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On the eve of National Day, Shanghai Metro Century Avenue Station put ten scientists who are “pillars of the country” on the big screen, with text such as “They are the top people we should pursue” and “Dedicate the city’s C position to the pillars of the country.” The eye-catching large screen attracted many passing passengers to take photos, and also attracted likes from netizens on social platforms, with many asking for the specific location in the comment area. The presentation started on September 24th and will last until October 8th.

A group portrait of ten scientists appeared at Century Avenue Station. Photo provided by interviewee

This is of course a gift on the occasion of the motherland’s birthday, but it is also a good way to integrate the spirit of scientists into the crowd of the city. Nowadays, urban public spaces have long been occupied by commercial advertisements and entertainment stars. To be able to devote more than ten days to scientists in the most core location of a city with the largest flow of people is a sign of courage and perseverance.

This may be the choice of the screen operator and the city, but when this choice has received countless praises, what we should see is that more and more people are further understanding and thinking about the power of the so-called “role model”. People are looking forward to seeing more positive narratives represented by the scientist’s spirit in public spaces where there is a lot of non-nutritious content.

In terms of time, it is now the eve of National Day. In 2019, our country made a comprehensive summary of the spirit of scientists, which is divided into six aspects. The first one is the patriotic spirit of caring for the motherland and serving the people. On the big screen this time are He Zehui, Deng Jiaxian, Yuan Longping, Sun Jiadong, Yang Zhenning, Tu Youyou, Huang Xuhua, Qian Sanqiang, Qian Xuesen, and Yu Min, all of whom are models of hard work and scientific service to the country.

In terms of space, Century Avenue Station is my country’s first four-line transfer hub station, with an average daily passenger flow of nearly 500,000 on weekdays. It looks to Lujiazui to the west and Shanghai Science and Technology Museum to the east. One is an important node for Pudong’s development and opening up and international links, and the other is an important carrier of the city’s scientific spirit. Century Avenue Station is an iconic choice that completes the story of the construction of Shanghai International Science and Technology Innovation Center. It is also in a position that is still eye-catching across the country and brings the fashion of advocating science into the crowd.

We are in a “soon” era. On the one hand, scientific development is changing with each passing day, and the rapid technological progress is closely related to everyone. Technology may have never been so deeply intertwined with life, which also means that the spirit of science and technology workers and scientists needs to be seen more. Social progress requires more descendants to inherit and carry forward the spirit of their ancestors and create new things. On the other hand, the information explosion is inevitable. People get instant pleasure from fast-paced content consumption, and then they may experience collapse, doubt, and emptiness. For every ordinary person, we also need to draw strength from the spirit of scientists. The faster things go around you, the more you need to learn to calm down, slow down, think and question.

A subway station with four lines of interchange is a place where everyone is in a hurry. Some people say that this kind of public service announcement is to insert a question of “why” into a space that simply answers the question of “where do you come from?” Maybe the portraits of the ten scientists just flashed by passers-by for a moment, but maybe they can also leave a shadow in the subconscious – this shadow will continue to solidify as we encounter scientists again and again, and then make us slow down a little and raise one more question to life. This has value.

Of course, for the spirit of scientists to enter daily life, we cannot rely solely on moments of national celebration, nor can we rely solely on the space with the largest flow of people. It is important to give the “city C position” to scientists, and what is worthy of further consideration is how to truly immerse the spirit of scientists into the “capillaries” of life, and how to provide support for contemporary scientists so that they can also be seen. We need to be alert for a moment, but we also need to be quiet for a long time; we need to remember our ancestors, and we need to encourage those who are behind.