivered a welcome speech first. On behalf of Yanghe Tujia Township, he extended a warm welcome to Chinese and foreign guests and young friends coming from afar, and expressed his gratitude to Tsinghua University and relevant units that have long supported local development. Secretary Liu Peng introduced the geographical advantages and rich resources of Yanghe Tujia Township located in the east line tourism corridor of Zhangjiajie, and reviewed the fruitful practices carried out by Tsinghua students in the local area around rural research, intangible cultural heritage activation, and human settlement environment improvement since the completion of Cili Workstation in 2023. He pointed out that these practices provide a vivid interpretation for the construction of a "resilient countryside" and also contribute a valuable "Yanghe field" to this international youth exchange activity. He expected to take this event as an opportunity to further gather wisdom and explore feasible paths to make community services more resilient and public spaces more dynamic.

Secretary Liu Peng delivering a welcome speech

In her speech, Professor Chen Taotao detailed the cross-border cooperation background and far-reaching significance of this Poverty Alleviation Challenge event, as well as the core mission of Tsinghua University Rural Revitalization Workstation in connecting academic theories with grassroots practices and empowering rural communities. She emphasized the importance of youth cross-cultural collaboration in addressing common challenges such as poverty alleviation in the context of globalization, and encouraged Chinese and Latin American youth to deepen mutual understanding and jointly seek sustainable development solutions through personal observation and thinking.

Professor Chen Taotao delivering a speech

Later, Lu Chang and Lu Xiaoxiao, student representatives of the 10th Session of Tsinghua University’s "Rural Entrepreneurship +" Innovation and Creativity Camp, took the stage one after another. Centering on the research objectives in Cili this time, they elaborated on their respective entrepreneurial projects, demonstrating the keen observation, solid professional quality and full practical enthusiasm of young students.

Mr. Lu Chang giving a sharing

Ms. Lu Xiaoxiao giving a sharing

In the research forum on "the Chinese Model of Rural Revitalization", staff from the Communist Youth League Cili County Committee, Cili County Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other departments, focusing on the research questions raised by Chinese and Latin American youth, detailed the development of various industries in Cili County, and introduced the "Cili Experience" of poverty alleviation and prosperity to the students with specific cases. Professor Chen Taotao and Chinese and Latin American youth actively participated in the discussion, gaining an in-depth understanding of the specific paths and implementation methods of Cili's development, with a warm atmosphere on site.

On-site group discussion

At the end of the forum, Wu Jinwei, Member of the Party Group and Deputy County Magistrate of Cili County People's Government, delivered a concluding speech. He once again congratulated the successful holding of the event and expressed his gratitude to Tsinghua University and all participating youth. He also emphasized that Cili, with its superior geographical location and rich tourism and ecological resources, is a vivid microcosm of poverty alleviation and development in mountainous areas, and also a specific reflection of China's rural development path. He earnestly hoped that Chinese and foreign youth could go deep into the rural areas of Cili, feel the pulse of China's development through on-site investigations, combine their personal talents with the needs of the times, demonstrate the value of youth in poverty alleviation cooperation and innovation and entrepreneurship, and contribute wisdom and strength to addressing global challenges. He promised that Cili County would fully support the practical exploration of young people and provide all-round service guarantees.

Mr. Wu Jinwei delivering a concluding speech

The successful holding of this opening ceremony and theme exchange meeting marked the official launch of the on-site research in China of the 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge and the practical research of the 10th Session of Tsinghua University’s "Rural Entrepreneurship +". In the following itinerary, Chinese and Latin American youth will go deep into the rural frontlines of Cili County, further deepen exchanges and build consensus through on-site visits, project cooperation and cultural experience, jointly explore feasible paths for the construction of resilient countryside, let the flower of youth bloom brilliantly in the vast world of rural revitalization, and write a new chapter for deepening China-Latin America people-to-people exchanges and sustainable development cooperation.

Group photo

On the afternoon of January 22, all teachers and students of the Peruvian Team of the 2025 Poverty Alleviation Challenge in China and the 10th Session of Tsinghua University’s "Rural Entrepreneurship +" Innovation and Creativity Camp went to Hunan Zuosheng Yipin Food Co., Ltd. for an on-site visit, conducting in-depth research on the theme of "Whole Industrial Chain Development and Brand Operation of Characteristic Agricultural Products".

Teachers and students visiting Zuosheng Yipin together

The research team first walked into the production workshop to observe the whole-process standardized operation from raw material processing to finished product packaging, focusing on understanding the multiple drying processes and strict product processing system adopted by the enterprise, and personally experiencing the technical connotation of modern agricultural food processing. At the subsequent exchange meeting, Zuo Xiangsheng, Chairman of Hunan Zuosheng Yipin Food Co., Ltd., systematically introduced the characteristic products of the company, and had an in-depth discussion with the students on how the enterprise excavates and integrates Cili's local diet to build a brand, and how to build an online and offline integrated sales network to expand the market.

Students communicating with Chairman Zuo Xiangsheng

Through immersive learning combining "visit + exchange", this visit gave young people an intuitive and systematic understanding of the modern development path of the characteristic agricultural industry and the practice of brand operation, and provided a vivid case for thinking about industrial innovation and value enhancement in rural revitalization.

Group photo