Hybrid rice, cloned monkeys and mythical dragons

The academy has become a national pillar in science and technology, with more than 100 institutions and nearly 70,000 personnel, a significant increase from the 17 institutions and around 1,000 staff members at the time of its founding in 1949.

Bai said the keys to China's rising scientific prowess include the nation's ability to implement joint efforts and use limited resources to tackle major challenges, and utilizing the advantages of interdisciplinary subjects and "big science" instruments to produce groundbreaking original work.

"New China's scientific foundation was very weak in its early days," he said, adding there were only around 30 research institutions and fewer than 50,000 science workers in the entire nation.