The finals of the 2026 Guangdong Science Communication Competition concluded on September 13 at the Guangdong Science Center, with contestants presenting frontier technologies and major national achievements to the public.
Topics ranged from the sea-based net recovery of the Long March-10B rocket and Hualong One nuclear power units to embodied intelligence, brain-computer interfaces and quantum computing. The contestants focused on key research directions of China's 15th Five-Year Plan and on development achievements in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, Guangdong's High-Quality Development Project for Counties, Towns and Villages and new quality productive forces, integrating science communication into economic and social development.
Li Xiang, a graduate student at South China Normal University, began with the formation of intermuscular bones and explained how researchers used a three-step process to identify key genes, carry out gene editing and, through multiple generations of selective breeding, develop a stably inherited boneless grass carp.
Su Dingxian from the Guangdong Folk Arts Museum offered a science communication perspective on how the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall has used a smart monitoring system equipped with BeiDou positioning to remain free of termite damage for a century.
Ye Zihui, an 8-year-old student from Meizhou, spoke about modern smart agriculture in Hakka communities. From the perspective of a golden pomelo, she described the use of integrated water and fertilizer management, soil sensors, AI pest monitoring and forecasting and monorail transport in orchards, showing how technology is transforming rural industries and supporting rural revitalization.
Since the competition was launched in June 2026, 111 selection events have been held across 21 prefecture-level cities, provincial departments, universities, research institutes and high-tech enterprises, attracting 5,387 applicants. After multiple rounds of selection, 53 teams and 283 contestants advanced to the finals, a record high.
Yang Jiwei, Deputy Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province, said Guangdong has implemented an innovation-driven development strategy and its comprehensive regional innovation capacity has ranked first in China for nine consecutive years.
The province has also introduced science communication policies and regulations, held a variety of science events and built science infrastructure, achieving a leap in civic scientific literacy, he said.
Reporter | Chen Jinxia
Photo | Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province
