More than 20 years of hard work and perseverance, moving forward on a new journey of popular science

On December 25, 2024, the 13th session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress voted to pass the newly revised Science and Technology Popularization Law, which is the first revision of the Science Popularization Law since its promulgation in 2002. Over the past 75 years since the founding of New China, my country's science and technology has made great progress and has become a major science and technology power with significant influence in the world. Standing at a new historical starting point, my country has embarked on a new journey to build a world science and technology power, and the development of science popularization will surely demonstrate a greater role in value leadership.

General Secretary Xi Jinping clearly pointed out: "Scientific and technological innovation and popularization of science are the two wings for achieving innovative development. We must place popularization of science on an equal footing with scientific and technological innovation. Without a general improvement in the scientific literacy of the entire population, it will be difficult to build a large army of high-quality innovators and to achieve rapid transformation of scientific and technological achievements."

Since the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of my country, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, China's science popularization undertakings have actively advocated innovative culture, promoted the scientific spirit, popularized scientific knowledge, and vigorously improved the quality of the nation, presenting a thriving scene.

Important progress has been made in the construction of science popularization under the rule of law

In 2002, my country enacted the "Law of the People's Republic of China on the Popularization of Science and Technology". As the world's first popular science law, it has played an important role in promoting the popularization of science and technology, improving citizens' scientific literacy, and promoting social development.

Over the past 20 years, the Science Popularization Law and its supporting policies have been continuously improved, forming a relatively complete "national-departmental-local" science popularization laws and policies system. 29 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the central government and 6 sub-provincial cities across the country have formulated and revised science popularization regulations or implementation measures.

This time, the newly revised Science Popularization Law has transformed General Secretary Xi Jinping’s important expositions on science popularization work and the Party Central Committee’s major guidelines and policies into legal provisions through legal procedures, which means that my country’s science popularization work is about to enter a new stage of development.

"'September of each year is National Science Popularization Month'. Clarifying the National Science Popularization Month in legal form is of great significance for ensuring its authority and stability, further promoting its exemplary and leading role, and expanding its influence." Tie Ning, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said that in the face of new situations, new changes, and new requirements facing science popularization work in the new era, the revision of the Science Popularization Law should focus on prominent issues in the development of science popularization, make new norms and guidance, and build a large science popularization pattern with the participation of the whole society, so that innovation can truly become a value orientation, a lifestyle, and a spirit of the times.

Popular science activities have set off a nationwide craze for science

"This is the origami flower that my daughter and I prepared on Earth. Now I put it on the water film. Can you see it? The flower is slowly opening. We have a flower that is blooming in space."

On December 9, 2021, the first lesson of the "Tiangong Classroom" on the Chinese space station officially started. Wang Yaping, an astronaut of the Shenzhou 13, who transformed into a "space teacher", took out an origami flower she made with her daughter and demonstrated the water film experiment to everyone with the assistance of Zhai Zhigang and Ye Guangfu. Afterwards, the flower "bloomed" in space.

Chinese astronauts traveled thousands of miles between heaven and earth to bring a wonderful science feast to students on Earth. This unique teaching not only allowed the children to appreciate the infinite charm of space, but also made them more deeply aware of the great significance and value of the country's space industry, and stimulated their strong interest in science and desire to explore.

The science classes in the sky are dazzling; down-to-earth science activities are also in full swing. In recent years, my country's science popularization service capabilities have been continuously improved, and mass, social and regular science popularization activities have become increasingly rich. As of 2022, the National Science Popularization Day will be held for 20 times, and a total of 570,000 science popularization activities of various types will be organized, reaching 3.27 billion people; the National Science and Technology Activity Week has reached more than 2 billion people. Including the "Tiangong Classroom", various brand activities have pushed science popularization work to a new height, inspiring the enthusiasm of the whole society to talk about science, love science, learn science, and use science.

As the popularization of science is further promoted, the results are becoming increasingly clear. The proportion of Chinese citizens with scientific literacy has increased from 1.98% in 2003 to 14.14% in 2023, and the ranking of the Global Innovation Index has risen from 34th in 2012 to 11th in 2024. China has entered the ranks of innovative countries, laying a foundation for high-quality human resources for my country to promote Chinese-style modernization.

Science and technology venues are flourishing and bearing abundant fruits

The graceful charm of the Liangzhu water town, the majestic grandeur of the Erlitou palace city, the grandeur of the Sanxingdui bronze sacred tree... At the China Science and Technology Museum, a series of immersive exploration exhibitions lead visitors to explore "why civilization", use new technologies and new methods to "awaken" ancient civilizations, and unfold a splendid historical scroll before the audience.

"We hope to allow the audience to appreciate the profoundness of Chinese civilization and enhance their cultural confidence through realistic immersive experience," said Han Yongzhi, director of the Exhibition Design Center of the China Science and Technology Museum, in an interview with the media.

Popular science exhibitions like the China Science and Technology Museum are everywhere in China today. In 2021, the China Association for Science and Technology formulated and issued the "China Association for Science and Technology Popular Science Development Plan". The "Plan" emphasizes deepening the structural reform of the supply side of popular science, focusing on the construction of science and technology venues and grassroots positions, and building a high-quality popular science service system with "six in one" of brand, platform, mechanism, team, reform, and position, which has achieved fruitful results.

