2025 “Youths Thrive, Nation Rises” Thematic Practice Activity Launches at SAM

On June 1, coinciding with the ninth National Science and Technology Workers Day and International Children’s Day, the 2025 thematic practice activity titled “Youths Thrive, Nation Rises: Inheriting the Scientist Spirit & Striving to Be Outstanding Youths of a New Era” was launched at the Shanghai Astronomy Museum (SAM, a branch of the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, SSTM). The event was jointly organized by the Chinese Association of Natural Science Museums and the SSTM.

As the main venue, the SAM launched three featured activities. The “Young Pioneers Tell Stories of Scientists” video exhibition collected nearly 300 original video clips by students from across the country, encompassing various formats such as speeches, situational dramas, and micro-documentaries. Selected outstanding videos were played on rotation at the SAM that day, vividly portraying the endeavors of scientists like Qian Xuesen and Yuan Longping. The science-art concert livestream featured nine music performances by the East Shanghai High School Youth Art Ensemble, vividly interpreting the passion and charm of scientific exploration through artistic expression. The planetarium immersive tour, an innovative education program of the SAM, offered a special screening of Solitary Shadows in the Stars that day, guiding audiences on an interstellar journey to explore the most remarkable worlds among over 700 known exoplanets.

The national network of natural science museums coordinated their efforts for this initiative. Over 50 museums launched special activities including thematic exhibitions, science popularization competitions, and science experiment shows. Museum-school collaborations established platforms for dialogues between students and scientists, exemplified by programs like Beijing Museum of Natural History’s “Face-to-Face with Scientists,” Guangdong Science Center’s “Science Theater Performances,” and Shanghai Natural History Museum’s “YEAH KIDS” Children’s Day special event. Public benefit initiatives such as mobile science exhibition tours and discounted science film screenings have reached and benefited over one million teenagers.