Winners of the BSPU/SCMP Web site competition visited the past and future during their 10-day trip.
Their hectic schedule took them not only to information technology (IT) companies, but also research centres and museums in both San Francisco and Los Angeles.
At the Intel Museum, participants discovered how microprocessors are changing the world.
At Exodus Communications, they caught a glimpse of a data bank that has a world-class security standard.
Another exciting stop was the Stanford Linear Accelerator Centre (SLAC), a major science laboratory at Stanford University, which built America's first Web site.
Patrick Lui, a senior researcher at SLAC who is from Hong Kong, said: 'It's encouraging to see Hong Kong finally getting serious about developing the technology industry.'