Photo Essay: China’s Teen Geeks’ Struggle to Create the Tech Future

The article profiles the ambitions, struggles, and ingenuity of China’s new generation of teenage programmers, focusing on their experiences at the country’s largest-ever student-led hackathon held in Hangzhou, which gathered over 800 youths who developed more than 200 tech products over five days of intense collaboration—a testament to the vibrancy of China’s youth tech scene[para. 3]. Central to the story is Gong Zihan, a 16-year-old high school student and CEO of Siri Studio, who has accumulated six years of programming experience and five years of management, overseeing a team of over 20 teenage programmers nationwide. Despite its impressive output, including an AI assistant capable of switching personas, the studio operates with no profits, no salary for staff, and donated servers. Even so, it maintained corporate-style processes like NDAs and cut redundant staff for efficiency[para. 1][para. 2].

The hackathon itself, founded by high schoolers Zhu Haoyu and Xu Chen, was envisioned as a way to gather scattered young tech talents—often overwhelmed by academic pressures—into a community fueled by curiosity rather than exam stress[para. 3][para. 4][para. 5]. The event environment was raucous and nonconformist, with competitors working and resting at the venue, forming new bonds and creating both serious projects and irreverent moments[para. 6]. Among the participants, Gong stood out for his calm focus amid chaos, meticulously managing his team despite setbacks such as lost code and internal schisms. He balances this technical ambition with the immense pressure of school exams, acknowledging a drop in his academic performance as he tries to juggle both worlds[para. 7][para. 8][para. 9][para. 10][para. 11][para. 12].

Another highlighted figure is Xing Can, a 16-year-old from Mianyang, Sichuan, who brought a homemade, caseless computer wrapped in his school uniform. Xing’s passion for programming began with a middle-school informatics club but found little resonance among teachers or peers in his exam-centric environment. His journey in programming provided both an outlet and a means of self-exploration, helping him confront the mental and emotional challenges imposed by rigid school systems. A trip to Beijing for another hackathon exposed him to alternative models of education, empowering him to value exploration and self-discovery over externally imposed goals[para. 20][para. 21][para. 22][para. 23][para. 24][para. 25][para. 26][para. 27][para. 28][para. 29][para. 30].

Other participants, such as 13-year-old Tao Weixu and Zhuang Yan, reflect both the promise and the pitfalls of China’s high-stakes education system. Tao, the youngest on his team, faces parental pressure to prioritize studying over his programming passions, and his participation in the hackathon was contingent on a promise to improve his academic ranking. While he’s highly skilled, his mother views programming as too unstable, pushing him to plan for a safe career as a teacher. Zhuang, meanwhile, followed a competition track that guaranteed top educational opportunities but at the cost of personal freedom and increased academic stress[para. 31][para. 32][para. 33][para. 34][para. 35][para. 36][para. 37][para. 38][para. 39][para. 40][para. 41].

The hackathon’s co-founder, Zhu Haoyu, and stories from others like Zeng Shuai of rural Henan, reveal a divide: well-supported urban students often participate in events, while most lack the time and parental approval to do so. Zhu’s philosophy challenges rules and encourages taking initiative, while Zeng embodies adaptability, using self-guided learning and resourcefulness to chart his course, regardless of family or social expectations[para. 42][para. 43][para. 44][para. 45][para. 46][para. 47][para. 48][para. 49][para. 50][para. 51][para. 52][para. 53].

The event concluded with several student-led innovations earning awards, new opportunities for international study or alternative lifestyles, and a reaffirmed belief among these youthful coders that while the system is daunting, creativity and community persist—provided they can carve out a little time for themselves[para. 54][para. 55][para. 56][para. 57][para. 58][para. 59][para. 60][para. 61][para. 62][para. 63].