The development of science popularization is a requirement for achieving and supporting the Chinese path to modernization. The development course of science popularization is also tied to the modernization of science popularization, which is a key component of the Chinese path to modernization. This paper systematically analyzed the historical and theoretical logics behind the modernization of science popularization. In addition, it proposed suggestions to building national science popularization capabilities, enhancing the foundation for high level self-reliance and strength in science and technology, enriching people’s cultural experience, and empowering people’s will to achieve the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

Suggestions on Facilitating the Popularization of Science and Technology in the New Era is of great strategic significance in promoting the innovative development of science popularization in the new era. Six authors interpret the new direction, new ideas, and new measures proposed in the Suggestion from five aspects. It is expected that these interpretations will promote the Suggestion’s implementation in society.

As one of the cores of scientific and technological innovation and cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, teenager scientific and cultural exchanges are of vital importance in promoting cultural integration and people-to-people exchanges of the countries along the Road. It could improve their scientific, cultural and educational cooperation level, and respond to the developing needs of international science education. This paper analyzes the diachronic development of the teenager scientific and cultural exchanges between China and the countries along the Belt and Road in the new era, clarifies the way it developed by diachronically sorting out the activities after the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative. This paper also summarizes successful experiences such as establishing a long-term mechanism to promote the innovation through informatization and demand-oriented cooperation mode. Under the background of the global changes and the epidemic, this paper suggests to strengthen the sharing and coordination of domestic and international resources in the future, also establish and improve the working system from the aspects of activities, platforms, working positions, personnel and mechanisms to serve the development of human community of shared future.

Since the release of the hit film The Wandering Earth, more attention and focus have been attracted to the positive influence of science fiction films on promoting national scientific literacy. During these years China’s science fiction films have achieved a lot in optimizing the policy environment, accelerating the public need for science popularization, inspiring the imagination of young people and so on. In the new era China’s science fiction films meet new opportunities for its development while facing such problems as an argument in cognition, limitations in producing high-quality films and unbalance between science and the art of imagination. Multiple perspectives are suggested to be taken to bring into full play science fiction films’ positive influence to promote national scientific literacy, especially for young people.

The assessment is an important means to promote and lead the healthy development of science popularization, and carrying out assessment research is the key to supporting the high-quality development of science popularization. In this paper, the background of assessment for science popularization was sorted out by taking the history as the main line, the developing course was divided into three stages: introduction and reference, application and development, and systematic construction. According to the research contents, the emphases of assessment for science popularization in our country were summarized as assessment of effect, ability and venues, the shortcomings were reflected in scientificity, comprehensiveness and innovation. Finally, combined with the need for high-quality development of science popularization, some suggestions for improving the science popularization assessment were propounded: strengthening the theory research of science popularization evaluation and improving the scientificity and authority, according to the needs of science popularization practice and refining the measures of science popularization evaluation, following the development trend of information technology and developing new methods of science popularization evaluation.

Science journalism plays an important role in the public understanding of science and in building an innovative country. Based on the bibliometric method, the study explores the academic history of science journalism. It was found that the international science journalism research history has gone through three stages, the incubation stage before 1970, the germination and growth stage from 1970 to the end of the 20th century, and the rapid and diversified development stage in the 21st century. International science journalism research mainly involves five topics, including spreader research such as scientists and journalists, media research such as mass media and social media, content research such as frontier scientific and technological issues and false reports, audience research such as public understanding of science and citizen scientific literacy, effect research such as the methods and levels of science communication. Public doubts and concerns about science permeate the research of science journalism. Compared with international research, the domestic science journalism research system is more fragmented and practice-oriented. International research presents an obvious pattern of academic systematization. In terms of research methods, domestic research paid more attention to qualitative analysis while international research focused on quantitative and empirical research. With the rapid development of science and technology in China, the difference in science journalism research at domestic and abroad should arouse attention and reflection.

The CiteSpace software was used to visualize the 1 222 articles published in the Studies on Science Popularization from 2006—2022 to explore its development status and trends. The results showed the academic influence of the journal has been steadily increasing. At the same time, some suggestions are put forward for further improving.

Science popularization resources are the basic guarantee for promoting science popularization activities and improving citizens’ modern quality. Taking Chinese mainland 31 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities directly under the Central Government) as examples, this paper discusses the configuration effect of the deployment of science popularization resources on the modernization quality of citizens through the qualitative comparative analysis method of fuzzy sets. The results show that first, a single science popularization resource does not constitute a necessary condition for high citizens’ modernization quality. Secondly, there are four paths of science popularization resource allocation that drive the formation of high citizens’ modern quality. “science popularization talents driven”, “science popularization talents+science popularization creation”, “science popularization talents+science and technology venues”, and “science popularization talents+science and technology venues+science popularization creation”. Last, there is a significant regional difference between the allocation of science popularization resources and the modernization quality of citizens in China, which decreases from east to west. In the eastern region, science popularization resources are abundant and the modernization quality of citizens is high. In the central, western, and northeastern regions, science popularization resources are relatively scarce, and the modernization quality of citizens has much room for improvement. To promote the effective improvement of the modernization quality of Chinese citizens, the study proposed that regional governments should further strengthen the guarantee of investment in science popularization talents and funds, give play to the comparative advantage of regional science popularization resources, and promote the coordinated allocation of regional science popularization resources.

As scientists devote themselves to science popularization, science popularization ability has gradually become an important factor affecting scientists’ motivation and effectiveness in science popularization. However, there are few related pieces of researches in China at present. Therefore, the interviewees in this paper are 26 scientists with science popularization experience, and the research focuses on their experience and opinions on science popularization ability improvement training. By comparing the similarities and differences with foreign-related research, it is finally concluded that science popularization training for scientists should focus on six dimensions: to promote scientists to realize the significance and challenges of science popularization from multiple dimensions, introduce scientists to general techniques for science popularization, encourage scientists to develop personalized science content, remind scientists to pay attention to public interest and feedback, encourage scientists to use social platforms for science popularization, emphasize to scientists the importance of collaboration. It also explains the relevant strategies available for each dimension.

The mass scientific experiment movement in the 1950s and 1960s was a special event in the history of Chinese science popularization. It first emerged in 1958 as a mass research group and was reorganized after CPC implemented the policy of “Adjustment, Consolidation, Enrichment, and Improvement”. In 1963, after Mao Zedong declared “Class Struggle, Production Struggle, and Science Experiment” as “the three great revolutionary campaigns”, “Mass Science” with the Model Field Campaign as the pillar reemerged and sprang up. Exploring science through mass movements has aroused the enthusiasm of the masses to participate in science, which is an active attempt to explore the path of scientific development in China. However, the relationship between popularization and improvement is inevitably blurred in the process, which harms professional scientific research.

Science fiction has many different definitions which reflect different understandings of “science”, and “fantasy” and their relationship in science fiction. Reviewing the history of the British and American definitions of science fiction and related controversies, we can see that the definitions of science fiction are often accompanied by a reorientation and reimagining of its location in society, as well as a constantly moving boundary between “science” and “fantasy”, which has important implications for a better understanding of science fiction.