MR. ZHU ZHAOXUAN AND THE THREE EDITIONS OF POETIC INTEREST IN MECHANICS

In 1992, Editor-in-Chief Zhu Zhaoxuan （1930—2022） launched the mini-column Interesting Stories about Mechanics around Us in the journal Mechanics in Engineering, stressing both scientific rigour and literary quality. Inspired by his vision, colleagues such as Wang Zhendong and Wu Jike contribute a series of popular science articles that combined academic depth with engaging storytelling. In 1998, Nankai University Press published the first edition of Poetic Interest in Mechanics, which was awarded the Second Prize of National Outstanding Popular Science Book in May 2001. The book was later reissued in a collector's edition in 2013 and a large-print edition in 2020, expanding its reach to a broader readership. Drawing on editorial notes and author recollections, this paper reviews the origin, evolution, and editorial process behind the column and its subsequent publications, and offers several reflections on the mechanics of popularization in future.