The “Two-Wings Theory” is an important statement of General Secretary Xi Jinping on the work of science and technology innovation as well as science popularization. It profoundly clarifies the basic laws of realization of innovation and development, and correctly answers major questions related to China’s innovation and development. This theory points out the way forward and provides fundamental principles for China to achieve high-level scientific and technological self-reliance and accelerate innovation and development.

Outline of the National Scheme for Scientific Literacy (2021—2035) takes General Secretary Xi’s important remarks on science and technology innovation and science popularization as its fundamental guideline, and makes overall arrangements for science popularization and scientific literacy, ushering in a new stage of development in the construction of science popularization. The article starts from the strategic context of science popularization in the new era, clarifies the development position of science popularization in individual development and national governance, talent training and national construction, a transformation of achievements and national innovation ecosystem under the guidance of “Two-Wings Theory”, and analyzes the outstanding shortcomings in the development of national science popularization. It is proposed to go beyond the perspective of local problems in science popularization work, science popularization resources, science popularization industry, etc., find the entry point and focus point of science popularization work in the new era, and turn to provide systematic solutions from the system level of science popularization work, organization and management, which ultimately helps to promote national innovation development and build a strong nation with world-class science and technology power.

Through field investigation, oral interview, data statistics, case studies, and other methods, this paper investigates the operation mechanism of Chinese science and technology museums under different management modes from the aspects of fund raising mechanism, resource sharing mechanism, talent management mechanism, evaluation and supervision mechanism, analyzes the experience and existing problems of the operation mechanism of Chinese science and technology museums, and explores the future development trend and direction of the operation mechanism of Chinese science and technology museums based on drawing lessons from the operation modes and successful experiences of domestic and foreign characteristic science and technology museums.

Given the relative lack of research on the assessment of primary school students’ attitude towards science in China, this study designed and developed an assessment tool for primary school students’ attitude towards science and used this tool to conduct large-scale assessment and comparison among more than 60 000 fifth-grade students in 277 schools in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province. The results show that Chinese primary students generally have a positive attitude towards science, with a small part that need to be improved. Students of different genders have no significant difference on their attitudes towards science. Students with other academic performances in science have substantial differences in their attitudes towards science, and students with higher academic levels have more positive attitudes towards science. Based on the above results, this study puts forward some suggestions to promote the development of students’ attitudes towards science and research and practice of science education.

After consulting the representatives of international science organizations following the “four-stage methodology”, the expert team of PISA science pointed out the direction of PISA 2025 science literacy assessment framework: to further enrich and expand the dimensions of scientific knowledge and scientific competencies, and to add a new dimension of “scientific identity”. Scientific knowledge emphasizes interdisciplinary integration. Scientific competencies focus on the needs of social decision-making. Scientific identity lays the foundation for students’ learning achievement. There are some science education reform proposes for the new digital natives generation: students’ learning ways in the digital age should be attached great importance, the function and value of scientific knowledge and its building process should be paid close attention, and identity literacy beside science should be taken into account.

In combating COVID-19, the science popularization practice by Internet media is one of the crucial approaches to reflect the function of science popularization in certain circumstances. The public survey investigated the public media usage, the degree of credibility and satisfaction in the access channels and science popularization content for combating COVID-19, and the changes in public cognitive judgment and behavioral strategy, which showed the effective access and social behavior influence to public. Based on the results of the survey and analysis, some suggestions are put forward, such as reasonably guiding and standardizing the production of science communication content in the short video and other media forms, publishing science communication with effective collaboration between mainstream media and professional science communication media, and optimizing the operation mechanism and communication strategy of science popularization platform, to provide suggestions for deepening the supply-front reform of science popularization.

Based on the data of the Chinese civic scientific literacy survey 2020, this paper first made a descriptive analysis of Chinese citizens’ access to scientific and technological information through the Internet. It summarized the overall characteristics and behavior patterns. On this basis, the regression model of citizens’ network science and technology information discrimination ability was built to explore further the relationship between network science and technology information discrimination ability and citizens’ scientific literacy. The analysis showed that scientific literacy is one of the critical factors of citizens’ network science and technology information discrimination ability. The level of citizens’ network science and technology information discrimination ability reflected the level of scientific literacy. During the “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan” period, keep improving citizens’ digital ability, try to eliminate digital gap between different groups, and deeply implement the science popularization information promotion project will be an important measure to continuously promote the development and improvement of citizens’ scientific literacy in the digital age.

Science popularization children’s books are with the strongest growth potential in China’s book market. Science popularization children’s books are a subject worthy of study as an important way to spread science to children and an important carrier of international scientific and cultural exchanges. Based on the latest collection data released by the children’s library of the National Library of China, this paper analyzes the current situation of countries, disciplines, and publishers of imported science popularization children’s books from 2000 to 2019, summarizes the development experience of imported science popularization children’s books, and provides enlightenment and reference for promoting the publication of original science popularization children’s books in China.

Farmers is one of the important media for science moving towards the countryside in the rural construction movement. Based on the content analysis of the common sense column of the newspaper, it is believed that the newspaper has become a weapon of science popularization under the continuous improvement of intellectuals in rural areas. In the process of science popularization practice, it shows distinct characteristics: paying attention to the needs of farmers, pursuing popularity and understanding, and stimulating farmers’ active demand. Farmers broke the situation that science was only flowing among intellectuals in the past and became an important channel for farmers to obtain scientific information. It promoted the transformation of farmers’ scientific attitude from indifference and exclusion to concern and acceptance and cultivated farmers’ scientific farming, health and other production and living abilities. It also had a vital reference for developing of farmers’ science popularization in the new era.

Science documentary is an essential tool and effective means of science communication. By analyzing the relevant research of science documentaries at home and abroad, this paper reviews the current research situation of science documentary at home and overseas. It reveals the research focus, perspectives and methods. The research focus of domestic and foreign scholars on science documentaries is consistent, mainly focusing on four aspects of science documentaries: (1) characteristics and types, (2) content and narration, (3) production and film-making and (4) audience and effect, however, there are some differences in theory and research methods. On this basis, future research prospects and some suggestions on the development of Chinese science documentaries are put forward.