“Enlightening Science and Art”: Wissen und Wissenschaft and Science Education Beyond Formal Schooling in Modern China

Science education in modern China developed not only within formal schooling but also through scientific journals that connected science communication and teaching practice. This article examines Wissen und Wissenschaft as a site of science education beyond formal schooling. Combining quantitative analysis with close textual reading, it shows that the integration of science and art formed an enduring editorial philosophy, reflected in its sectional and disciplinary structures. More importantly, the journal expanded science education through three related pathways: public science communication, institutional envisioning for science education reform, and interaction with science teaching practice. Wissen und Wissenschaft thus operated across the boundary between science communication and formal education. Its history reveals how scientific journals could function as vehicles for science education beyond formal schooling, and offers a perspective on the entangled histories of science and education in modern China.