During the containment of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the popularization of science has helped people discern rumors and learn more about the epidemic.

China has made remarkable progress in recent years. Since 2004, the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) has held National Science Popularization Day activities for 15 consecutive years, with over 80,000 events for 1.5 billion people, according to the association. Moreover, through the efforts of many experts, people have more access to knowledge. New media has grown into a vital channel for popularizing science, bringing more content in multiple forms to audiences.

Bai Xi, head of the CAST Department of Science Popularization, told Xinhua News Agency recently, that in 2018, the proportion of scientific literacy of Chinese citizens reached 8.47 percent, a leapfrog from 1.36 percent in 2005. "But that is still a very low level compared to 25 percent in the United States in 2015," he said.

China has set a compulsory goal of pushing the scientific literacy rate to 10 percent by 2020, and reaching an advanced global level by 2035, according to Bai. To complete this challenging task, along with those specializing in science popularization, writers, artists and science and technology practitioners will also be invited to join the cause.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in People's Daily on July 13 

(Print Edition Title: Science Popularization)