British chemist's winning formula for promoting science

BEIJING－British chemist David Evans never expected that his longtime interest in China would give him the chance to ignite in tens of thousands of Chinese children a curiosity for science.

"There are two things I am most curious about: chemistry and China," Evans, 62, often told colleagues and friends.

A professor at the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Evans is also an online personality on popular Chinese video-sharing apps like Kuaishou and Bilibili.

To popularize science, he has been posting videos of his various chemistry experiments since 2018, and the most popular has attracted about 20 million hits.

"These videos are made for children who have few opportunities to experience chemistry experiments and activities, especially those living in rural and remote areas," Evans says, adding: "I hope my experiments can ignite their interest in science."

Besides posting videos online, the British chemist set up the program Fun with Science in 2011, introducing chemical experiments and scientific knowledge to children in China.

His first event was at a school for the children of migrant workers in the Beijing suburbs. "When I was showing the children the magic of chemistry, I saw curiosity in their eyes. They were just like me when I was a child," Evans says.

Soon the project expanded to more parts of China. Evans has so far visited more than 300 cities across 30 provinces, delivering over 600 lectures to 200,000 primary and middle school students.

The British chemist, who has brought so many surprises and a great deal of joy to his audience, is constantly surprised at the rapid development of China.

Evans has been interested in China since childhood. In the early 1970s, before China's reform and opening-up, he saw the place as a "country full of mysteries". He subscribed to the magazine Beijing Review to learn more about it.

After his undergraduate and postgraduate studies at Oxford University, Evans began to teach at the University of Exeter. In 1996, when Evans was invited to work at the BUCT, he accepted the offer and settled in Beijing.

Many of his friends thought he was "crazy", but Evans says they just saw the difficulties but ignored the great development potential of China.

"I wanted to seize the chance to learn more about the country, just as I wanted to learn more about chemistry," he says.

During his time here, the British chemist has achieved great academic success. He developed additives used in greenhouse plastic film and asphalt, contributing, in his own way, to the nation's development.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has been brought under control in China, Evans has resumed his mission of spreading scientific knowledge. Facing a busy December schedule, he says he feels full of vitality.

"As long as I am healthy enough and qualified to do so, I will continue on this magical journey," he says.

Xinhua