A Student Robotics Team in Beijing: FLL Competition Support and Educational Travel
How TravelChinaService handled the group's land arrangements for the 2026 FIRST LEGO League Asia Open Championship
TRIP
OVERVIEW
Student Trips, Educational Tours & Beijing Competition Services
Event: 2026 FIRST LEGO League Asia Open Championship
Competition Dates: 13-16 August 2026
Venue: Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center, Huairou District, Beijing, China
Annual theme: UNEARTHED™
Group type: International student robotics team with accompanying adults
Result: Third place
China programme: Nine days and eight nights, 12-20 August 2026
TravelChinaService' role: Beijing land-service operator; not the event organiser
Congratulations to the team on earning third place at the 2026 FIRST LEGO League Asia Open Championship in Beijing!
TravelChinaService operated the group’s travel arrangements in China. Our work covered airport transfers, hotels, daily transport to the competition venue, meals, local guide support, a hotel move from Huairou to central Beijing, and educational visits after the event. The team’s award was the result of its own preparation, technical work and collaboration; our role was to keep the travel program running around the competition schedule.
For overseas travel agencies planning student trips to China, the project provides a useful example of how competition days and an educational tour can be handled within one Beijing program.
The team at the third-place presentation during the 2026 FIRST LEGO League Asia Open Championship in Beijing. TravelChinaService operated the group’s land arrangements in China.
The event
The 2026 FIRST LEGO League Asia Open Championship was held at Yanqi Lake in Huairou, north-east Beijing. The event brought together student teams from countries and regions across several continents. Competitors used LEGO Education components to design and program robots, complete field missions and present innovation work linked to the UNEARTHED™ theme.
For an overseas student group, the travel plan had to follow the official event timetable rather than a conventional sightseeing schedule. Venue access, equipment preparation, meal times and evening returns all affected the daily transport plan.
What the group needed in Beijing
The group needed a practical program that kept students close to the venue during the championship, while leaving enough flexibility for changes to meeting and competition times. The accompanying adults also needed a single local point of coordination for hotels, transport, meals and later sightseeing.
- Meet-and-greet and private transfers at Beijing Capital International Airport
- Five nights in Huairou for easier access to the Yanqi Lake venue
- Daily private transport between the hotel and the competition
- A licensed English-speaking local guide and professional driver
- Group meals planned around the event timetable and notified dietary needs
- A hotel move to central Beijing after the competition
- Educational, cultural and recreational visits after the event
- A no-shopping itinerary
- Local coordination through the group’s final late-evening airport transfer
Students from the UAE and China meet at the team display area during the FLL Asia Open Championship in Beijing.
How the land program was organised
Stage 1: Competition days in Huairou
The group stayed in Huairou from arrival through the end of the championship. This reduced cross-city travel and made morning departures more predictable. On 13 August, transport was provided for orientation and preparation at the venue. On 14 and 15 August, the vehicle and guide followed the full competition timetable. The group returned to the venue on 16 August for the final program and award activities.
Daily meeting times were confirmed against the latest event information. The guide, driver, hotel and meal arrangements were coordinated together so that competition requirements remained the priority.
Stage 2: Educational travel in Beijing
After the event, the student group traveled to Beijing from Huairou. The second part of the program connected the students’ interest in robotics and engineering with Chinese history, science and contemporary city life. This is a practical structure for educational tours to China: accommodation follows the event first, then moves closer to the places included in the learning program. Splitting the stay avoided long venue transfers during the competition and gave the group a more convenient base for later visits.
A team member with the third-place board after the 2026 FIRST LEGO League Asia Open Championship award presentation.
The team’s third-place result
The team finished the championship in third place. The result reflected the students’ robot design, programming, problem-solving, project work and teamwork. Their coaches, families and accompanying adults also played an important supporting role.
TravelChinaService did not contribute to judging or competition performance. Our responsibility was the China land program: getting the group to the right place at the required time, providing suitable accommodation and meals, and managing the practical transition from the event to the educational tour.
Teams from several countries and regions are recognised on stage during the third-place presentation in Beijing.
