Editor's note: China has witnessed many changes and improvements in a range of fields, including science and technology, the law, and environmental protection, during the period of the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20). This is the first in a series of graphics outlining the developments seen in specific sectors during the past five years.

Major scientific instruments

(MUKESH MOHANAN / CHINA DAILY)

SPACE

Micius quantum communication satellite

Launch: 2016

Status: Operational

Mission: To test the feasibility of space-based ultrasecure quantum communication

Dark Matter Particle Explorer (aka Wukong)

Launch: 2015

Status: Operational

Mission: To detect high-energy gamma rays, electron and cosmic rays to unlock the secrets of dark matter

(MUKESH MOHANAN / CHINA DAILY)

HIGHLAND

Jimu-1 high-altitude observatory aerostat

Launch: 2019

Status: Operational, with two more upgraded versions in the pipeline

Location: Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Mission: To collect atmospheric data to study climate change at an altitude of more than 7,000 meters above sea level

Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory

Launch: Set to be completed next year

Status: Half of the facility became operational this year

Location: 4,400 meters above sea level in Daocheng, Sichuan province.

Mission: To track the origins of high-energy particles using thousands of detectors spanning over 136 hectares

(MUKESH MOHANAN / CHINA DAILY)

SURFACE

Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope

Launch: Received first data in 2016. Became fully operational in January

Status: Operational. Upgrades completed last month

Location: Pingtang, Guizhou province

Mission: As the world's largest single-dish radio telescope, it is used to detect radio signals from celestial bodies and search for signs of extraterrestrial life 

Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

Launch: 2006

Status: Operational. Latest version set to launch this year

Location: Hefei, Anhui province

Mission: Nicknamed the "artificial sun", the facility aims to mimic the nuclear fusion used to power the sun and create limitless energy on Earth. In 2018, it achieved a temperature of over 100 million C, more than six times hotter than the core of the sun, and sustained this extreme condition for 10 seconds

(MUKESH MOHANAN / CHINA DAILY)

DEEP SEA

Shenhai Yongshi (Deep-Sea Warrior) manned submersible

Launch: 2017

Status: Operational Operating depth: 4,500 meters

Mission: To examine the seafloor environment and marine animals in the South China Sea for basic research, environmental protection, and resource surveys

Haiyi (Sea Wing) series underwater gliders

Launch: 2008

Status: Operational

Operating depth: 300 meters to 7,000 meters

Mission: To collect marine data, such as temperature, salinity, oxygen levels, for basic research, environmental protection and resource surveys

Sources: Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Bureau of Statistics of China, China Association for Science and Technology, Nature