Nanotechnology is a research and development hot spot nowadays. In this paper a short introduction of nanoscience and nanotechnology was given. Nano-measurement and nano-machining play a very important and key role in the nanoscience and nanotechnology. Conventional electron microscope is a major nano-measuring instrument. Newly developed scanning probe microscope and focused ion beam-electron beam (dual beam) equipment are two types of powerful nano-measuring instruments and nano-machining tools. Its present state, prospect and market in the world as well as in China were described briefly.

The first-two Chinese prototype transmission electron microscopes were constructed in 1958-1959 in Changchun Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, CAS. Beijing Scientific Instrument R & D Center (KYKY) developed the first domestic scanning electron microscope. According to a survey in 1996-1997 there were 1 921 electron microscopes including 756 transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and 1 165 scanning electron microscopes (SEM) in China at that time. Of these 1 921 TEMs and SEMs, 1006 were domestic production (mostly medium-and low-grade electron microscopes) accounting for 52.4 % of the market, and 915 instruments were imported (47.6 %). Beijing Scientific Instrument R & D Center, CAS (KYKY Technology Development LTD) , Shanghai electron-Optical Technology Research Institute and Jiangnan Optical Instrument Plant produced more than 95 % of these 1 006 home-made electron microscopes. The first domestic scanning tunneling microscope (STM) was completed in 1987 in Beijing Open Laboratory of Electron Microscopy under CAS. Since then more than one hundred scanning probe microscopes of various types have been constructed in China. The Chinese electron microscope and scanning probe microscope production should be improved and enlarged to cover the progressively increasing demand of research and development work in China.