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The article focuses on the developments in the field of nanoscience and nanotechnology in China. These terms refer to the growing knowledge base and technical framework for understanding and manipulating matter on nanometer scales ranging from the atomic to the cellular. When the concept of nanoscience and nanotechnology was first introduced in the 1980s, it was received favorably in China. The initial interest was in part stimulated by the development of new tools and techniques for observing materials on the nanoscale, especially scanning probe microscopes (SPMs). Early explorations by Chinese scientists using scanning tunneling microscopes and other types of SPMs helped build excitement about nanoscience and nanotechnology and led to visions of new techniques for revealing nanostructures and the novel properties that these structures can lead to. Soon after the concept began trickling through the scientific ranks, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the State Science and Technology Commission began funding nanoscience-related work and activities.