Recently the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Central Propaganda Department released the latest Benchmarks for Scientific Literacy among Chinese Citizens, which drew a great deal of mockery. Out of curiosity, I looked it up too, and after reading it I could not help wanting to mock it as well, so I sat down and wrote this (I’ve been trying to stimulate my own will to act lately). At first I only intended to pick a few items that had not been mocked much online and talk about them, but after writing I discovered there were far more targets for ridicule than I had imagined. Before I knew it, I had written far too much and wasted quite a bit of time… Still, since I’ve already written it, I might as well post it here for fun.
The original items are copied directly from the official document, and my commentary begins with “//”.
Additional comments added on 4/25:
This document has been circulating for a few days now, and I can already see quite a few attempts to “whitewash” it. Some people are obviously well-intentioned and want to highlight its progressive aspects, such as the inclusion of attention to the history of science, while others emphasize that it is aimed at ordinary people and is meant to popularize common knowledge; many members of the Chinese public have not even completed junior middle school, so it is unnecessary for us to impose overly harsh professional standards.
Both kinds of whitewashing are wishful thinking. First, as to whether this benchmark has any progressive aspects, I think that is just an illusion; in substance, it is a step backward. The supposed inclusion of “history of science,” “yin-yang and the five elements,” and so on is not actually included as knowledge of the history of science, but as “systems methods.” The relevant statements basically do not go beyond the level of the craze for research on paranormal powers in the 1980s; this can only be called regression, not progress.
The attitude toward Chinese traditional thought has gone through several turns of “thesis–antithesis–synthesis” in the fields of history of science and philosophy of science. In earlier times, based on national sentiment, people liked to emphasize how great ancient Chinese science was, and that many things had appeared in China earlier than in the West, or were even more brilliant than in the West; later, we gradually became sober and recognized that Western history of science has had its unique features from beginning to end, that ancient Chinese thought did not make much contribution to the history of science, and that it is very difficult to compare the two side by side; finally, our reflection on Western science itself became deeper, and we once again came to appreciate the significance of multiculturalism and local knowledge, and thus rediscovered the contemporary value of ancient Chinese thought from a new perspective.
However, even though both stages one and three regard Chinese traditional thought as meaningful, they involve completely different attitudes and ideas. Some people now wishfully believe that the official line is also moving from the second stage, which completely denied it, toward the third stage, which has begun to recognize it anew, but I feel that this is wishful thinking: in fact, the official position has merely retreated from the second stage back to the first stage, driven mindlessly by national sentiment.
What is called the inclusion of content on the history of science and scientific spirit is in substance nothing more than a revival of national sentiment, as well as a revival of “dialectics of nature.” In terms of the history of science, there is no mention whatsoever of Western history of science; in terms of scientific spirit, the spirit of free reflection and critical questioning is also studiously avoided. Where is the progress in that? Isn’t this just a retreat to the 1980s situation, when philosophy guided science and national sentiment guided research on the history of science?
As for the claim that “the benchmark is aimed at ordinary people, so intellectuals shouldn’t be too demanding,” that is even more beside the point. First, according to the official notice, this is something that “all localities and departments are to conscientiously organize Party and government cadres, workers, farmers, science and education workers, urban and rural laborers, officers and soldiers of the armed forces, students, and people from all walks of life to study; Party and government organs at all levels, research institutions, enterprises, public institutions, schools, the armed forces, and social organizations are to organize study and training activities for the Benchmarks” — aside from workers, farmers, and laborers, this explicitly requires science and education workers to study it too, and even training activities are to be carried out inside research institutions. So why should it be judged only by the most basic level of knowledge?
Besides, this is a benchmark for testing “citizens’ scientific literacy.” If you say that China’s lower strata have a low level of education, all that means is that their scientific literacy is not high enough; then a good test should measure that their scientific literacy is low, which is perfectly normal. How can it be that because their literacy is low, we should lower the standard for assessing literacy, even at the cost of distorting scientific knowledge, in order to accommodate the acceptability of the group with the lowest literacy, and then make their scientific literacy appear less weak? What kind of logic is that?
More importantly, the level of knowledge in this benchmark is uneven. On the one hand, it demands that you understand fashionable concepts such as big data and the internet+, while on the other hand its understanding of physics is still stuck in the Middle Ages. Is such a contrast really reasonable?
Benchmark items (132 in total)
1. Know that the world can be known, and be able to understand the world with a scientific attitude.
//Speaking of a “scientific attitude” is generally fine, but the specific subitems that follow do not seem to be matters of “attitude.” In my view, when talking about so-called scientific attitude, one might speak of respect for experiments, data, or reproducibility, as well as rationality and critical spirit.
（1）Establish a scientific worldview, knowing that the world is material and can be known, but that human knowledge of the world is limited.
//The philosophical proposition that “the world is material” is rather questionable. To say nothing of other things, Marx himself sharply criticized this kind of “metaphysical” way of thinking. It is not that scientists cannot adopt naïve materialism, but if this is said to be a necessary component of scientific attitude, I clearly disagree.
（2）Respect for objective laws enables us to coexist harmoniously with the world.
