A Century of Scientific Classics

Over the past century， the Chinese Communist Party has led the Chinese people through the trials and tribulations of revolution， nation-building， and reformation， and achieved a great leap in the journey of national rejuvenation. Under the leadership of the Communist Party of China， science and technology shine with the light of the scientific and technological thoughts of the Communist Party of China and embody the power of the revolutionary spirit of the Communist Party of China.

This book is based on the history of the development of science and technology in China. Starting from the classic works of renowned scientists from various historical periods during the centuries of the founding of the Party， it recounts major scientific and technological events and achievements. It showcases how science and technology have saved， rejuvenated， prospered， and strengthened the country under the leadership of the Party. It promotes the scientific spirit of patriotism， innovation， truth-seeking， dedication， coordination， and education， encouraging people to follow in the footsteps of those who came before them and integrating life ideals into the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. It also encourages people to charge towards victory in the new era of building a modern socialist country in an all-round way！

A Century of Scientific Classics

China Science and Technology Press

China Association for Science and Technology

June 2021

168.00 （CNY）

This book is compiled by the China Association for Science and Technology. Huai Jinpeng， secretary of the Party Group， executive vice-chairman， and first secretary of the Secretariat of the Chinese Association for Science and Technology， served as the director of the editorial board and wrote the preface for this book. Academics in related fields and experts from the Party History and Literature Research Institute of the CPC Central Committee formed the editorial board. The supporting audiobooks are recorded by national broadcasting artists such as Ya Kun and Hong Yun.

The Opium War broke out in 1840. This war， which lasted for more than two years， ended with signing the Treaty of Nanking， the first unequal treaty in modern Chinese history. This was the beginning of the humiliating history of modern China’s semi-colonial and semi-feudal society. Later on， a series of unequal treaties were signed， and more than 1.8 million square kilometers of land were lost... Powerless China became the prey of stronger countries.

“There is no greater sorrow than that of spring， so we cry to the heavens. Forty million people shed tears， for we can no longer find our homeland.” Tan Sitong’s poem speaks of the sorrow due to the collapse of the home and the nation. The pages of modern Chinese history record the footprints of countless people with lofty ideals who went on to seek a way to save the country while recording their loneliness and bravery. Where lies the hope of saving the nation？ Which is the path to national rejuvenation？

One evening in the summer of 1914， several Chinese students studying at Cornell University in the United States gathered in Ren Hongjun’s dormitory to discuss the changing international situation and the fate of their motherland back in the East. They agreed that “there is nothing more China lacks than science”， so they decided to set up the Science Society and the Science magazine.

In January 1915， the inaugural issue of Science was published in Shanghai. In October of the same year， the Science Society of China was formally established with the purpose of “connecting comrades， for research， and promoting the development of science in China”. This was China’s first comprehensive natural science academic society.

In its publication， it was written that “In powerful countries around the world， the development of a country’s civil rights and national power must be parallel to the progress of its academic thought.” This was the first time in modern history that Chinese intellectuals proposed “democracy” and Science as the two main weapons to transform Chinese society.

Youth Magazine was released eight months after the publication of Science and was renamed New Youth from the second volume onward. Science and New Youth quickly became disseminators of the new doctrine and became a place where these new ideas sprung. Chen Duxiu wrote in the inaugural issue of Youth Magazine，" “Chinese people who want to escape from the age of ignorance， and the people who are ashamed to be shallow， move fast in order to catch up， paying equal attention to science and human rights.” From then on， democracy and science led the robust development of the New Culture Movement， setting off a trend of ideological emancipation and laying the ideological foundation for the spread of Marxism in China as well as the eruption of the May Fourth Movement.

What Is the Scientific Spirit？ It Is Truth-seeking.

In January 1916， Ren Hongjun’s “On the Spirit of Science” was published as the first article in the first issue of Volume 2 of Science. Prior to this， not only did the term “scientific spirit” not exist in Chinese vocabulary but there was also no corresponding word even in foreign languages. “What is the scientific spirit？ It is nothing more than seeking the truth.” This declaration， accompanied by the chaos of the May 4th Movement in 1919， became the cry of the general public. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his speech at the meeting to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the May Fourth Movement. “The May Fourth Movement stimulated the great awakening of the pursuit of truth and progress with the actions of the whole nation.”

Ren Hongjun on the Spirit of Science

What is the scientific spirit？ It is truth-seeking. The truth is an absolute noun. If this is true， the other must be wrong. As Zhuangzi said， “This view involves both a right and a wrong， and that view also involves a right and a wrong”. The world has its own truth that is irreproachable. For example， the sum in arithmetic is greater than the terms， and the square in geometry is one example. Plato said that human nature has the ability to interpret the truth， and he taught the inference of geometry to make geometric proofs. Truth is everything and is omnipresent. What scientists know are all based on facts. They conduct experiments to make proofs， make conjectures， and conduct verification to make decisions. They do not base what they know on what has been taught and what their predecessors have said. If the predecessors’ words contradict the truth， one must do their utmost best to fight for it without any regrets. This is the scientific spirit.