Tour of discovery reveals real China

William Crow, a Norwegian student from the University of Oslo, said he was impressed with China's fast-developing EV industry.

"Just the idea that a car can have an operating system like a phone is very impressive," he said.

"You can download an app to watch a movie in your car. We got to sit in the car, and they put on some movie with a roller coaster theme and the car started to tilt to the left and right alongside the movie, which is just amazing. I think probably in 10 years, you might not even have a steering wheel."

Crow first came to China 10 years ago, and having witnessed how the country has developed over a decade, said that the digital revolution has been the most striking.

"Last time I came, I don't think I remember using Alipay and WeChat as much, but now it's everywhere. It's very convenient. You can use it even when buying food on the street. And there are lots of useful mini programs, the variety and number of which are impressive," he said.

Echoing Crow, Benjamin Graberg, a sophomore from the University of Bergen in Norway, and an exchange student at BFSU, said: "At the Nio showroom I saw the technological insights and the cars. I realized that maybe the narrative I was told isn't 100 percent accurate. And I actually felt an urge to buy a Chinese EV."

He added that the visit had dispelled misconceptions about Chinese EVs prevalent in the West.

China's openness in technology sharing and cooperation impressed the tour group most. In his reflection note after the program finished, Graberg said: "Despite a clear information embargo between China and many Western countries, this sign of openness and the wish to collaborate, in my opinion, clearly broke down barriers and illusions toward China. China is no longer a closed-off country, but one that wants to cooperate with European countries in the name of mutual gain. It gave the participants the idea that working and studying in China is no longer an unrealistic option, but a real possibility."