The People's Republic of China is now more than sixty years old, and its science has experienced five different periods corresponding to the country's dramatic social changes: start-up (1949-1956), strong development (1956-1966), abnormal development (1966-1976), revival (1976-1992), and prosperity (1992- present). This trajectory is vitally interrelated with the development of politics, economics, education, and many other fields. In general, research into the scientific history of the People's Republic of China has just begun. Scholarly achievements in this area are few, still fewer the high-quality works, let alone the research developed from a social history perspective. Two representative books, developed from doctoral dissertations, are Xin Zhongguo yu vin kevue and China's Scientific Elite. Both offer insights into the establishment and development of science in the People's Republic of China from the perspective of social history. They share a number of salient features...
