Photo: VCG

An exhibition staging more than 200 pieces of the latest innovations powered by technology recently kicked off in Beijing. The exhibition is just one of the events being held nationwide to celebrate 2024's eight-day National Science and Technology Week (NSTW). Scheduled to end on June 1, the NSTW focuses on how scientists' spirit and the power of innovation can shed light on people's everyday lives and social growth. 

At the Beijing exhibition, visitors were invited to experience activities such as China's space culture through interactive exhibits. The public were also offered digital intelligent training, in which they can learn skills such as self-rescue techniques through recreations of natural disasters and safety incidents like electric shocks. 

The exhibition also engages visitors with smart designs from sectors like modern agriculture, energy science and technology to intelligent manufacturing. 

"Such events allow the public to learn that China's innovations are not serving those professionals. Instead, the country's technologies such as the developed satellite system, have long been intertwined with ordinary people's lives," cultural policy researcher Song Weiping told the Global Times. 

The exhibition is just an appetizer for the events that are held in Beijing during the 2024 NSTW. A source at the China Association for Science and Technology told the Global Times that upcoming events include a forum focusing on Chinese civil engineering pioneer Mao Yisheng, a performance called Show Science, will also be a craft activity for young students. 

"Over the past decade, the combination of 'technology and education' has become an established national strategy to engage young Chinese people in the country's mission of technological innovation," Song emphasized. 

Besides Beijing, the spirit of NSTW is also being promoted in provinces like Shanxi and Sichuan, permeating cultural sectors gifted with distinctive local resources. 

Capitalizing on the archaeological abundance in North China's Shanxi Province, seven local institutes, including the notable Yungang Research Institute, will share their reports on how technology has helped heritage conservation in the upcoming week. 

More than 30 themed events such as laboratory tours will be held in the province to engage the public in activities like "learning about plant archaeology using a microscope." 

"Including designs like archaeological shelters with automatic equipment, DNA data collectors and the commonly known 3D printing tools, the growth of the archaeological sector in China is now inseparable from the country's innovative technology," Deng Bohui, a digital relics conservation expert, told the Global Times. 

The celebration of the 2024 NSTW in Sichuan Province was followed by the opening ceremony of a "Science Night" held on May 24 in the province's capital, Chengdu. Blockbuster designs like a set of Baihetan hydropower stations were revealed on site. 

Another section focuses on exhibits that closely tie art and technology. More than 38 photographs are on display to show visitors the visual beauty of fields such as chemistry.  

Established in 2001, the NSTW is a national event held in the third week of May every year. It is organized by the Publicity Department of the CPC Central Committee, China's Ministry of Science and Technology, and the China Association for Science and Technology. 

During the event, the public is presented not only with diverse activities, but also rare opportunities to visit the sites such as China's national-level research laboratories.