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Science has long been an inseparable part of life, but the idea of science has been developed only in recent centuries. In China, the term "science" became known only in the last century. Science education, the discourse of science, and popular imagination of science emerged only during the past hundred and twenty years, over which time they gradually gained recognition. This dissertation investigates how science appeared in literature and other cultural works. It examines fictional and nonfictional literary works, as well as films, that are representative of their times. Through textual analysis, comparison, and discussion of historical contexts, the dissertation reveals the complexity of the understanding of science in the Chinese popular imagination. The four chapters of the body of the dissertation discuss the change in meaning of the term science, how Chinese scientists understood science as a way to "save" China, the changing image of the scientist, and the encounter of "East" and "West" in popular cultural products concerning science. The dissertation argues that nationalism and politics has accompanied the reception of science in China in the popular cultural realm, and that in recent decades, its reception has become more diversified. Although cultural images of science changed over time, a positive and optimistic understanding of science has been a consistent thread in the Chinese cultural discourse.