Qian Xuesen
At 8:06 on October 31, 2009, the famous Chinese scientist Qian Xuesen passed away in Beijing at the age of 98. On the same day, the official media released the obituary of Qian Xuesen's death to the whole society:
An outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, a loyal communist fighter, an outstanding scientist renowned at home and abroad and the founder of my country's aerospace industry, senior member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Engineering Comrade Qian Xuesen, academician and vice chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference6th, 7th and 8th National Committee, died of illness in Beijing at 8:06 on October 31, 2009 at the age of 98.
The news spread, and the whole country was saddened. The people were grieving for the loss of a scientific giant. Countless netizens left messages on the Internet in memory of Qian Xuesen. The day after Qian Xuesen's death, it snowed heavily in Beijing, and God seemed to be expressing his inner sorrow.
Qian Xuesen is a pioneer and outstanding representative of China's aerospace science and technology industry. He has made great contributions to the development of cutting-edge weapons. He is known as "The Father of Chinese Aerospace", "The Father of Chinese Missiles" and "The King of Chinese Rockets" ” and “Father of Chinese Automation Control” . These titles are universally recognized, and any one of them is difficult for countless scientists to achieve in their lifetime.
Qian Xuesen
However, Qian Xuesen objected to being titled "Father". As early as October 1992, in a letter, Qian Xuesen wrote:
"It is unscientific to call me the 'Father of Missiles'. Because the work of missile satellites is a 'big science' and requires the vigorous collaboration of millions of people." There are hundreds of people in charge of science and technology alone. I am just a small sesame in a great scientific research project led by the party and involving tens of millions of scientific and technological workers. It’s nothing. All achievements belong to the party and the collective!”
On the day Qian Xuesen passed away, a simple mourning hall was arranged at his home in the Aerospace Compound at No. 8 Fucheng Road, Beijing. Qian Xuesen's family has lived here since the 1960s. Except for the guards at the door, his home is no different from ordinary people's homes. The interior furnishings are simple and elegant, and the furniture and floors look a bit old due to their age.
Qian Xuesen requested simplicity in everything before his death, but his identity meant that his funeral would attract special attention. Due to the constant stream of people coming to express their condolences, the wreaths and flower baskets sent by many people could not be placed in the mourning hall. In the end, the staff had to build a shed outside to display them.
Qian Xuesen's sonQian Yonggang told reporters, "I had two surprises about my father's death: First, I didn't expect that my father passed away so suddenly, and the experience we accumulated in dealing with diseases over the years would not be used; Second, I didn’t expect that so many people came to express condolences at home, which moved me very much.”
Qian Yonggang
As Qian Yonggang said, even people who have never been to Qian Xuesen’s home can easily express their condolences at the aviation university. Find the place they want to go in this large courtyard. In those days, the old red brick building where Qian Xuesen's home was located was surrounded by wreaths. Many outsiders who had no contact with Qian Xuesen spontaneously came to express their condolences after hearing the news.
According to the funeral process, the farewell ceremony for Qian Xuesen’s body was held on November 6 at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery Auditorium in Beijing. That day, the auditorium was solemn and solemn, with low mourning and music. A banner was hung directly above the auditorium with the message "In deep memory of Comrade Qian Xuesen." Below the banner is Qian Xuesen's portrait. Right below the portrait are two wreaths. One is presented by Qian Xuesen's children, with an elegiac couplet that reads "Dad, you will always live in our hearts." The other wreath is presented by Qian Xuesen's grandchildren, which reads " Grandpa, we will always miss you.”
Qian Xuesen’s body lay among flowers and cypresses, covered with a Chinese Communist Party flag. Directly in front of the body is a wreath sent by Qian Xuesen's wife Jiang Ying. The elegiac couplet reads "Xuesen goes well with peace of mind." After the farewell ceremony began, all party and state leaders were present. They first bowed deeply three times to Qian Xuesen's body, and then shook hands with his family members one by one to express their condolences.
At about 10 a.m., people entered the farewell ceremony to pay their final farewell to Qian Xuesen. According to incomplete statistics, hundreds of thousands of people came to the scene to bid farewell to Qian Xuesen during his funeral. After the farewell ceremony, when Qian Xuesen's body was encased in preparation for cremation, the tri-service honor guard carried Qian Xuesen's coffin and supported the coffin, while the coffin was covered with a party flag.