//Leaving aside whether the meaning of so-called “objective laws” is even clear, let alone the even more ambiguous phrase “coexist harmoniously.” The word “enables” in the middle makes this sentence nearly worthless. “Enables” is not the same as “necessarily” or “only if,” but merely expresses that the former does not contradict the latter, and does not imply any stronger connection. If I do not respect so-called objective laws, can I not coexist harmoniously with the world? Some cultures that lack the concept of objective laws seem to coexist quite harmoniously, don’t they?
（3）Science and technology are constantly developing, and scientific knowledge itself needs continual deepening and expansion.
//I won’t be so demanding as to require civic scientific literacy to know about Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolutions and the like, but at the very least, shouldn’t it know that science is fallible? This benchmark does not mention the word “wrong” anywhere throughout, and basically equates “science” with “truth” or “correctness.” Here, when speaking of the development of science (why drag technology into it?), it only mentions deepening and expansion, not correction or overthrow. This is still the traditional logic that “good things belong to science.”
（4）Know that philosophy, social sciences, and natural sciences alike are important tools for people to understand and transform the world.
//Please don’t drag philosophy into this, thank you. “Important tools” also sounds awkward… Even if I don’t get hung up on these things, what exactly can this sentence test? How would one test it?
（5）Understand that China’s excellent traditional culture plays an important role in understanding nature and society and in developing science and technology.
//This is a classic example of wishful thinking. If you want to say that Chinese traditional culture is not incompatible with the development of science and technology, or that it “may” have positive significance, I would agree. But if you say it has definitely already played a role, and an “important” one at that, then that is a bit of an exaggeration. Of course, as slogans like “important thought” and “important speech” have become fashionable, the word “important” has long since been worn out. So long as something has some effect, I guess it can probably be said to have an important role, right? Then Tu Youyou’s single case probably proves this proposition…
2. Know how to use systemic methods to analyze and solve problems.
（6）Know that the world is universally interconnected, that things are in motion, change, and development, and that opposites are unified; be able to understand and solve problems from the standpoint of universal connection and development.
//A typical piece of Soviet philosophy-textbook boilerplate. Are we testing scientific literacy or political class here?
（7）Know that the various parts within a system are interconnected and interactive, that complex structures may be composed of many simple structures; recognize that the whole possesses functions not possessed by the sum of its parts.
//This passage is a bit more sophisticated than the previous one, but it seems to take a simplified view of holism, treating the slogan “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts” from Gestalt theory in a superficial way as meaning that the whole possesses some new “function.” Any die-hard mechanistic reductionist would be able to accept this understanding — a machine has the function of mowing grass, but none of its individual parts has the function of mowing grass — is such a simple point really what is meant by systems theory or holism? Is the systems approach really this simple?
（8）Know that there may be multiple methods for analyzing and solving problems, and know that solving one problem may trigger other problems.
//This one is basically meaningless, at most belonging to the realm of practical wisdom…
（9）Know that yin-yang and the five elements, the unity of Heaven and humanity, ge wu zhi zhi, and other ideas of traditional Chinese philosophy are China’s ancient, naïve materialism and holistic systems methodology, and have contemporary significance.
//Again, wishful thinking; this is also one of the items that gets mocked a lot online. I do believe Chinese ancient thought really does have some contemporary significance, but that is precisely not in the sense of so-called naïve materialism. If Chinese traditional thought were merely naïve materialism, and modern science had a more refined and advanced materialism, then what contemporary significance could your old version possibly have? It is precisely in its “unscientific” aspects, and in how radically different it is from the style of Western science, that ancient Chinese thought may open up some new ways of thinking for modern people.
3. Possess basic scientific spirit, and understand the basic process of scientific and technological research.
（10）Possess the scientific spirit of seeking truth, questioning, and empirical verification, and know that scientific and technological research should include the basic elements of curiosity, good observation, and honesty.
//Not easy — this seems to be the only item that emphasizes questioning and empirical verification.
（11）Understand the basic process and methods of scientific and technological research.
//What exactly are the basic process and methods? Please spell it out… Here they have also specifically added “technology”; setting aside the fact that the sciences differ greatly from one another, are scientific research and technological research the same thing? So the government manages scientists the way it manages engineering projects?
（12）When a person is to become an experimental subject, they or their stakeholders should be fully informed of the possible risks of the experiment.
//It seems the editors also know that the so-called basic process of science has to mention “experiments,” but why are there so few items about experiments? Instead they jump straight to issues of research ethics? As for the basic characteristics of scientific experiments (for example, the method of controlling variables), and how to handle experimental data (for example, some basic statistical knowledge), I feel these are necessary parts of scientific literacy. Of course, some of this seems to be covered in section 10, classified under mathematics rather than experiments.
4. Possess an innovative consciousness, and understand and support technological innovation.
（13）Know the importance of innovation for individual and social development, possess an awareness of seeking the new, and advocate solving problems with new knowledge and new methods.
//Actually, “innovation” is an economic concept, but it has been abused so much now that it’s really impossible to correct. But no matter how you put it, innovation is not the same thing as simply advocating the use of new knowledge; in many cases, innovation precisely requires respect for, and full use of, old knowledge.
（14）Know that technological innovation is the guarantee for enhancing an individual’s and an organization’s core competitiveness.
