China: How science made a superpower

Shellen Wu traces the rise of the dominant force in science, in the second of a series of essays on the ways in which the past 150 years have shaped today’s research system, marking Nature’s anniversary.

Email Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn Reddit Whatsapp X Illustration by Señor Salme Access through your institution Buy or subscribe The opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing featured ancient China’s four great inventions: the compass, printing press, paper and gunpowder. The lesson on display, as taught in classrooms across the country that today publishes the most research papers, is that Chinese innovation in science and technology changed the world. Access options Access through your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value onli

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