A gaggle of outstanding science and know-how workers underscored the significance of dedication, perseverance and innovation on May 30 as China marked its tenth annual National Science and Technology Workers Day.
An occasion honoring China’s science and know-how workers in Beijing, May 30, 2026. [Photo by Yuan Fang/China.org.cn]
At the flagship celebratory occasion in Beijing, academician Tang Zhiyong, director of the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology, was introduced with the National Award for Excellence in Innovation.
Recognized for his two-decade devotion to nano-assembly, Tang mentioned: “There are no shortcuts in scientific innovation; only those who can endure the loneliness of long-term research can crack the hardest scientific nuts.”
He additionally emphasised that researchers should look past “polished papers” and deal with urgent nationwide wants, having personally led his workforce to leverage authentic applied sciences in help of China’s inexperienced transition.
Echoing this sentiment was Wang Ertao, a plant scientist additionally being honored for his years of devoted and revolutionary analysis that has yielded groundbreaking agricultural discoveries. “Our basic research enables agriculture to efficiently leverage plant-microbe symbiosis,” Wang defined. “By reducing fertilizer use, it cuts agricultural non-point source pollution while securing stable, higher crop yields.”
Wang careworn that primary analysis is the elemental ignition swap for technological innovation. “Only by remaining dedicated to our initial aspirations and making sustained, long-term efforts can we translate scientific achievements into actual efficacy that serves national development,” he mentioned.
The spirit of long-term dedication was additionally highlighted by the workforce from the State Key Laboratory of Lunar and Planetary Sciences, which has participated in main nationwide deep-space exploration initiatives together with the Chang’e and Tianwen missions.
Sharing the honors on the occasion, Zong Qiugang, the workforce chief, remarked: “Lunar and deep-space science possess tremendous potential. I hope more young people will dedicate themselves to this field, embrace the mission of our era and help propel China’s astronomy and planetary sciences to the global forefront.”
As 2026 kicks off China’s fifteenth Five-Year Plan interval (2026-2030) — a crucial milestone within the nation’s drive to construct up energy in science and know-how — attendees additionally voiced a shared dedication to aligning foundational analysis with strategic nationwide targets.
Zhang Chengliang, a fellow recipient of the National Award for Excellence in Innovation and director of the China Telecom Research Institute, shared his plans for the long run: “I will closely align my work with the strategic deployment of the 15th Five-Year Plan, deepening research in optical communications, as well as 5G and 6G technologies.”
“Moving forward, we will tackle key challenges in building all-optical network infrastructure, empower network operations with AI and optimize cloud-network computing layout,” he added. “This will help meet the network demands of emerging scenarios like embodied AI robots and intelligent driving.”
Huang Guiyun, deputy director of the Yangtze Biodiversity Research Center at China Three Gorges Corporation, was named as one of many 10 National Role Model Science and Technology Workers for 2026 forward of the National Science and Technology Workers Day.
Having devoted her profession to defending uncommon vegetation within the Yangtze River area, Huang outlined her steps going ahead: “I will continue our work to construct the Yangtze River basin germplasm resource bank and conduct key research on seed preservation technologies. At the same time, I aim to make innovations in popular science communication, bring rare plants closer to young people to let them feel the beauty of science and boost their interest in scientific research.”
With the same dedication to ecological preservation, 76-year-old Kong Nanhai, a professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, was additionally acknowledged as a National Role Model Science and Technology Worker this yr for his lifelong dedication to defending Erhai Lake, the second-largest freshwater lake in Yunnan province.
“Moving forward, we will continue to conduct water quality and ecological monitoring of Erhai Lake to accumulate research data for its integrated governance,” Kong mentioned. “Meanwhile, we will drive applied basic research in environmental science and scale up the ecological farming of sea-flowering cabbage to help boost incomes for local households.”
China designated May 30 as National Science and Technology Workers Day in 2016, establishing the occasion as a serious initiative in its ongoing drive to construct international energy in science and know-how.