Qian Xuesen’s memorial service scene
There is no doubt that Qian Xuesen’s funeral was of extremely high standard, but it was well deserved. There can be a long discussion about Qian Xuesen’s contribution, but in my opinion, one paragraph is the most evaluation. Qian Xuesen was one of the people who moved China in 2007. The award speech given to him by the selection committee was:
"In his heart, country is more important than family, science is the most important, and fame and wealth are the least. After 5 years of returning to the country, 10 He was a pioneer in pioneering the country's aerospace industry, cutting through obstacles and forging wisdom into a ladder for later climbers. He is a treasure of knowledge, a banner of science, and a model for the Chinese nation's intellectuals. "
Regarding his father's great achievements, Qian Yonggang said: "He has the historical responsibility of a Chinese intellectual. He believes that as a scholar, he should use his own abilities to serve the prosperity of the country and the rejuvenation of the nation. His awareness is very important. Strong. The more important thing is to be a low-key person and always keep a low profile for fame and fortune. "
However, Qian Xuesen went through hardships and even made sacrifices in order to return to China. For a long time, many people have understood Qian Xuesen from an American comment: " I would rather shoot him than let him leave the United States and return to red China. No matter where he goes, he must be worth five The strength of the division. ”
The honor guard of the three armed forces carried Qian Xuesen’s coffin and supported the funeral
When New China was founded in 1949, Qian Xuesen also reached the peak of his career. Qian Xuesen was well-known in the American scientific community at the time. The 38-year-old was a full professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, director of the Jet Propulsion Center at the California Institute of Technology, a member of the U.S. Air Force's Scientific Advisory Group, and a consultant to the U.S. Naval Artillery Research Institute.
What is even more enviable is that Qian Xuesen’s teacher is even more famous. He is the world-class scientist von Kármán. This status allows Qian Xuesen to freely enter and exit the Pentagon of the United States, and has access to a large number of cutting-edge scientific research projects involving the military. Von Karman spoke highly of it: "He is an undoubted genius. His work has greatly promoted the development of high-speed aerodynamics and jet propulsion science. People say this, it seems that I discovered Qian Xuesen, but in fact, it was Qian Xuesen. Discovered me."
Not only that, Qian Xuesen was newly married at the time, and his wife Jiang Ying also came from a well-known family. His father Jiang Baili was a famous military strategist in modern times. Imagine that Qian Xuesen has a happy marriage, two children, and career benefits that are envied by countless people. However, he is eager to return to his motherland to serve, and he never thought that this would bring him a disaster.
With the founding of New China and the Soviet Union's successful explosion of the first atomic bomb, the United States' attitude toward Chinese students studying in the United States began to change. In November 1949, senior U.S. diplomat Alger Hiss broke the shocking news that he had been a spy for the Soviet Communist Party while working in the U.S. State Department.
Qian Xuesen
This caused an uproar in the United States. Against this background, Qian Xuesen was investigated by the US military. In the early stages of the investigation, the U.S. military did not question Qian Xuesen's "loyalty" to the United States. However, Qian Xuesen was not a U.S. citizen, and his secret research license was eventually revoked.
Qian Xuesen was originally planning to return to China to serve, but now he was treated unfairly, which made him decide to return as soon as possible. On June 16, 1950, Qian Xuesen submitted a letter of resignation to the California Institute of Technology and began to pack his luggage and return to China by ship. On June 19, Qian Xuesen and the FBI met again.
After the meeting, Qian Xuesen issued a statement:
"In the past 10 years or so, I have indeed been a welcome guest.I am proud of this, and honestly and without exaggeration, I believe that my visit will be beneficial to both parties, especially during the World War II period. I made a great contribution to the scientific development of this country both during and after the war. But now that initial popularity is gone, a cloud of doubt hangs over it. The only gentlemanly thing to do next is to get out of here. "
What was supposed to come finally came. Qian Xuesen's luggage was seized by Los Angeles Customs, and Qian Xuesen himself was taken away by the Los Angeles Immigration Bureau at home on the evening of September 6 that year. Qian Xuesen was first detained in the Los Angeles Prison, and was soon transferred to Los Angeles Termino Island in the south was detained.
Qian Xuesen attended the hearing
After Qian Xuesen was imprisoned, Jiang Ying sought help from Qian Xuesen’s friend Dubridge, the dean of the California Institute of Technology, and hired a lawyer with the joint efforts of everyone. After being released on US$1 bail, Qian Xuesen was released from prison after being held for 15 days. In this short period of half a month, Qian Xuesen suffered a lot, lost more than 30 kilograms, and once lost his voice.
Qian Xuesen was temporarily free, but he had to pay a monthly fee. Report his whereabouts to the Los Angeles Immigration Bureau and attend a military hearing at any time. Soon, Qian Xuesen discovered that federal investigators were around his home and his phone calls were monitored 24 hours a day, which meant that Qian Xuesen was not expected to return home.
Qian Xuesen was treated unfairly in the United States. When the news came back to China, the Chinese government took it very seriously and protested to the United States many times. Premier Zhou also repeatedly instructed relevant personnel to try their best to get Qian Xuesen to return to China as soon as possible. The turning point was the holding of the Geneva Conference in 1954. In April, Premier Zhou led a large delegation to attend the Geneva conference. During this period, representatives from China and the United States started negotiations on the issue of overseas Chinese. Since China and the United States did not establish diplomatic relations at the time, the two sides exchanged words and exchanged words with each other. In the end, China released 11 captive US military pilots as a condition. , the United States agreed to release Qian Xuesen and return to China.
