Science Writer Contributes to Modernization

There exists a group of science writers in China. The Linhai Science Writers Association stands out as a special organization of science writers. Linhai is a small city in southern Zhejiang, far away from any science centers of the country, but local intellectuals take great interest in science and have long determined to popularize science as their dedication to China’s national drive toward modernization. Among these science buffs are science writers, translators, literary critics, editors, journalists, scientists and entrepreneurs. They are a high-profile group of science promoters. The contribution by these enthusiasts in Linhai to the national science promotion has long been noticed as a national phenomenon. On March 26, 2010, China Experimental Base for Creative Science Writing was officially founded in Linhai with the approval of China Science Writers Association. On May 21, 2010, the unveiling ceremony was held in Linhai.

Zhang Weilin is chairman of Linhai Science Writers Association. Now in his fifties, Zhang came from a family of scholars. One of his mother’s ancestors was Qi Zhaonan, teacher to Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Zhang Weilin himself is the youngest of five siblings. Zhang Weilin jokingly admits he is probably the worst writer among the five siblings, but he is probably the most dedicated.

Zhang Weilin dreamed of becoming a writer when he was still a middle school student. As a teenager, he published articles in newspapers and magazines at the provincial level. In 1983, he joined the local science writers association. At that time, he was mainly a poet.

He turned his attention decidedly to science partly because of Li Jinhua. The local science writers association has a long history. In the early 1980s, the association published a journal called “Science Promotion and Arts”. Li Jinhua was at that time an employee at Taizhou Printing House. In order to keep the journal from sinking, he quit the job and started his own business. The profit from his embroidered quilts factory was pumped into the publishing of the journal. For years, the journal published in Linhai had a national following and many science writers of national renown were regular contributors.

In the mid 1990s, Li Jinhua was partially paralyzed because of his poor health and had to move around in a wheelchair. At that time, he was the third science writer in the country who moved around in wheelchairs. Li’s poor health was not the only reason that the journal ran into difficulty. He was not able to continue to pump money into the journal. And the science writers association had trouble in registering itself with the government as all the none-government organizations in the country at that time were required to renew their registration.

In 2003, Zhang Weilin finally took over the association. The association successfully registered with the government again. This has helped the organization to play a useful part in the city’s concerted effort to promote modernization.

Zhang Weilin was chosen to head the association for various reasons. He is a prolific science writer. Over the past 20 some years, he has published 10 books on science, three in his name and seven in partnership with other writers. His science writings have appeared in more than 30 anthologies. Altogether he has written more than 2,000 articles. In recent years, he has served as the editor-in-chief of “Science Waves” and “Science Writers News”. He is also deputy editor-in-chief of “Zhejiang Science and Arts”, a periodical at the provincial level.

Zhang is dedicated to the cause of science popularization. “Science Writers News”, published under the guidance of the Linhai Science Writers Association, is financed out of his own pocket. He is by no means rich. After his early retirement, his monthly pension is only about 1,000 yuan. The news is printed 2,000 copies each issue and distributed free of charge to science writers associations and prominent science writers across the country.

Nor is Zhang a very healthy man. He used to be. The tall man even played on the provincial basketball team when he was young. But now in his fifties, the veteran science writer suffers from a string of chronic disorders such as coronary heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and gout.

Despite his poor health, the dedicated chief executive works hard to cultivate a new generation of young science writers. With the support of the local government, the Linhai Science Writers Association focuses on encouraging new writers among students at local middle schools and even primary schools. This work started shortly after Zhang Weilin took the job.

Thanks to the program, students at local schools have become better writers. They don’t have to focus on science, but science can be a very useful topic. Better essay writing certainly contributes to young scholars’ academic scores. This is partly why schools are enthusiastic to offer training courses and why students are enthusiastic to sign up.