ABSTRACT
Thus far, the book has dealt with factors that might have affected a Chinese scientist becoming a member of the CAS. Although during various periods these leading scientists have been required to be loyal to the people's cause, to support the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and socialism, and to be patriotic, the political criteria have played a surprisingly insignificant role in forming the scientific elite. For example, in 1955, only 17 of the 172 natural scientists who were appointed members of the CAS Academic Divisions were also party members; in 1980, of the 283 natural scientists elected, 109 were party members. In general, becoming an elite scientist did not necessarily correlate with party membership (Chapters 3 and 7). In contrast, as shown in Chapters 4 through 6, social origins (including family background and educational attainment), the influence of elite mentors, and the types of research that scientists were involved in have had an impact on turning out the scientific elite in China.