//Forget organizations; what does this even mean for an individual? Technological innovation is not, in the first place, an individual matter — it is a matter for the industrial chain. Talking about an individual’s technological innovation is already inappropriate, not to mention that many individuals are not even in positions related to technical industries. What would they need technological innovation for?
（15）Respect intellectual property rights, and possess awareness of protecting patents, trademarks, and copyrights; know the important role that the intellectual property protection system plays in promoting technological innovation.
（16）Understand the important role of technical standards and brands in market competition, know the guiding and supporting role that technological innovation plays for standards and brands, and possess awareness of brand protection.
//It’s one thing for the previous item to speak of awareness of copyright protection, but what does “brand protection awareness” mean here? Of course a manager of a well-known company should have awareness of brand protection, but if he lacks it, that can only mean he is somewhat lacking in business strategy; what does that have to do with scientific literacy? Moreover, why should ordinary members of the public have awareness of brand protection? It would at least make sense to ask ordinary people to help protect copyrights, but what is the point of asking ordinary people to protect brands? If I discover that a certain brand’s products are of poor quality, am I supposed to protect the brand rather than criticize it? Brands are for companies to attract users and consumers; what are consumers supposed to protect brands for? How are they supposed to protect them? Multi-level marketing?
（17）Pay attention to new knowledge and new technologies related to one’s own life and work.
//This benchmark seems pretty good at first glance, but how exactly do you evaluate it? This benchmark is itself formulated as an assessment outline, but how do you set up an assessment for something so dependent on the individual? Do you just ask this question in a broad, generic way?
（18）Pay attention to the development of science and technology. Know high and new technologies such as “genetic engineering,” “stem cells,” “nanomaterials,” “thermonuclear fusion,” “big data,” “cloud computing,” and “internet+.”
//I won’t even mock why these particular concepts were listed; after all, not all of these are actually “high and new technologies”啊. “Stem cells” are a type of cell. If this refers to the series of cultivation and cloning techniques related to stem cells, then that knowledge seems too high-end for the general public. “Thermonuclear fusion” is a natural phenomenon; it has been happening inside the sun all along. If it refers to the technologies humans have mastered in relation to it, then that is hydrogen bombs, isn’t it? But putting hydrogen bombs alongside cloud computing and the like as high and new technologies feels strange; might as well test whether people know about atomic bombs. I suspect what the editors actually wanted to say was “controlled nuclear fusion,” which is a future technology currently being researched, but at present it is still in the exploratory stage. As for “big data” and “internet+,” they are both conceptual terms rather than any specific technology. If “internet” counts as a technology, fine; there is no need to tack on a flashy “+” just to be trendy.
5. Understand the relationship between science, technology, and society, and recognize that the impact of technology has two sides.
（19）Know that solving technical problems often requires new scientific knowledge, and that the application of new technologies often promotes the progress of science and social development.
// Broadly speaking, this one is basically fine, but the question is: how do you even test it?
（20）Be familiar with the Four Great Inventions of ancient China, agriculture, medicine, astronomy, and mathematics, as well as modern scientific and technological achievements and their contributions to the world.
// As for this widely mocked item, I’m not all that opposed to it either. Knowledge of the history of science should also count as part of scientific literacy. Here it says one should be familiar with ancient Chinese scientific and technological achievements and their contributions to the world, but it does not say “important contributions.” In other words, if the correct answer is that one should understand that ancient China actually made very little contribution to world history of science, that would still make sense. Of course I suspect the drafters did not mean that at all… In addition, when it comes to knowledge of the history of science, I think it is more important to know some basic facts about Western history of science, such as Greek science, the Scientific Revolution of the 16th and 17th centuries, and so on. Understanding the history of science helps one grasp the contemporary significance of science. Even Chinese people should have some understanding of the origins of Western science. As for the role ancient China played in the history of science, that too should be discussed only after one has a general grasp of the origins and development of Western science.
（21）Know that the effects of technology are two-sided, and often exceed the original design intentions; they can benefit humanity, but may also produce negative effects.
// This item, though still debatable from the standpoint of philosophy of technology, is acceptable enough as a matter of public literacy. Rare enough to deserve support for once.
（22）Know that the value of technology may differ for different groups of people or at different times.
// I don’t know what this is supposed to mean. If it merely wants to say that a knife means something different to a chef, a thug, and a police officer, then it seems far too obvious. If it is talking about the two-sided nature of technology, then it duplicates the previous item.
（23）Be able to analyze, objectively and fairly, decisions related to science and technology, and express opinions rationally.
// I already had a premonition that a current-affairs question would probably appear under this item… Otherwise, how could one assess it? What counts as objective and fair, and what counts as rational expression? If the assessor asks you about a Chinese science and technology policy, do you dare express opposition?
6. Establish the concept of ecological civilization and live in harmony with nature.
（24）Know that human beings are part of nature; love nature, respect nature, follow nature, and protect nature.