What the nine-day program included
Date | Focus | Program |
12 August | Arrival in Beijing | Airport reception, luggage assistance and private transfer to the hotel in Huairou. |
13 August | Venue orientation | Private transport to Yanqi Lake for registration, orientation and team preparation. |
14 August | Competition day | Hotel-venue transfers, scheduled competition activity and meals arranged around the event. |
15 August | Competition day | A second full day at the venue with private transport and local coordination. |
16 August | Final event program and Mutianyu | Final venue arrangements followed by an afternoon visit to the Mutianyu Great Wall. |
17 August | Robotics and modern Beijing | Hotel transfer to central Beijing, followed by JD Mall, a Unitree Robotics-related experience, Qianmen Street and Wangfujing. |
18 August | Beijing history | Jingshan Park, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and traditional Hutong neighborhoods. |
19 August | Recreation | A full day at Beijing Happy Valley with round-trip transport and guide support. |
20 August | Science museum and departure | China Science and Technology Museum, Taikoo Li Sanlitun and the final airport transfer. |
Educational content after the competition
Science and robotics
The China Science and Technology Museum gave students time to explore exhibitions on space flight, engineering, transport, energy and natural science. The program also included technology-focused stops connected with robotics, artificial intelligence, digital retail and smart products. These visits extended the learning context beyond the competition hall without turning the trip into a formal classroom program.
Students visit the China Science and Technology Museum after completing the robotics competition program in Beijing.
History and city life
The Mutianyu Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Jingshan Park and Beijing’s Hutongs introduced different periods of Chinese history and urban development. Qianmen, Wangfujing and Taikoo Li Sanlitun added a view of present-day commercial and public life. Beijing Happy Valley provided an unstructured recreational day after the intensity of the event.
International exchange at the venue
The competition also created informal opportunities for students to meet peers from other countries and regions. Team display areas, costumes, flags and project demonstrations made the event a cultural exchange as well as a robotics competition.
UAE team members meet local children at their display area during the international robotics event in Beijing
Planning student trips to China: operational points for overseas agencies
This project illustrates several practical points for agencies planning student trips to China, particularly when an official competition or school event is combined with an educational tour.
- Hotel location should follow the event venue. Yanqi Lake is in Huairou, well outside central Beijing.
- The event timetable should control transport and meal planning, with sightseeing added only where the schedule allows.
- A split stay can work well: Huairou during the event, followed by central Beijing for educational visits.
- One local coordinator should connect the overseas organizer, guide, driver, hotels and restaurants.
- Student ages, supervision ratios, rooming lists, dietary needs and equipment luggage should be confirmed before arrival.
- Late schedule changes may affect vehicle hours, meals, admissions and supplier costs, so a clear communication route is essential.
- Educational visits are most useful when they relate naturally to the purpose of the trip rather than filling every available hour.
Scope of TravelChinaService’s work
For this group, TrvaelChinaService coordinated the following services in Beijing:
- Airport arrival and departure transfers
- Private vehicle and professional driver
- Licensed English-speaking guide
- Hotel accommodation with breakfast
- Daily competition transfers
- Group meals and bottled water
- The move from Huairou to central Beijing
- Attraction bookings and local visits
- Communication among the guide, driver, hotels, restaurants and overseas organizer
- Local assistance during the full program
The program was operated on a no-shopping basis. Final arrangements were subject to the confirmed event schedule, supplier availability and the group’s agreed requirements.
FAQs About Educational Competition Trips to China
TravelChinaService operated the group's Beijing land services, including airport transfers, hotels, competition transport, meals, guide support, sightseeing and departure arrangements.
The team placed third at the 2026 FIRST LEGO League Asia Open Championship in Beijing.
The event took place from 13 to 16 August 2026 at the Beijing Yanqi Lake International Convention & Exhibition Center in Huairou District, Beijing.
Huairou provided more practical access to the Yanqi Lake venue and reduced the need for long daily transfers from central Beijing.
Yes. In this case, the post-event program included robotics and technology experiences, the China Science and Technology Museum, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and other Beijing sites.
Yes. TravelChinaService can provide B2B land arrangements for overseas agencies, educational tour operators, schools and student-group organizers. The service scope can be supplied under the agreed agency relationship.
Yes. The same approach can be adapted for school exchanges, academic competitions, STEAM programs, university visits and other student trips to China. The route, hotel locations and daily timing should follow the group’s educational purpose and any fixed institutional schedule.
Restaurants and menus can be checked against requirements supplied in advance. The agency should provide complete dietary information before final confirmation.
Reasonable operational changes can be coordinated with the guide, driver and suppliers, subject to timing, availability and any additional cost.