The stage was covered by thick darkness.

Suddenly, a tiny candle flame appears, a gradual sphere of light moves with an actor, breaking into the darkness.

"Science tells us the origins of human beings, life, our planet and the universe. It appears like a small candle and kindles more and more places covered by darkness... Science does not have privilege for its own sake. It is a set of rational thoughts, logical arguments, firm evidence, and serious attitudes."

The actor spoke loudly, clearly and vigorously. As the light increased, the audience saw the voice belonged to that of Fang Ming, a famous radio announcer at China National Radio.

Fang was the first actor to publicly perform China's first science work recital - "Science as a Candle in the Dark" - on February 26 at the Forbidden City Concert Hall in Beijing. The event, jointly sponsored by the Beijing Science and Technology Commission, the newspaper Science Times and China National Radio, invited famous Chinese actors, artists and scientists to recite classic works which conjur up the spirit of science.

Science and hope

Fang recited American astronomer and science communicator Karl Sagan's (1934-96) "Science and Hope," which describes the difference between science and pseudoscience, as well as the rising challenge of pseudoscience to human beings.

"Science is a fortress against occultism, superstition and the abuse of religion. If we are loyal to the value of science, we will know when we are cheated and how to correct it," said Fang, his voice smooth and confident.

Suddenly the voice changed, becoming urgent and deep. "We have created highly developed science. However, many people have become totally ignorant of the growing complexity of science. This is a prescription for disaster. When ignorance and power - the power to instigate the masses - are mingled together, the disaster may become a raging inferno before us! Pseudoscience becomes more and more alluring as this century comes to an end," he said, reciting Sagan's article, written in the mid-1990s, and in the final days of the great defender of science.

On the sidelines of rehearsals ahead of the event, 50-year-old Fang said the performance has first of all deeply touched him.

"When I tried to memorize and recite these paragraphs, I was deeply touched and inspired. I myself became a target audience of the theme of the event, science popularization," Fang told China Daily.

This is just the effect the organizers are aiming for.

Xiao Jian, an official with Beijing Science and Technology Commission and the producer of the recital, said the event is aimed at inspiring audiences with scientific thinking and scientific humanism as expressed by the great achievements of renowned scientists.

"Sound and stage arts sometimes have a more direct and penetrating effect on an audience," said Xiao.

To reach this goal, organizers of the science work recital have selected the immortal words of some of science's greats.

They include Albert Einstein's (1879-1955) "Science should benefit and not harm mankind," the "Will of Alfred Nobel (1833-96)," Nobel laureate physicist Richard Feynman's (1918-88) "Einstein also comes," Louis Pasteur's (1822-95) "Science should be humanitarian," Aldo Leopold's (1887-1948) "Thinking like a mountain," Rachel Carson's (1907-64) "Silent spring," as well as parts of the famous Broadway opera "Copenhagen," detailing the secret talks between two great physicists Werner Heisenberg (1901-76) and Niels Bohr (1885-1962) concerning the fate of the atom bomb.

Einstein's philosophy

Liu Honghai, editor-in-chief of Science Times, said the selection of the works is not for popularizing particular scientific knowledge, but for spreading the rational thinking and humanitarianism of science.

This can be reflected in Einstein's "Science should benefit and not harm mankind," a speech given to the California Institute of Technology in 1931.

In that year, young and promising physics students, eager to learn from a great master of science, were suddenly told: "Applied science gives people the tools to kill each other. In peace time, science does not liberate us from monotonous labour. Rather, many people become slaves of machines."

Standing before the huge portrait of Einstein, the well-known announcer, Cao Canlang from China National Radio, suddenly raised his voice.

"It is not enough that you should understand about applied science in order that your work may increase man's blessings. Concern for the man himself and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavours; concern for the great unsolved problems of the organization of labour and the distribution of goods in order that the creations of our mind shall be a blessing and not a curse to mankind. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations."

Thunder and lightening appear as the stage darkens and applause erupts in the big hall.

"I know Einstein is a great physicist, but I never knew he had such reflective thinking on science," said Xue Guilan, a middle school teacher in Beijing.

Then in one article of Feynman's memoir, Einstein's image becomes that of a kind sage.

Feynman, dubbed the naughty boy of science, recalls his first presentation of a piece of research which Einstein attended.

Li Yemo, a presenter with China National Radio, vividly imitated Feynman's tone - full of a young man's confidence, slightly in awe of authority, but a touch unhappy with their routine inattention to the work of young scholars.

But the tone softened when he spoke of Einstein's patience and tolerance when he introduced his novel, but somewhat untested theory. Einstein told Feynman: "So far we do not have sufficient experimental evidence, so I am not sure which one should be correct gravitation theory."

There is no single word to praise Einstein in Feynman's works, but a feeling of admiration and gratitude resonates throughout the recital.

Misunderstanding

With a harsh blast the cries of people echo in the background music as a huge mushroom cloud appears in the backdrop.

"Copenhagen," a famous Broadway opera drama written by the leading British playwright Michael Frayn in 1998, explores talks between German physicist Werner Heisenberg and Niels Bohr, a Jewish-Danish physicist and also Heisenberg's former tutor in Copenhagen during the Nazi occupation in 1941.

Having been closely bound in the past, like father and son, the two had a strong teacher and student relationship. However, after the meeting, Heisenberg and Bohr publicly split.

The historic meeting, shrouded in a veil of mystery, attempts to draw various inferences from the episode.

In "Copenhagen," the author scripted a posthumous meeting between the two great physicists, where with hindsight they reflect and debate their climactic Copenhagen meeting, conflict-riven by their respective loyalties to their homelands.

In the drama, Heisenberg states that sooner or later the Nazi government will come to consult with him on whether it would be worthwhile to invest huge resources into research to build an atom bomb.

Bohr replies: "Tell them it is too difficult to develop the weapon!"

In the play, a great opportunity to avoid the slaughter of humans and the threat posed by the atomic bomb was missed due to a deep misunderstanding.

Liu Bing, a professor of Tsinghua University, said: "For a long time, misunderstanding has existed not only between scientists, but between scientists and the public. 'Copenhagen' and the recital event are just attempts to build a bridge between the public and scientists through the medium of linguistic arts."

(China Daily 03/08/2005 page13)