Wu Mingyu, once the secretary of the former CAS Party Secretary Zhang Jinfu, saw the program being put together. "Making a long-term science development plan was unprecedented in China's history," Wu recalled. "At that time, China was under sanction from the West. It was very difficult to introduce foreign technology. Fortunately, we engaged in science and technology exchanges and cooperation with the Soviet Union and East European countries. And we had talented scientists."

On August 1, 1958, a group of Chinese scientists celebrated the birth of China's first electronic computer. It was one of the many brainchildren of Chinese scientists.

A series of major scientific breakthroughs were made in basic and cutting-edge research, strategic technology and natural resource surveying. On October 16, 1964, China detonated its first nuclear bomb. Two years later, on October 27, 1966, the country's first nuclear missile struck its target. A year after that, China's first hydrogen bomb exploded. On April 24, 1970, the country's Long March rocket delivered the nation's first manmade satellite into its orbit in space. In 1965, Chinese scientists developed synthetic bovine insulin, the world's first synthesized protein.

Getting out of dark years

From 1966 to 1976, China was plunged into turmoil during the "cultural revolution." CAS was not spared. Many respected scientists were accused of engaging in "anti-revolutionary" activities and were sent to feed pigs or oxen, while some research institutes were abandoned or reshuffled. According to CAS, its 1967 budget was only 16 percent that of 1965.

After the end of the tumult in 1978, Guo Moruo, CAS's first president, delivered a speech poetically titled The Spring of Science at a convention that signaled the dawn of a new era for Chinese scientists. Late Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping declared that science and technology were productive forces and that intellectuals were part of the working class.

CAS entered a period of rehabilitation such as restoring the academic committee system, setting up a science foundation that is open to the whole country and implementing a management system for institute directors.

In May 1981, Lu Jiaxi, a chemist, took office. He inherited a troubled organization that was in serious financial distress. Its annual research budget for each member of a research group, which was led by famous mathematician Chen Jingrun, was only a few hundred yuan a year. Researchers could barely afford traveling expenses to attend academic meetings held in other parts of China. Scientists were also poorly paid. People joked that rocket scientists made less than fast-food peddlers. Many researchers quit to go into business and CAS suffered from brain drain.

In 1987, CAS put forward the concept of "one academy, two operational mechanisms," based on the understanding that different types of science and technology should be managed using different approaches.

"The main group of scientists were organized to serve national economic and social development, while a crack team was retained for basic research and hi-tech innovation," said Cao Xiaoye, Vice Secretary General of CAS.

Marriages between scientific research and enterprises were encouraged. Research institutes competed for grants and in the market. Direct centralized administration and supervision diminished and institutes were given more discretion in choosing research topics and partners with which to cooperate. The reform helped commercialize technology, and spawned a number of famous enterprises such as the Legend Group, now Lenovo.

In 1994, then CAS President Zhou Guangzhao began the One Hundred Person Project. The project was designed to attract about 100 outstanding young scientists by the end of the 20th century. Each exceptional researcher could get a large sum of research funds to set up his or her laboratory, said CAS Executive Vice President Bai Chunli. After Lu became CAS's president, the program expanded to sponsor about 100 talented people each year. As of the end of 2005, 1,443 scientists had received sponsorship, the People's Daily reported.

These talented people have filled the talent gap caused by the "cultural revolution," said Bai. Many are lead researchers in their respective fields; about 30 have been elected as members of CAS or the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Lai Yuanming is one of these talents. He was selected in 1999. Lai's geotechnical engineering research on permafrost soil provided the theoretical foundation for the construction of the Qinghai-Tibet Railroad, which travels through areas of permafrost.

Progress through innovation

Lu, CAS's fourth and current president, took office in August 1997. Although China's manufacturing industry was getting stronger, Lu was upset that it lacked core technology. He analyzed the country's science and technology policy from the perspective of innovation. In January 1998, CAS completed a strategic report on building a national innovation system to welcome the era of a knowledge-based economy.

To Lu, innovation involves not only technical innovation, but also knowledge, management and cultural innovation. The drive started with reform of the CAS personnel system—research positions were reduced from 60,000 to 23,000. Scientists needed to compete for positions, and at least 5 percent of low-performing researchers would be eliminated and replaced each year. Administrative positions were capped at 7 percent of CAS's total work force.

This personnel system reform shocked China's science community like a nuclear bomb. Newspapers widely covered the layoffs and objections to the drastic reform were immense, Cao said, but without such changes CAS would not be as healthy today.