HSYLC's parent organization, HAUSCR, was founded in the fall of 2005 by seven Harvard College freshmen. HSYLC became the organization's flagship program, and the first conference was held in the summer of 2006. HSYLC 2006, supported by the Goldman Sachs Foundation and American Airlines, recruited 37 Harvard students to create and teach a curriculum at a school in Shanghai. The program received extensive media attention across China, bringing approximately 600 high school students from among thousands of applicants to participate. By 2008, the Chinese high school students at HSYLC represented 120 high schools from across China. By HSYLC 2016, the program consisted of separate sites in three cities, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou. HSYLC Hangzhou 2016 was organized in partnership with the 2016 G20 Hangzhou summit.