Abstract: Pulsars—rotating neutron stars under extreme physical conditions—serve as powerful probes of neutron star physics, general relativity, and the interstellar medium. The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in China, thanks to its unparalleled sensitivity, provides an unprecedented capability for large-scale, deep radio surveys and high-precision timing of pulsars, driving the forefront of pulsar research. In this paper we present an overview of pulsar discovery, search techniques, and population demographics. Taking the FAST Galactic Plane Pulsar Snapshot (GPPS) survey as a case study, we highlight the groundbreaking contributions of large-aperture radio telescopes in the search, observation, and physical investigation of pulsars. We then discuss how high-sensitivity observations unveil the spatial distribution of radio pulsars, and explore their scientific value for galactic structure models, magnetic field mapping, and interstellar medium studies.