On August 4, 1955, Qian Xuesen received a notice from the Los Angeles Immigration Bureau allowing him to return to China. On September 17, Qian Xuesen and his family boarded the "Cleveland President" cruise ship bound for Hong Kong at the port of Los Angeles. Qian Xuesen was extremely excited to finally return to China after being illegally detained for five years.
Qian Xuesen and his family were on the cruise back to China. Many American reporters came to the dock that day. One reporter asked Qian Xuesen if he had any plans to return to the United States in the future. Qian Xuesen, who was originally smiling, immediately became serious. He said: "I will not come back. I have no reason to come back. This is a decision I have thought about for a long time. I intend to do my best to help the Chinese people build their own country so that they can live a happy life with dignity. "
On October 8, Qian Xuesen's family entered the mainland from Luohu Bridge in Shenzhen and returned to the embrace of the motherland. Shortly after Qian Xuesen returned to China, with the encouragement of Premier Zhou, he submitted the "Opinion Letter on the Establishment of my country's National Defense Aviation Industry" to the Central Military Commission, regarding China's Qian Xuesen's report received great attention from the central government. In April 1956, the Central Military Commission instructed the Aviation Industry Commission to establish the missile management agency-the Fifth Bureau of the Ministry of National Defense and research institutions. - The Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense. On October 8, Marshal Nie Rongzhen announced the establishment of the Fifth Research Institute of the Ministry of National Defense, and Qian Xuesen was immediately appointed as the director.
This day is very meaningful, as it is the first anniversary of Qian Xuesen’s return to China. The Central Military Commission attached great importance to Qian Xuesen. Under Qian Xuesen's leadership, the scientific research team overcame thousands of major technical difficulties and directly participated in organizing and directing the development and launch of multiple types of missiles:
In 1960, China's first missile was successfully launched; in 1966 In 1970, China's first surface-to-surface missile equipped with a nuclear warhead successfully flew and exploded; in 1970, my country's first artificial earth satellite was successfully launched and so on.
Chairman Mao and Qian Xuesen
Regarding Qian Xuesen’s contribution to China’s national defense , an official comment can be found, “Because Qian Xuesen returned to serve in China, the launch of China’s missiles and atomic bombs has advanced for at least 20 years. In just over 10 years, my country’s national defense has Cutting-edge technology has made a series of major breakthroughs, reaching the strength and level of a few developed countries in the world. "
During that time, Qian Xuesen was too busy with work and found it difficult to take care of the education of his two children. When Qian Xuesen returned to China, his son Qian Yonggang was 7 years old and his daughter Qian Yongzhen was 45 years old. In fact, Qian Xuesen was not as strict as he thought about his children's education. Once, Qian Yonggang failed to meet expectations in an exam, with only 4 points (out of 5 points) in two subjects. The teacher left him to talk.
Qian Yonggang was unhappy when he returned home. When Qian Xuesen came back from get off work, he found that his son was unhappy and asked why. Qian Yonggang told his son his latest test results and the teacher talked to him, but Qian Xuesen was not unhappy at all. He told his son that as long as he made progress, he would be fine.
In a recent exam, Qian Yonggang received a perfect score of 5 in every subject. He immediately told his father the news. However, Qian Xuesen only said one sentence, "I see that you got two 4 points last time and it was very good." It can be seen from this that Qian Xuesen is very tolerant of his children and does not require them to have excellent test scores.
Qian Yonggang
In 1982, Qian Yonggang graduated from the Computer Department of the National University of Defense Technology with a bachelor's degree in engineering. Qian Yonggang later went to the California Institute of Technology for further studies and obtained a master's degree in and . After returning from his studies, Qian Yonggang worked in the General Assembly Department of the People's Liberation Army for many years and was engaged in the development of computer application software systems.
When Qian Xuesen passed away, Qian Yonggang was a senior engineer at the Research Institute of the General Staff Headquarters of the Chinese People's Liberation Army. After his retirement, he was successively employed as a part-time professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Tsinghua University and other universities. It is worth mentioning that Qian Yonggang is also the director of the Qian Xuesen Library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and often serves as the chief volunteer to tell visitors about Qian Xuesen's life story.
Compared with Qian Yonggang, who can still be seen on some occasions, Qian Yongzhen is rarely known. Like her mother Jiang Ying, Qian Yongzhen is also quite talented in music. In the 1980s, like her brother, she also studied abroad. After completing his studies, Qian Yongzhen returned to China and worked at the Central Conservatory of Music until his retirement. He served as director of the teaching and research section and deputy director of the opera department.
Qian Yongzhen
Qian Yongzhen has now retired. Qian Xuesen is a people's scientist in the true sense. Although he has passed away many years ago, he is still remembered by the Chinese people. As netizens spread word of mouth: The motherland will eventually choose those who choose the motherland! The motherland will eventually remember those who serve the motherland!
would like to pay tribute to Qian Xuesen with this article!