// On the public level, this is just a grand empty slogan; but philosophically, the sentence contains a profound contradiction, namely the so-called naturalist paradox—since human beings are themselves part of nature, what does it mean to “follow nature”? Aren’t human activities already within nature? The drafters may have applied a patriotic line of thought here—human beings are part of China, and then human beings must follow the state—but that logic is also paradoxical, because the state itself is a whole made up of countless people. You can tell a person to follow the “mainstream,” follow “custom,” follow the “master,” or follow the will of the rulers, but it is hard to say what it means to follow “China.” Since “nature” seems to have no ruler or will of some kind, concepts like following nature and protecting nature are very suspect.
（25）Know that we live on an interdependent Earth, where not only the global ecological environment is interdependent, but also economic, social, and other factors are interconnected.
// Basically, I can’t find much to nitpick here. The items are mostly too broad, so I can’t think how to set a question. Are we supposed to ask: Do we live on a disconnected Earth? Perhaps the question could be set like this—true or false: the rights of Chinese workers are China’s internal affair and have nothing to do with Americans. — Maybe many students who like talking politics would get a question like that wrong?
（26）Know global environmental problems such as climate change, sea-level rise, land desertification, and depletion of the atmospheric ozone layer, as well as their harms.
// Land desertification is more of a regional than a global problem. If one is talking about global land desertification, then it probably falls under the category of “climate change” and its harmful consequences.
（27）Know that once an ecosystem is damaged it is difficult to restore, and that restoring a damaged or degraded ecosystem is costly, difficult, and time-consuming.
7. Establish the concept of sustainable development and make effective use of resources.
（28）Know that development must both meet the needs of the present generation and not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
// In fact, this just means that one should both “take care of” the needs of the present generation and “consider” the needs of future generations. Human beings are always hard to satisfy, and the “damage” done to future generations is often hard to foresee.
（29）Know that the Earth’s carrying capacity for population is limited; understand renewable and non-renewable resources; know that mineral resources, fossil energy, and the like are non-renewable; and have a sense of crisis about resource shortages, as well as awareness of conserving material resources and energy.
（30）Know that developing and using clean energy such as water power, wind power, solar power, ocean energy, and nuclear energy is an important way to solve energy shortages; know that dangers such as nuclear power plant accidents and the radioactivity of nuclear waste are controllable.
// Was the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident “controllable” or not? When there are no accidents, of course things are controllable; the very notion of an accident means that control has failed. Of course, since the Earth wasn’t destroyed, the impact of the accident was limited to one area, but “controllable” in that sense doesn’t mean much either. As for nuclear waste, how is it controlled? Isn’t it just buried somewhere? And hydropower—I don’t think that is an important way to solve energy shortages either. Facts have shown that China’s hydropower stations often only exacerbate resource consumption. There are many debates about how to solve energy problems, and it is hard to say that such common-sense views have been formed.
（31）Understand that the recycling of materials can save resources; know how to sort household waste and recycle renewable resources, reducing emissions; conserve the use of various materials and use fewer disposable products; understand the basic measures and methods for energy-efficient buildings.
// It feels like I’m watching a public service ad… I do support including environmental awareness within scientific literacy, but there’s no need to be so detailed. Does the public really need to know even the measures for building energy conservation? Is this prepared specifically for real-estate developers?
8. Revere science and possess the basic ability to distinguish true from false information.
（32）Know that practice is the sole criterion for testing truth, and that experiments are an important means of testing the truth or falsity of science.
// The first half is a slogan that has been repeated to death. Knowing this empty slogan has little significance. The slogan is not without its own problems if one pushes it too far, but it is at least bearable. The second half is probably the drafters’ “innovation,” and it is utterly disastrous. Experiments are indeed a key link in modern science, but their significance is obviously not to test whether “science” itself is true or false. When a scientist proposes a hypothesis, and an experiment confirms it, that is of course cause for celebration. But if an experiment falsifies the hypothesis (and leaving aside the fact that so-called falsification is itself very complicated), then one can only say that the hypothesis has been falsified; one cannot say that “science” is false. Some of Einstein’s hypotheses were experimentally refuted, yet Einstein was still a scientist. Conversely, a charlatan’s prophecy may happen to be confirmed by experiment, but that does not mean his theory is not pseudoscience. Experiments are an important means of scientific research, but they are not a means of testing science itself. This item reflects the drafters’ extremely narrow concept of “science,” basically equating “science” with “true propositions.”
（33）Know that explaining natural phenomena should rely on scientific theory; respect objective laws and seek truth from facts; and, regarding natural phenomena that cannot yet be explained by scientific theory, do not be superstitious or blindly follow others.
// Broadly speaking, this is not wrong, but it seems to require people to know in advance which phenomena have been scientifically explained and which have not. A charlatan may also provide explanations in the name of science, and incorrect explanations may appear in some seemingly authoritative texts (such as this very document). Many people are willing to believe in science, but in practice end up blindly following charlatans. So what should one do? Actually it is very simple: just say “do not be superstitious or blindly follow others.” Even explanations offered in the name of science should not be accepted superstitiously or blindly.
（34）Know that information may be influenced by the background and intentions of the publisher, have the initial ability to distinguish true from false information, and do not readily believe information that has not been verified.
// Do not readily believe information that has not been verified—does that mean that once it has been verified you can readily believe it? And how does one count as having verified it?
9. Master the scientific methods for acquiring knowledge or information.
（35）Pay attention to knowledge and information related to life and work, and have the ability to search for and collect the knowledge and information needed through books, newspapers and journals, the internet, and other channels.