——The construction of science popularization venues and other infrastructure has been further consolidated. In 2022, there will be 1,683 science and technology museums and science and technology museums across the country, 48,700 special activity rooms for science popularization (technology) in urban communities across the country, 166,900 rural science popularization (technology) activity venues, 569 youth science and technology museums, 1,118 special vehicles for science popularization, 1,330 mobile science and technology museums, and 259,600 science popularization columns.

——The team of science popularization personnel continues to grow. In 2022, there were 1.9967 million full-time and part-time science popularization personnel nationwide, and 367,200 full-time and part-time science popularization explanation and guidance personnel. In 2022, the country will continue to vigorously promote the construction of a team of registered science popularization volunteers, with a scale of 6.8671 million.

——Science popularization activities with constantly innovative content and forms reach all kinds of people. In 2022, various departments across the country organized a total of 1.101 million online and offline science popularization (technology) lectures, attracting 2.319 billion participants; a total of 6,915 youth science summer (winter) camps were held, with 1.5882 million participants. 6,457 scientific research institutions and universities were open to the public, receiving a total of 16.1496 million visits.

Go to the grassroots and stimulate new momentum for popular science

The "robot dog" rolls and jumps in the air, paper clips "dance" in an orderly manner to the rhythm of music, and holding the wire mesh with both hands and moving it gently will feel like velvet... At the science caravan entering the campus event at the Dongshan Township Central Primary School in Bama Yao Autonomous County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the children approached each science exhibit, excitedly and carefully trying them out again and again, and their laughter echoed in the campus playground for a long time.

Lan Guining, principal of Dongshan Township Central Primary School, told the media: "Children here don't have many opportunities to learn about science. On the one hand, there are few popular science resources, and on the other hand, there is a lack of professional teachers." Lan Guining told reporters: "We also teach students on weekdays, but only when scientific principles become exhibits close at hand can children really feel the wonders of science up close."

Mobile science popularization is an important form of promoting science popularization education at the grassroots level. The science popularization caravan loaded with rich exhibits puts wheels on the "Science and Technology Museum", promotes the continuous sinking of high-quality science popularization resources, and greatly makes up for the lack of science popularization facilities at the grassroots level.

The Science Caravan Project, launched in 2000, has been in operation for 24 years. According to data provided by the China Science and Technology Museum, by the end of November this year, the mobile science museum had visited 6,953 exhibitions, serving 216 million people; the Science Caravan had carried out 445,000 activities, serving 371 million people, and traveled 58.129 million kilometers, equivalent to more than 1,400 laps around the earth's equator.

Enter the network

Popular science propaganda firmly occupies the position of public opinion

In order to comply with the trend of the information technology revolution marked by digitalization, networking and intelligence, and in accordance with the central government's strategic deployment on strengthening information construction, the China Association for Science and Technology launched the construction of science popularization informatization in 2014. It strengthened the dissemination mechanism of "news introduction and scientific interpretation" and created an authoritative science popularization brand - "Science Popularization China" . It cooperated with first-class Internet institutions such as People's Daily Online, Xinhuanet, Tencent, and Baidu to produce nearly 19TB of high-quality science popularization resources, with nearly 19 billion views, built 24,919 science popularization China e-stations, and opened the "Science Popularization China" TV channel. The role of "Science Popularization China" in leading social thoughts and public opinion is prominent, and it has also built a high-quality and efficient science popularization platform for scientific and technological workers.

At the same time, cyberspace has become an important battlefield for popular science work. Therefore, rectifying anti-scientific and pseudo-scientific content in online communications, as well as behaviors that deceive the public, disrupt society, and affect stability in the name of popular science, is one of the key tasks of popular science propaganda in the Internet age.

On November 12, 2024, the rumor that "frozen steamed buns cannot be eaten, and aflatoxin will grow after two days" spread on the Internet platform, sparking heated discussions. Science Popularization China quickly organized experts in the fields of food and microorganisms to plan and produce rumor-refuting content, and released a graphic article "Frozen steamed buns grow aflatoxin? Can they still be eaten?" within 8 hours, and a related popular science short video within 30 hours. The relevant popular science content was adopted by the national online rumor-refuting linkage mechanism at the first time, which promptly blocked the spread of rumors.

Conclusion

In September 2022, the General Office of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Further Strengthening the Popularization of Science and Technology in the New Era", proposing the development goal of "accelerating the formation of a large-scale popular science pattern with the participation of the whole society" and clearly stating that "by 2035, the proportion of citizens with scientific literacy will reach 25%."

Under the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, my country's science popularization work is bound to be steadily promoted and carried out in an all-round way, effectively promoting the steady improvement of the scientific literacy of the whole people, fully stimulating the innovative spirit and creative vitality of the whole society, injecting tremendous impetus into my country's scientific and technological innovation and economic and social development, and laying a solid foundation for building a strong country in science and technology and realizing the Chinese dream of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Planning and production

Author: Fengrushong, a senior media person

Planning丨Wang Jiaoyan Chen Yan

Editor: Chen Yan and Wang Mengru

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin