Abstract
It is my great pleasure to be the invited editor of this special issue of Cultures of Science. And, as the co-editor-in-chief, I appreciate this opportunity to share my thoughts with you.
It has been one year since the inaugural issue of Cultures of Science was launched in 2018. Four issues have since included theoretical and empirical studies and papers on research policy and practice in the field of science culture. We have covered science culture, science education, science communication, public understanding of science, the cultural authority of science, and science and society. Our authors have come from China, India, Japan, West Africa, the Netherlands and Canada. We are most grateful to all those who have contributed their excellent work to this new-born journal. We are indebted to our invited editors, who have given us strong support during this start-up phase: Professor Li Zhengfeng, Professor Liu Dun, Professor Tang Shukun, Dr Cheng Donghong and Dr Yin Lin. And special thanks go to Ms Luo Hui, who served as the co-editor-in-chief during the very earliest phase of the journal and passed the baton on to me.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. This is a significant milestone for our nation and for the development of science and technology in China. The editors-in-chief—Professor Bernard Schiele and I—agreed that two special issues would be dedicated to the progress of science culture in China to celebrate this important moment. The June issue focused on science communication research using evidence-based data. This September issue builds an overview of science culture and science popularization in China by reviewing the past, focusing on the present, and looking into the future.
Five papers are included in this special issue, which presents an overall picture of science culture and science popularization in China. The first paper is a brief review of the development of science popularization in China during the past four decades and the challenges facing China in the future. The second and third papers are revised versions of two academic reports delivered at the Inaugural Forum on Cultures of Science and the Inauguration Ceremony of the Department of Science, Technology and Medical History of Peking University. The forum was held on 26 April in Beijing and was co-sponsored by CAST-Peking University Institute for Cultures of Science; the Department of Science, Technology and Medical History of Peking University; and the National Academy of Innovation Strategy. Many distinguished scholars attended and gave lectures at the event. In this special issue, we have included edited versions of the special reports delivered by Professor Shang Zhicong and Professor Wang Xiaoming. Those two papers discuss the features of modern science culture and the impact of science popularization venues on the dissemination of science culture, respectively. The fourth paper discusses the traditional Chinese technological ideal and highlights its influence on the development of modern technology. The fifth paper presents some reflections on the transformation from an era of science popularization to a new era of science culture in China and sheds some light on relevant practice in the future.
In the upcoming December issue, Cultures of Science will establish cooperation with SAGE Publishing and adopt an international publishing platform. We will continue to publish special issues on exciting topics in this field. It's our sincere wish that more readers and authors will join us.