Science and technology museums are special institutions of non-profit nature devoted to disseminating science and technology among the general public. By means of exhibitions and relevant educational programs, science and technology museums serve to stimulate the public interest in science and technology and satisfy their desire to learn and to understand science and technology, as well as to enhance their scientific and cultural literacy.

With the rapid development of modern science and technology and the constant progress of the society, it has become the shared need of the general public to enhance their scientific and cultural literacy. As a result, science and technology museums have become increasingly important venues for the public to receive science education.

The Law of the People's Republic of China on Popularization of Science and Technology stipulates that "people's governments of provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government and other local people's governments where conditions permit shall incorporate the construction of halls and facilities for popularization of science and technology (PST) into their plans for urban and rural construction and planning for capital construction; they shall make better use of, maintain or refurbish the existing halls and facilities for PST."

Over the recent years, the undertaking of science and technology museums has witnessed an unprecedented momentum of development in China. A host of science and technology museums with relatively high standards, such as China Science and Technology Museum, Tianjin Science and Technology Museum, Anhui Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Jiangxi Science and Technology Museum, and Heilongjiang Science and Technology Museum etc., have been successively opened to the public. Meanwhile, a batch of science and technology museums in Shaanxi, Shandong and other provinces have also completed their refurbishment and opened to the society, receiving widespread welcome from the general public.

At present, there are some 300 science and technology museums in China (excluding the regions of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) that have been completed for official opening to the general public, and of which 24 are provincial level science and technology museums, 90 are sub-provincial level or prefectural level municipal science and technology museums, and 170 are county level (including county level municipality) ones.