A shopping mall in Shandong, China, replaced prime advertising space with a giant portrait of aerospace scientist Qian Xuesen.
The display appeared at Shanxian Ginza Mall in Heze, where his portrait covered an exterior space measuring 7.8 by 5.6 meters.
Other commercial venues soon began doing something similar.
Malls in Shandong followed with displays honoring Qian Xuesen, Deng Jiaxian and other prominent scientists. Similar tributes later appeared at shopping centers in Inner Mongolia and Anhui.
The movement put scientists in spaces normally dominated by commercial advertising.
People’s Daily reported displays featuring figures including Qian Xuesen, Yuan Longping, Tu Youyou and Nan Rendong across several regions.
Separately, Shandong has also expanded science communication into metro stations, railway stations, trains and other high-traffic public spaces.
The people being featured aren’t entertainment figures.
Qian Xuesen helped shape China’s aerospace program. Yuan Longping pioneered hybrid-rice research. Tu Youyou’s work led to the discovery of artemisinin, a major treatment for malaria.
For a few weeks at least, some of China’s most valuable advertising spaces have been occupied by people better known for laboratories, research and scientific work.
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