Interest in science a boon for tourism, inquisitive minds

Leading hub

Hefei is a hub for mega-science facilities. In 2017, it secured approval from central authorities to construct the Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, one of four such centers nationwide.

"The educational tourism themes in Hefei highlight the city's positioning as a national science center, focusing on eight major research and study themes such as AI (artificial intelligence), quantum technology and new energy vehicles," said Wu Yajuan, director of the municipal bureau of culture and tourism.

The proportion of Chinese citizens with scientific literacy was 14.14 percent in 2023, an increase of 7.94 percentage points from 2015 and 1.21 percentage points from 2022, according to the 13th National Survey on the Scientific Literacy of Chinese Citizens.

The survey was jointly conducted by the China Association for Science and Technology and the National Bureau of Statistics.

The proportion of residents in Hefei with scientific literacy reached 18.8 percent in 2023, ranking it 8th nationwide among all cities, the Hefei Association for Science and Technology said.

The city's development of its science popularization tours has contributed greatly to its high scientific literacy rate, according to local authorities.

Hefei currently boasts Science Island, along with one national-level industrial tourism demonstration base, 16 provincial-level educational tourism demonstration bases, and 230 municipal-level science popularization bases.

The local government plans to add 20 more various bases this year.