// Talking about information retrieval skills is not bad, but treating going on Baidu as a “scientific method” is probably too broad. Basically, in this standard, the word “science” in a narrow sense means “true,” and in a broad sense means “good.” Almost all instances of “science” could be replaced by these two characters and their synonyms (such as correct, appropriate) without sounding odd…
（36）Know the difference between primary information and secondary information, and know that primary information can be obtained through investigation, interviews, and consulting primary literature.
// What the heck are primary information and secondary information? Probably some special term in some discipline. I understand the difference between “primary literature” and “secondary literature,” but what exactly do “primary information” and “secondary information” mean? Could it be that what one sees in secondary literature is secondary information? I can absolutely quote information provided in primary literature within secondary literature, with quotation marks and a source citation; isn’t the information in quotation marks then primary, rather than secondary? Of course, you could say that secondary literature may quote incorrectly, or may have altered things, but doesn’t primary literature also contain errors? Can’t there be printing errors? If only the firsthand experience of the person involved counts as primary information, then one can’t obtain any information by consulting any literature at all. If “primary information” merely refers to the place where something first appears in literature, then it would be more accurate to speak of “primary literature and secondary literature.” The notion of “secondary information” is really awkward.
（37）Have the initial ability to process and organize the information obtained, and integrate new information into existing knowledge.
// This item is testing IQ, not scientific literacy. A person full of cult beliefs may also be very good at integrating new information into existing knowledge, using his own set of theories to absorb new information. By contrast, scientists may be more cautious about unexpected new information, and more doubtful, rather than readily integrating and absorbing it.
（38）Have an awareness of lifelong learning through multiple learning channels.
10. Master basic mathematical operations and logical thinking skills.
（39）Master the four operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, and be able to use numerical calculation or estimation to handle problems in daily life and work.
（40）Master the basic international units of measurement such as meter, kilogram, and second, and their conversions with commonly used units of measurement.
（41）Master the basic knowledge of probability and be able to use probability knowledge to solve practical problems.
（42）Be able to conduct relevant analysis and make judgments based on statistical data and charts.
（43）Have a certain ability of logical thinking and master basic methods of logical reasoning.
（44）Know that there are necessary phenomena and accidental phenomena in nature; in solving problems, pay attention to regularity and avoid blind action.
// Before specific questions are set, there isn’t much concrete here to nitpick. But the overall arrangement still annoys me. On the one hand, these items feel very jumpy; item 40 can hardly be called an ability in mathematical operations at all (it would be better to add a group on everyday common sense); item 43 is too vague; and item 44 suddenly turns into a political question. By the way, what does it mean to say that problem solving should pay attention to regularity? After all, one of the three great problems of life is: Who am I? What should I have for lunch? What should I have for dinner? Everyday problems such as what to eat or where to go to have fun are often solved in a “blind” way, without needing to think about any scientific law—and these are precisely the problems we encounter most often in daily life. In fact, the key to scientific literacy is not that one should refer to scientific laws for every problem, but whether one is good at distinguishing when science really needs to be introduced.
11. Master basic knowledge of physics.
// This section is simply adorable. Basically nothing goes beyond junior high level; the internet has already mocked it to death, and I’ll just add a couple of remarks without going into it further.
（45）Know that molecules and atoms are the microscopic particles that make up matter, that all matter is composed of atoms, and that atoms can combine to form molecules.
// This item is not even as good as a political textbook. Not to mention frontier scientific concepts like isolated electrons, neutron stars, or dark matter (which honestly can’t really be called frontier anyway; they are the sort of popular science knowledge middle school students can already know), I still remember a line in a middle school politics textbook: “Fields are also matter.” Although that formulation probably isn’t scientific either (because I was especially skeptical of that sentence back then, so I remember it vividly), it is at least a bit better than this drafter’s version.
（46）Distinguish the main physical properties of matter, such as density, melting point, boiling point, and electrical conductivity, and be able to use them to explain simple phenomena in nature and daily life; know the conditions under which common substances change among the solid, liquid, and gaseous states.
（47）Understand common forces in daily life, such as gravity, elasticity, friction, and electromagnetic force; know the changes in atmospheric pressure and their effects on life.
// What is the connection between the first half and the second half?
（48）Know that force is the cause of the movement of all things in nature; be able to describe Newton’s laws of mechanics and use them to explain common motion phenomena in daily life.
// This standard probably went viral because of these two items: first, yin-yang and the Five Elements; second, this one. Force is the cause of change in motion, not the cause of motion—this was Newtonian mechanics’ contribution. In fact, contemporary science has gone further than Newton, but the drafters are still stuck in the Middle Ages.
（49）Know that sunlight is composed of seven different monochromatic lights, and recognize that sunlight is the main source of the energy needed for life activities on Earth; know that radio waves, microwaves, infrared rays, visible light, ultraviolet rays, and X-rays are all electromagnetic waves.
// This is comic relief too. The so-called seven colors of the rainbow are a continuous spectrum, and dividing it into seven colors is purely accidental. In some cultures people even speak of six colors or four colors. In fact, when Newton used a prism to conduct experiments on light dispersion, he did not initially record seven colors either; the final report of seven colors was because of Newton’s “superstition,” since the number “7” had a mysterious status in the alchemical tradition.
