The concatenation Zi Ran, Ke Xue, Ji Jin, or “Nature”, “Science”, “Fund”, is derived from Guo Jia Zi Ran Ke Xue Ji Jin Wei Yuan Hui, “The National Science Foundation of China”, which is celebrating its fifteenth anniversary. The Foundation provides support for the Xinglong program.
Discovered on 14-2-1997 in Xinglong by Beijing Schmidt CCD Asteroid Program