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Think bigger and build on basic research, Chinese scientist says

  • Astrophysicist asks whether Chinese people can really be confident if their textbooks are based on work from the West
  • But there are concerns about spending billions on major ambitious projects

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China faces practical challenges in pursuing cutting-edge basic science, including its lower level of GDP. Photo: Shutterstock
Ling Xin

Leading scientists and policy experts in China have called for greater support for basic research, saying it is a key to cultural confidence.

At a TED-like event in Beijing on Saturday, astrophysicist Zhang Shuangnan said science and technology were major components of modern civilisation.

“How can Chinese people really be confident in their culture while textbooks are full of the names of foreign scientists, and all the knowledge they grow up learning is from the West?” said Zhang from the Institute of High Energy Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

In his talk to SELF – jointly organised by the Chinese Academy of Science’s Computer Network Information Centre and the Science Communication Bureau – he said he was “very envious” watching the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, which finally lifted off late last year after two decades of delays and budget overruns.

“I asked myself, what does it take for such an ambitious and risky project to succeed? One thing seems to be sure: our American colleagues have the confidence to take on the job and explore the universe on behalf of all human beings,” Zhang said.

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New images of Mars sent back by China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter

New images of Mars sent back by China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter

Basic research aims to better understand the fundamentals of how nature works, such as astronomy and mathematics. It often has no immediate applications but can be the basis of scientific and technological innovation.

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