（50）Master the basic knowledge of the reflection and refraction of light, and understand the principles of imaging.
（51）Master the basic knowledge of voltage, current, and power, and know the basic composition and methods of connecting circuits.
（52）Know the law of conservation of energy: energy can neither be created nor destroyed out of thin air; it can only be transformed from one form to another, or transferred from one object to another, while the total amount remains unchanged.
12. Master basic knowledge of chemistry.
（53）Know the composition and main properties of water, and give examples of water’s influence on living organisms.
（54）Know the main components of air. Know the main properties of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, and be able to list their uses.
（55）Know the basic elements that exist in nature and their classification.
（56）Know the law of conservation of mass: chemical reactions only change the original form or structure of substances, while the total mass remains unchanged.
// This conflicts with item 52. Mass-energy conversion does not need to occur only on the macroscopic scale, and chemical reactions do not, strictly speaking, conserve mass. Before and after Lavoisier, the core conservation law in chemistry was indeed conservation of mass; after Dalton, however, what chemical reactions actually obey is conservation of the number of atoms.
（57）Be able to identify metals and non-metals, know the main chemical properties and uses of common metals, and know the conditions under which metals corrode and common methods for preventing metal corrosion.
（58）Be able to state some important properties of acids, bases, and salts, explain the uses of acids, bases, and salts in daily life, and use them to explain simple related phenomena in nature and daily life.
13. Master basic astronomical knowledge.
(59) Know that the Earth is a planet in the solar system, that the sun is a star within the Milky Way, and that the universe is made up of a large number of galaxies; understand the theory of the “Big Bang.”
//“The universe is made up of a large number of galaxies” is an ungrammatical sentence, missing either a “is” or an extra “of,” or something like that. Of course, this statement is not accurate, so we have no choice but to say that there are a large number of galaxies in the universe; but the universe is made up of not only galaxies. What else? I don’t know—possibly the fabled “dark matter,” though its specific form is unclear, and in any case it is not necessarily some sort of galaxy.
(60) Know that one complete rotation of the Earth from west to east takes one day, producing the alternation of day and night; one revolution of the Earth around the sun takes one year, producing the сменa of the seasons; one revolution of the moon around the Earth takes one month, accompanied by the waxing and waning of the moon.
//It is not revolution that produces the сменa of the seasons; the сменa of the seasons is because of the inclination between the ecliptic and the equator, with rotation and revolution not lying in the same plane, thus creating the seasons. Also, if one does not wish to distinguish between the tropical year and the sidereal year, or between the synodic month and the sidereal month, and their relation to the Gregorian calendar, then to express it accurately one should say that the Earth orbits the sun in about one year, and the moon orbits the Earth in about one month. Years and months are not defined by the revolution of the sun and moon.
(61) Be able to identify the Big Dipper, and understand astronomical phenomena such as solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, comets, and meteors.
//A side remark: the Big Dipper item is rather unfair to young people in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, because in these cities one basically cannot see the whole Big Dipper all year round; one can only “identify” it in picture books.
14. Master basic knowledge of earth science and geography.
(62) Know that the solid Earth is composed of the crust, mantle, and core; the Earth’s motion and the anisotropy within the Earth generate various forces, causing natural disasters.
//The phrase “the anisotropy within the Earth generates various forces” feels awkward no matter how one looks at it. Saying “various forces are generated by anisotropy” may be a little better, but anisotropy may not generate various forces either… The theory of plate tectonics, so important in the history of science (including continental drift), is not mentioned at all, and they insist on using this strange concept of “anisotropy” to explain things—it is not easy.
(63) Know that the Earth’s surface layer is the level where the Earth’s atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere intersect; it forms the Earth environment that is closely related to humanity.
(64) Know the percentage of land area and ocean area in the Earth’s total surface area, and be able to name the seven continents and four oceans.
(65) Know the main topographic features, population distribution, ethnic composition, administrative divisions, and major neighboring countries of China, and be able to name the major mountain ranges and river systems.
(66) Know that weather refers to atmospheric conditions over short periods of time such as hot and cold, damp and dry, clear and rainy, while climate refers to the general state of the atmosphere over many years in terms of temperature, precipitation, and so on; be able to understand weather forecasts and meteorological disaster warning signals.
(67) Know that under the action of solar energy and gravity, water on the Earth is continuously moving through evaporation, vapor transport, precipitation, runoff, and other means, forming the water cycle; know that in the process of the water cycle, the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water causes disasters such as floods and droughts.
15. Understand the basic knowledge of life phenomena, biodiversity, and evolution.
(68) Know that cells are the basic unit of living organisms.
//Although I know this is the standard answer, I still want to complain a bit. First, this is controversial; the key issue is whether viruses count as living things. Second, at most one can say that cells are the basic component unit of organisms, not the basic unit; the basic unit is probably “individuals”…
(69) Know that living things can be divided into animals, plants, and microorganisms, and be able to identify common animals and plants.
(70) Know that the species on Earth evolved from earlier species, and that humans evolved from ancient apes.
(71) Know the importance of photosynthesis, and know that the oxygen on Earth mainly comes from plant photosynthesis.
