Chinese dream of popularizing science

"We hoped that people would think of Guokr while talking about science, and think of science while talking about Guokr. We have made it!" proclaimed Ji Xiaohua as the media business he founded celebrated its third birthday this weekend.

At a gala on Saturday in Beijing, he addressed hundreds of fans from around the country, many of them squatting without seats. The mood was testament to Guokr's success in promoting popular science by making technical knowhow fun and accessible for ordinary people.

Guokr.com to date holds just over 10,000 original posts, with topics ranging from whether radiation from electric appliances is harmful to human health to one of its most timely -- an article posted minutes after deadly explosions in north China's Shanxi Province on Wednesday morning.

Typical of the website's application of scientific theory to practical life and current affairs, it advised that the key to spotting suspects is looking out for those in oversized outerwear with their hands in their pockets, and that throwing yourself prone on the ground is the best thing to do in case of an explosion.

The week capped a remarkable three years for this start-up enterprise. The website has accumulated experts from different fields for lively discussions on science-related issues, garnering 3.75 million daily page views and 1.7 million registered users.

More importantly perhaps, it seems to have corresponded to an uptick in interest in science in China.

"A few years ago, we seldom found popular science topics in the media, except for the science magazines. Nowadays, we see these discussions across the media landscape. But I am looking forward to a bigger one," Ji told Xinhua.

The 36-year-old, also known as Ji Shisan, still considers science enthusiasts a minority group after he joined the scene himself 20 years ago. His ambition is to make science a daily topic of conversation among common Chinese people.

A student of biology for 11 years, Ji believes science and technology have come to occupy a place in the nation's psyche, as people realize it is easier to find jobs with scientific or technological skills, and society sees the necessity of science in pushing forward development.

Graduating with a PhD in neurology from Shanghai's Fudan University, Ji started but soon tired of a career as a lab researcher, before gathering writers he knew in 2008 and founding Squirrel Group, an NGO offering blogs on popular science.

In 2010, with venture capital funding of one million U.S. dollars, the young entrepreneur restructured the NGO by spinning-off a commercial entity as Guokr Interactive Media, which publishes books, organizes theme events and runs Internet service Guokr.com.

"This is a social network with media characteristics generating quality content," Ji said when launching Guokr.

"The popularization of science will expanded as we are explore more opportunities," Ji promised then, referring to a game plan to launch a series of add-on products.

One is Rumor Wiki, a Wikipedia-like website set up to place rumors under scrutiny by experts and students from all fields of science. Wielding their microscope, Rumor Wiki has debunked contemporary Chinese rumors like "super moon will cause super earthquakes" and "poisoned rats are cooked as pigeon meat."

Efforts have also been made in online education. An online learning community has been set up on Guokr.com for learners of courses provided by a consortium of top-tier institutions.

"The popularization of science can't work without education at the fundamental level, which requires time," Ji said.

"Ji Xiaohua is a dreamer, and he has always realized his dream," said Xu Lai, chief editor of Guokr.com.