CSDMG is the only news media unit under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) approved by the State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film and Television of The People’s Republic of China. CSDMG has franchised publishing and distribution rights to host newspapers and periodicals, and also has the right to manage journalists and press stations as well as advertisement.
At present, CSDMG has two newspapers (China Science Daily and Medical Science News), one website (ScienceNet.cn), one magazine (Science News Biweekly) and a comprehensive new media matrix. Meanwhile, CSDMG has set up press stations in many provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government), and established cooperative partnerships with nearly 100 famous universities in China.
On January 1, 1959, China Science Daily’s predecessor KEXUE BAO was founded in Beijing. It was renamed China Science News on January 1, 1989, Science Times on January 1, 1999, and China Science Daily on January 1, 2012. China Science Daily is run by CAS, and sponsored by CAS, Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and China Association for Science and Technology (CAST).
Launched on January 18, 2007, ScienceNet.cn aims to "build science community for global Chinese ". Based on the online community, ScienceNet.cn is dedicated to serving global Chinese science and higher education field in a comprehensive way. After the rapid development in recent years, ScienceNet.cn ranks around 4000 in the global websites and within 500 in the Chinese websites, with nearly 3 million registered users and a database composed of more than 1 million experts, ranking the first place in the global Chinese technology websites.
CSDMG has actively carried out international exchanges. In addition to maintaining long-term close cooperation with authoritative academic journals such as Science and Nature, it has also reached strategic cooperative partnership with famous academic publishers such as Elsevier. In recent years, CSDMG has been actively exploring new international communication modes by continuously supporting staff to go abroad for further study and training.
CSDMG has always been to "build Chinese leading science media " as its own duty, in accordance with science media operation law and the requirements for all media development, and keep the proceedings of China Science Dailys traditional advantage. Meanwhile, CSDMG endeavors to make ScienceNet.cn which has its own network platform more powerful, actively develop vertical mobile new media matrix featured with science news dissemination and academic information exchange, explore audio and video production ability, and through strong correlation of content positioning among newspaper, magazine, website and new media, enhance radiation and influence, media integration development, in order to establish the due position in Chinas media industry.
Brief History of CSDMG
Established in January 1959, China Science Daily’ predecessor KEXUE BAO was originally created as the official news bulletin of CAS. As the first science and technology newspaper and one of the first professional newspapers of China, it helped to shape the model of science reporting in China. It quickly established its reputation as the most authoritative source of Chinese science news.
Its publication was interrupted in August 1966 when Cultural Revolution broke out. On Nov. 2nd, 1979, it resumed its publication. As science and technology have been promoted as the essential factor in the revival of China , the Chinese government invests heavily in the section. And KEXUE BAO took advantage of the huge development of Chinese science and grew at a fast pace.
In 1980, its staff was consisted of 14 full-time editors and reporters.
In May 1984, it set up a national network of 5 bureaus and employed 40 staff.
1985 was the first year when KEXEU BAO was distributed nation-wide and its subscription reached 50,000.
By 1986, KEXEU BAO’ national network was consisted of 18 bureaus.
In 1987, a survey carried out by Xinhua News Agency on the Conference of the Third World Academy of Sciences showed that 80% of the Chinese scientists regarded KEXEU BAO as the most reliable and authoritative source of science news in Chinese media.
In January 1989, KEXEU BAO changed its name to Chinese Science News.
In July 1993, Chinese Science News launched its international edition in more than 30 countries and regions. In the United States alone, more than 700 university libraries provided its readers with Chinese Science News. Unfortunately, its publication didn’t last long.
In May 1995, Chinese Science News began to cooperate with Science magazine of American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Between June and September 1996, more than 60 university presidents in China jointly recommended Chinese Science News to college students. Their recommendation letter read: “There is a highly influential science and education newspaper in China--- Chinese Science News. Unfortunately, it is not very well known among our teachers and students. Actually, it is truly one of our favorite newspapers.”
In July 2001, the official website of CAS www.cas.cn was assigned to CSDMG by the Bureau of General Affair of CAS.
In autumn 1996, Science magazine published an article that highly praised the Chinese Science News’s exposure of pseudo-science.
In April 1998, CSDMG launched a new magazine Science Life Weekly, which has become the leading information source of local services in Beijing .
In early 1998, Chinese Science News started to cooperate with Nature Publishing Group.
On January 1st 1999, Chinese Science News changed its named to Science Times and was consisted of 8 pages.
On January 15th 1999, Science News Biweekly magazine was launched.
On June 17th 1999, CSDMG moved from the headquarter building of CAS to its current office building.
On January 2nd, 2000, Chinese Science Weekly was laughed in the United States , a joint-venture by CSDMG and China Press, the leading Chinese American Publication in the United States It had 12 pages and printed with full colors and complicated Chinese. Its publication ended in January 2004.
In October 2006, sponsorship of CSDMG was shifted from CAS alone to CAS, CAE and NSFC jointly.
In December 2006, ScienceNet.cn, a new strategic venture emphasizing online science news was launched as a portal website for Chinese science community.
In January 2009, Science News Biweekly was re-launched as a news magazine devoted to professional scientists. It has become one of the most unique and high-impact media in the Chinese science community.
On January 1, 2012, Science Times was renamed China Science Daily.
On October 17, 2013, CAST became one of sponsors of China Science Daily.
On January 1, 2015, Medical Science News was founded in Beijing. It was co-created by CSDMG and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
On March 13, 2014, ScienceNet.cn opened its official wechat account. Since then, CSDMG has begun to march into new media, including wechat, toutiao, douyin and other new media platforms.
Nowadays, CSDMG has developed into a media group consisted of two newspapers, one magazine, one website and a comprehensive new media matrix. They are China Science Daily, Medical Science News, Science News Biweekly, ScienceNet.cn as well as new media accounts.
International Cooperation
In May 1995, Chinese Science News began to cooperate with Science magazine. Science magazine authorized Chinese Science News to translate the latest important scientific developments reported in Science magazine in a new section titled “Science Brief”. The section soon became one of the most important channels for the Chinese science community to learn about the outside world.
In October 2007, Chinese Science News and the nonprofit American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), publisher of Science magazine, entered into a special collaborative agreement to share science news content. This ongoing agreement reflects the two organizations’ mutual respect and interests in disseminating the latest research news. The two sections’ immediate and lasting popularity ensures the continuous cooperation between the two parties till today.
In early 1998, Chinese Science News also started to cooperate with Nature magazine, whose Editor-in-Chief and publisher of the Asian Pacific Region visited China several times within the year and had a series of meetings with CSDMG leaders. As a result, two new sections “Nature Highlight”, “Nature Journal Highlights” were launched to introduce the most significant discoveries covered in Nature to Chinese science community. In December 2003 and November 2004, CSDMG helped Nature magazine publish and distribute two special issues: China Voices I & II.
In November 2007, CSDMG formed a long-term strategic partnership with Reed Elsevier, the leading publisher of the world. CSDMG promised to use it media resource to help to promote Reed Elsevier in the mainland of China.
Together the partnership launched the paper channel on ScienceNet.cn. Elsevier provides papers that represent the breakthroughs of the science community while ScienceNet.cn introduces these achievements to the public in the form of news. Leaders from each party are also invited as senior consultants of the other parity.
From 2014, CSDMG has begun to cooperate with Cell Press and jointly published Chinese Scientists and Cell Press special issue every year. From 2016, CSDMG and Cell Press have successfully holded "Chinese Scientists and Cell Press" activities, which has become another far-reaching international cooperation activities.
We also work closely with many foreign organizations like Research Councils UK, Bosch Foundation, SciDev and foreign embassies to China, etc.