//The main source of oxygen should actually be algae in the ocean. Although some people seem to classify algae as plants, generally they seem still to be placed within the category of protists. But in view of the relatively rough classification of living things in item 69, I guess it’s not wrong…
(72) Understand the role of genetic material, and know about DNA, genes, and chromosomes.
(73) Understand that various organisms are connected through the food chain, and oppose the killing, sale, and consumption of rare wild animals.
//What does it mean to be “connected through the food chain”… A wolf eats a sheep by spotting the right moment and pouncing to eat it; it certainly does not first go and find some “food chain,” then call the sheep on it, then somehow form a connection or whatever… “Food chain” is a concept constructed by people to describe and understand the interconnections between species. One can only say that scientists understand the relationships among organisms through the concept of the food chain, not that organisms do anything through the food chain… Also, I don’t know how the first half jumps to the second half. Opposing the killing of wild animals is of course good, but what does that have to do with understanding the food chain?
(74) Know that biodiversity is the result of long-term biological evolution, and that protecting biodiversity is beneficial to maintaining ecological balance.
16. Understand basic knowledge of human physiology.
(75) Understand the physiological structure and physiological phenomena of the human body, and know the positions and physiological functions of major organs such as the heart, liver, lungs, stomach, and kidneys.
(76) Know the normal ranges of indicators such as human body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure, and know one’s own blood type.
(77) Understand the human developmental process and the physiological characteristics of each developmental stage.
(78) Know that each person’s physical condition varies according to sex, weight, activity, and lifestyle habits.
17. Know common diseases and the basics of safe medication use.
(79) Have the awareness that disease prevention comes first, and that one should seek medical attention promptly.
(80) Be able to correctly use household medical devices such as thermometers, scales, and sphygmomanometers, and understand one’s own health condition.
(81) Know the harm mosquito and insect bites can cause to the human body, and know preventive and treatment measures; know that viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites may infect the human body and cause disease; know the importance of public health prevention and inspection measures such as sewage and feces treatment, animal and plant quarantine, in controlling disease.
(82) Know the characteristics and related prevention and first-aid measures of common infectious diseases (such as infectious hepatitis, pulmonary tuberculosis, AIDS, influenza, etc.), chronic diseases (such as hypertension, diabetes, etc.), and sudden illnesses (such as cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction, etc.).
(83) Understand the basics of common occupational diseases, and be able to take basic preventive measures.
(84) Know the importance of mental health, understand the basic characteristics of mental illness and psychiatric disorders, and know the basic methods of prevention and adjustment.
(85) Know that one should take medicine according to medical advice or the instructions on the medicine label, and understand the basics of safe medication use, rational medication use, and adverse drug reactions.
(86) Know the difference between prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs, and know which drugs one is allergic to.
(87) Understand that traditional Chinese medicine is China’s traditional medical method, and that compared with Western medicine each has its own advantages.
//This item has also drawn a lot of criticism, but I am not that opposed to it either. There is nothing wrong with the first half; as for the second half, even if you are anti–Chinese medicine and critical of Chinese medicine, perhaps you would still concede that Chinese medicine has advantages in comforting people’s minds and such? And if one distinguishes between “Western medicine” and “modern medicine,” then traditional Chinese medicine indeed has many strengths compared with traditional Western medicine. In short, the sentence itself is not some major error. What I regret is that the entire medical section basically remains at the level of common sense in everyday life and has not yet risen to the realm of “medicine as a science,” especially since there is no mention at all of knowledge related to “evidence-based medicine.”
(88) Know the types and harms of common drugs, and stay away from drugs.
18. Master basic knowledge of diet and nutrition, and develop good living habits.
(89) Choose foods that are beneficial to health, and maintain proper nutrition and a balanced diet.
(90) Master knowledge of drinking water and food hygiene and safety, and have some ability to distinguish the hygiene quality of everyday foods.
(91) Know the characteristics of food poisoning and methods of preventing food poisoning.
(92) Know the health hazards of smoking and excessive drinking.
(93) Know that appropriate exercise is beneficial to physical health.
(94) Know the importance of protecting the eyes and caring for the teeth, and develop good habits of caring for the teeth and eyes.
(95) Know the health hazards of irregular routines and the like, and develop good routines.
//This section has a bit of a “Moments feed” feel, like a chattering parent nagging away… The first two points are fine; but then “appropriate exercise,” “care for your teeth and eyes,” “go to bed early and get up early”… Uh… I’m not saying these are wrong, hmm, I just feel the style is a bit off…
19. Master the basics of safe travel, and be able to use transportation correctly.
(96) Understand basic traffic rules and the meanings of common traffic signs, as well as methods for rescuing people in traffic accidents.
(97) Be able to correctly use bicycles and other everyday household transportation tools, and regularly repair and maintain transportation tools.
//Uh, although I can ride a bicycle, I usually repair it only when it breaks, not regularly. Does that mean I didn’t pass… ? But after taking the scientific literacy test, I feel my IQ probably ought to say goodbye to bicycles…
(98) Understand the safety rules for taking various public transportation tools (cars, rail transit, trains, airplanes, ships, etc.).
