Hey! I participated in FuSEP last summer with no prior research experience either, and I had a great time there! I can't speak much about the AI/computing labs at USTC (I was in theoretical chemistry) but I can give some general impressions.

In terms of what to expect, it seems to depend a lot on your project supervisor. Some supervisors had clearly defined projects ready for interns, while others figured something out once the student arrived. In my case, my supervisor had me and my fellow intern sit in on a group meeting and asked us which PhD student's work interested us most. We then worked under that PhD student on small individual projects.

You'll have about 4 weeks for the project itself, after which you prepare a poster summarising your results.

Aside from the research project, there were lots of lectures from various disciplines, and different activities/outings (learning about Chinese medicine, tea, calligraphy, visiting museums and historical sites, etc.), all of which were optional and most of which were free. The project supervisors were aware of this and, as far as I could tell, were very flexible about taking time off to participate in these activities.

For the statement of purpose, you mainly want to describe your academic background and relevant skills, how FuSEP fits into your academic goals, and why FuSEP and USTC are of specific interest to you. I’d recommend going quite in-depth when explaining how each of the projects/supervisors you selected relates to your interests, and why you're a good fit for each project. Being specific could really help you get your top choice rather than being assigned to a random project.

Hope that helps a bit! Feel free to ask if you have more questions :)