Li poses with a selection of his work at a book festival in Guangdong province in 2018.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Like Li, Zheng writes with the readers' demands in mind, and he reads avidly too.

He even translated books like The Pluto Files, Endurance: A Year in Space, a Lifetime of Discovery and How to Find a Habitable Planet to observe and help improve his own writing.

Zheng is a member of the China Science Writers Association, and has published Maps of the Universe, of Moon, of Mars and of Solar System, and Pluto Flyby: Shedding Light on Origin of the Solar System.

"Better science books are not only about knowledge and theories, they cover a systematic overview of topics in various aspects, such as culture, society, history and other humanistic perspectives," he says.

Zheng also hopes that more Chinese titles, which explain the country's achievements in space probes and their findings, can access international readers.

Zheng agrees with Li's idea on popularizing science to all.

Li says: "There's real beauty in science, and it should not only be appreciated by those who have the scientific training. What we do is to find a way to convey and spread the beauty to the general public."