20. Master common knowledge of safe use of electricity and gas, and be able to correctly use household appliances and electronic products.
(99) Understand basic knowledge of safe electricity use, and initially master the basic skills of preventing and first-aid treatment for electric shock.
(100) Use gas appliances safely, and initially master first-aid methods for carbon monoxide poisoning.
(101) Be able to correctly use household appliances and electronic products, such as induction cookers, microwave ovens, water heaters, washing machines, electric fans, air conditioners, refrigerators, radios, television sets, computers, mobile phones, cameras, etc.
21. Understand the basic knowledge and methods of agricultural production.
(102) Be able to distinguish and choose common agricultural products for consumption.
(103) Know the basic conditions, laws, and related knowledge of crop growth.
(104) Know that soil is the loose surface layer of the Earth’s land surface in which plants can grow, and is the foundation for human agricultural production activities.
(105) Agricultural producers should master the basic knowledge and methods of correct pesticide use and rational fertilizer use.
(106) Understand knowledge related to pesticide residues, and know methods for removing pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables.
22. Possess basic labor skills, and be able to correctly use relevant tools and equipment.
(107) In one’s own work, follow the technical standards or norms concerning production or services in the industry.
(108) Be able to correctly operate or use the tools or equipment related to one’s own work.
(109) Pay attention to the service life of production tools, know that maintenance can keep production tools in good working condition and extend their service life, and be able to perform maintenance such as cleaning, oiling, and adjustment on production tools according to the procedures specified in the user manual.
(110) Be able to use common tools to diagnose simple faults that occur in production, and be able to repair them in a timely manner.
(111) Be able to try to shorten work cycles and improve labor efficiency through optimizing and improving work methods and processes.
23. Have safety production awareness, and comply with production rules and operating procedures.
(112) Producers in production and business activities should cultivate safety production awareness and consciously fulfill their job responsibilities.
(113) In labor, strictly comply with safety production regulations and operating manuals.
(114) Understand the potential hazards in the work environment and workplace, as well as emergency measures for preventing and handling accidents, and consciously wear and use labor protection equipment.
(115) Know the safety signs for toxic substances, radioactive substances, flammable or explosive materials, lasers, and so on.
(116) Know preventive measures for accidents such as explosions and work-related injuries in production; once an accident occurs, be able to protect oneself and report to the authorities in a timely manner.
(117) Understand the impact of production activities on the ecological environment, know clean production standards and related measures, and have a social responsibility to supervise environmental pollution, safe production, transportation, and so on.
//So many bits of everyday-life, agricultural, and industrial-production common sense and skills (including riding a bicycle), broadly speaking, count as scientific literacy, and I can agree with that; but in any case, isn’t the proportion a bit too high? It feels a little like they are padding the list. Take items 112 to 115, for example: these are all just about safe production, aren’t they? Why split them into five items and drone on about them?
24. Master the knowledge of rescue and first aid for common accidents.
(118) Understand the conditions for combustion, know the principles of fire extinguishing, and master the use of common fire-fighting tools and general methods of escape and self-rescue in a fire.
(119) Understand the basic first-aid methods for emergencies such as drowning and airway obstruction by foreign objects.
(120) Choose environmentally friendly building materials and decorative materials, reducing and avoiding the harm to the human body caused by benzene, formaldehyde, radioactive substances, and so on.
(121) Understand response measures and first-aid methods for leaks of harmful gases.
(122) Understand the basic first-aid methods for bites by dogs, cats, snakes, and other animals.
25. Master the basic methods of preventing natural disasters and emergency evacuation.
(123) Understand the distribution of major natural disasters in China, and know the common natural disasters in one’s own region.
(124) Understand the characteristics and emergency evacuation methods of major natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, mudslides, floods, typhoons, lightning, sandstorms, and tsunamis.
(125) Be able to respond to secondary disasters caused by major natural disasters.
26. Understand the hazards of environmental pollution and the corresponding countermeasures, and make rational use of land resources and water resources.
(126) Know that the capacity of the atmosphere and water bodies such as the oceans to contain waste and self-purify the environment is limited, and know that the speed of human pollutant emissions must not exceed the environment’s self-purification speed.
(127) Know the types of air pollution, the sources of pollution and types of pollutants, as well as the main technical means of controlling air pollution. Be able to understand air quality reports. Know the meaning of clean production and green products.
(128) Consciously protect the drinking water source in one’s locality. Know that wastewater must be properly treated and meet standards before it can be discharged into water bodies. Do not throw or pour waste into water bodies.
(129) Know that pollutants from industrial, agricultural, and domestic production entering the soil will cause soil pollution; do not dump garbage indiscriminately.
(130) Protect farmland, conserve the use of land resources, understand the rational use of grassland and forest resources, prevent overgrazing, and know that undeveloped land such as barren mountains and slopes should be developed rationally.
(131) Know that excessive extraction of groundwater will cause ground subsidence, lowering of the groundwater table, and seawater intrusion in coastal areas; choose water-saving production techniques and household appliances, know how to rationally use rainwater and reclaimed water, and pay attention to leak detection and flow blocking in water use in public places.
(132) Have an awareness of protecting the ocean, and know the important significance of rationally developing and utilizing marine resources.
Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.
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