Exhibition puts nation's technological prowess on display

A massive exhibition celebrating China's scientific and technological achievements during the 13th-Five-Year Plan (2016-2020) will be held in Beijing from Thursday. It will run until Oct 27, allowing the public to get a close-up view of the nation's most advanced scientific feats.

The exhibition will cover 21,834 square meters, with 12 themed sections and 1,740 exhibits ranging from quantum computers to Mars rovers. About 1,345 items are originals, and 277 are replicas.

The four main exhibits in the section on basic sciences include the Jiuzhang quantum computer, breakthroughs in human health and aging, the China Spallation Neutron Source, and the latest findings from the second Tibetan plateau scientific expedition.

In the high-tech section, key exhibits will showcase the latest developments in energy efficient electric grids, valuable chemical products derived from processing coal, a 600 kilometer-per-hour high speed magnetic levitation train, and the new generation of lithium batteries and electric cars, among others.

Wu Yuanbin, director-general of the Department of Science and Technology for Social Development, said that many life-size models of normally hard to see scientific equipment will be on display, such as China's manned deep-sea submersibles.

"This will allow the public to interact directly and learn about some of the country's lesser-known feats, enabling them to appreciate the amazing ingenuity that goes into engineering such important scientific instruments," he said.