Shenzhen University students witness Gulf News in action during UAE tour

For a group of bright-eyed fintech students from Shenzhen, China, their summer camp in Dubai ended not with a shopping spree but with the hum of printing machines and the smell of fresh ink.

The travelling party from Shenzhen University WeBank Institute of Fintech were given a rare glimpse into the inner-workings of the multi-media world of Gulf News during a tour at the end of their UAE visit.

Joanna Huang, 33, summed up her experience well.

“It was very special. It’s my first time at a printing press and it’s something straight out of the movies. It was perfect. I got to understand how newspapers and journalists work. It was amazing,” she said, gazing at the massive presses that churn out tomorrow’s headlines.

The group, all part of a fintech-focused summer programme, spent their final day in the city looking at the state-of-the-art printing facility and seeing the editorial and commercial teams in action.

For 21-year-old Jinghui Ma, the visit was a window into a completely different universe.

“It’s a different world from what we do at Fintech. I am fascinated now. We are on a summer camp here and we have been to several universities and tourist attractions. We return tonight, but this was a perfect ending to a wonderful summer camp,” she said.

Equally intrigued was Minghu Zhuang, 20, who was struck by the mix of technology and human creativity behind the news.

“I have never seen a printing press in my life before. I am curious about how this whole journalism and printing newspapers and magazines work. I like how there’s an office-like set up next to the printing press. I would recommend this tour to everyone,” he said.

Mark Thompson, digital editor at Gulf News, answered several questions from the intrigued students on key topics such as AI, changing audience habits and the future of news.

Summing up the visit, Mark said: "We were delighted to welcome the students and to show them how Gulf News works, from the editorial department through to the printing press.

"They had great questions about the ever-changing world of media, which has many similarities with the advancements and challenges in fintech.

"It's always great to see people from other parts of the world engaging with our international brand and we wish all of the students the very best in their future studies."