The ceremony for the 2018 State Science and Technology Awards is held in Beijing on Jan 8. [Photo/Xinhua]

An introductory science book produced by professional teams in Shanghai Oriental Hospital in Lujiazui, Pudong New Area was recently honored with a prize among 278 awarded programs at the 2018 State Science and Technology Award Conference held in Beijing on Jan 8.

Developed by Liu Zhongming, head of the hospital and his teams, the book was honored with the second prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

Compiled by national disaster relief experts and illustration experts with a medical background since 2012, the 15-volume book details a wide range of life saving knowledge and skills in pictures for when a disaster strikes, including earthquakes, tsunamis, fires, traffic accidents, gas poisoning, and extreme heat, providing a direct and visual illustration of survival skills and plausible steps for the readers in an all-round manner.

Other basic first-aid skills such as hemostasis and bandaging fracture treatment, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and casualty handling are also highlighted, which not only promotes the correct skills to deal with such emergencies but also enhances the safety awareness of the public.

"The painful lessons drawn from previous disasters indicate that Chinese people are relatively ill-prepared in self-rescue skills, and 90 percent of rescues come from the help of family, neighbors, and the community," said Liu.

After being published, the book has been employed as a textbook to train more than 10,000 professional medical personnel in 20 cities and provinces across the nation with over 20,000 people reaping benefit.

Held annually since 2000, the State Science and Technology Award is the most prestigious award for Chinese science and technology researchers.

It is offered in five categories, including the State Natural Science Award, State Technology Invention Award, National Science and Technology Progress Award, International Science and Technology Cooperation Award for distinguished foreign scientists who have made significant contributions to China, and the most prestigious award of them all, the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award.