常温液态金属及其衍生材料是近年来异军突起的新兴功能物质，该领域取得了一系列突破性发现，催生出诸多全新的材料创制与应用，被视为人类利用金属的第二次革命。本文扼要介绍了液态金属物质科学领域涌现出的若干典型进展、基础问题与工业应用范例，剖析现象背后的科学规律，具体包括：芯片冷却与能源利用、印刷电子学与增材制造（3D打印）、生物材料学、柔性智能机器学。在此基础上，论述了提出“液态金属谷”的时代背景、发展液态金属新工业体系的基本途径，阐述了推进液态金属材料基因工程研究并构建相应数据库的重要意义。液态金属作为兼具基础探索与实际应用价值的重大科学、技术与工业前沿，发展前景广阔；相应研究有望促进人类物质文明进步、优化社会生产和生活方式，也将深刻影响中国乃至世界寻求新一代变革性科技与工业的进程。

The room temperature liquid metal and its allied materials are a class of emerging functional matters with diverse species. Recently, with breakthrough discoveries made on liquid metals, tremendous exciting applications were raised and many new materials that had never been anticipated before were invented. As a result, the latest achievements on liquid metals were ascribed as the second revolution of human beings over the process of utilizing metals. This article briefly summarized typical advancements, fundamental sciences, and key technological and industrial areas thus initiated which include but are not limited to: chip cooling and energy utilization, printed electronics and 3D printing, biomedical materials, as well as smart soft machines. In addition, historic background to propose and establish “The China Liquid Metal Valley” and the basic strategy to mold a brand new industry of liquid metal were outlined. The core values to strengthen future research on liquid metal material genome engineering and thus build up corresponding databases were summarized. Overall, liquid metals are important frontiers for science, technology, and industry integrating both fundamental and practical issues together. Further continuous endeavors would lead to pivotal progress of human civilization and thus reshape social production and lifestyle. Its impact for both China and the world to explore next generation revolutionary science, technology, and industry will be huge.