Photography plays an important role in science communication. This study investigates the photographic portraits of scientists in the news media in China from 1949 to 2022. The data consist of 1,071 photographs published in People\'s Daily, the most influential newspaper in China. The photographs are analysed according to a framework based on previous studies on the visual representation of scientists. Analysis shows an overall image of scientists that demonstrates distinctive \'Chinese\' features, such as the prominence of group photos and governmental honours. Diachronically, the visual image of scientists evolved from the early farmer scientists acclaimed in midst of political struggle to social elites and stars celebrated as China\'s hope for indigenous innovation. The study enriches our understanding of the visual representation of scientists in China, and sheds light on the influence of culture, politics and social positioning of science and technology on the image of scientists created by the media.

Photography plays an important role in science communication. This study investigates the photographic portraits of scientists in the news media in China from 1949 to 2022. The data consist of 1,071 photographs published in People\'s Daily, the most influential newspaper in China. The photographs are analysed according to a framework based on previous studies on the visual representation of scientists. Analysis shows an overall image of scientists that demonstrates distinctive \'Chinese\' features, such as the prominence of group photos and governmental honours. Diachronically, the visual image of scientists evolved from the early farmer scientists acclaimed in midst of political struggle to social elites and stars celebrated as China\'s hope for indigenous innovation. The study enriches our understanding of the visual representation of scientists in China, and sheds light on the influence of culture, politics and social positioning of science and technology on the image of scientists created by the media.

This study addresses the influence of popular media on how young children perceive science and the work of scientists. Using an adapted version of the Draw-A-Scientist Test, 15 classes of fourth graders (9-10 years old) at three different schools in Singapore were sampled ( n =  266). The students\' drawings as well as their identification of three sources from which they obtained inspiration for their drawings were analyzed. Our results showed a strong relationship between students\' drawings of scientists and their reported sources of inspiration. The results suggest that popular media play a large role in shaping how young children view scientists.