In 1974, Premier Zhou, who was tortured by the bladder cancer, still asked someone to notify him to hold a meeting regardless of his health. This is surprising. What kind of meeting is needed to Premier Zhou so much attention, so why do you have to preside over the special committee in person?
If you want to understand the reasons in depth, you must start with the development of my country's nuclear industry. As the first leader to appreciate the images of the atomic bomb explosion, Premier Zhou has long set the vigorous development of the nuclear industry as his goal.
nuclear industry started hard
At the beginning of the founding of New China, although it was busy with government affairs every day, it was still closely following the new international technology and attaching importance to and preferential treatment for top technology experts.
1 In mid-January, Chairman Mao convened an enlarged meeting of the Secretariat of the Central Committee; formulated major decisions on the creation of the nuclear industry, and appointed Premier Zhou to be fully responsible for the establishment of the project, the establishment of relevant management agencies, and the recruitment of professional talents and the formulation of development plans.
The successful end of this meeting marks that my country is about to enter a new era of nuclear weapon research and development.
Based on my country's basic shortcomings in nuclear industry construction, Premier Zhou carefully divided the various departments into detail after careful consideration; while ensuring that each person performs his duties, he can unite as one to achieve the established goals as soon as possible. It is worth mentioning that at that time, the Second Machinery Department was mainly responsible for the design of storage warehouses, weapon test ranges, etc.
However, in order to maximize the unified management, with the approval of Premier Zhou and other leaders of the State Council, a design institute of the Ministry of Construction and Engineering, the Ministry of Metallurgy, four construction and installation companies, etc., were directly assigned to the Ministry of Machinery, thereby further promoting the pace of nuclear industry construction.
11958, the Second Ministry of Machinery clearly proposed the development idea of self-reliance as the main focus and foreign aid as the auxiliary, and actively cultivate outstanding talents in all aspects.
At the same time, with the strong guidance and assistance of the Soviet Union, we have gradually explored a nuclear industry development model that suits the needs of the national conditions.
I thought this win-win situation would continue, but unexpectedly, due to the gap between China and the Soviet Union, the friendly relations like honeymoon gradually collapsed due to various factors such as their positions.
1959, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union suddenly stopped the supply of nuclear weapons data and samples, and then opened the precursor to break the contract and stop aid. After about a year, with the failure of many Sino-Soviet consultations, the Soviet Union decisively withdrew all experts and equipment to aid China.
This means that the nuclear industry, which has initially emerged in my country, is facing an unprecedented huge blow. What is indignant is that some Soviet experts have not forgotten to sarcastically; claiming that my country's nuclear industry residual equipment facilities will decay into broken copper and iron in a few years.
Even if we spend twenty years, we can't develop nuclear weapons! Premier Zhou disagreed with the Soviet government's treason;
He encouraged all scientific researchers to rely on their own strength to explore and strive to explode nuclear weapons within eight years! In accordance with Premier Zhou's instructions and planning, all personnel of the Second Ministry of Machine Building have made radical changes in their thoughts and actions, and are bound to make earth-shaking achievements.
" Two bombs and one satellite " emerged from nowhere
During this process, Premier Zhou presided over the special committee meeting many times to discuss and solve more than 100 major problems.
It is worth noting that at the later important meeting, he clearly put forward the guidelines of "grasping the atomic bomb first"; he required the Second Machinery Department to formulate a two-year detailed plan to facilitate accurate implementation and inspection and implementation of all departments. In early May 11964, my country finally produced nuclear components that meet the standards.
Soon after, the structurally fixed global detonation simulation test and subcritical safety test were also successful one after another, indicating that the conditions for nuclear explosion test in my country have basically matured.
In the early stage of the preparation for the first nuclear explosion test, Premier Zhou wisely proposed the purpose of "protecting sound, ensuring testing, ensuring safety, and success in one go", which was able to ensure this nuclear test.
Little do you know that as the "general dispatcher" of the nuclear industry, he has always adhered to the concept of doing things himself; even a small component will be carefully observed and verified.
"Two Bombs and One Satellite" elder Qian Xuesen once generously and deeply stated that Premier Zhou used his experience in commanding war to the construction of the nuclear industry, and unexpectedly created a new method of developing nuclear weapons.
October 16, 1964, for the vicissitudes of the Eastern power, it is undoubtedly a glorious moment that will be permanently recorded in history.
A huge mushroom cloud suddenly rose, swearing that the New China finally owns its own atomic bomb ! At this moment, the world pattern will change as a result, and the giant dragon in the east will soar through the sky.
Premier Zhou was extremely excited when he heard the good news. After a brief celebration, he proposed three research plans; first, complete the enhanced atomic bomb test rich in thermonuclear materials as soon as possible; second, start preparing the principle test of hydrogen bomb ; third, successfully complete the full-equivalent hydrogen bomb explosion test.
On October 27, 1966, nuclear missile hit the target area very accurately, realizing a fixed-point nuclear explosion , with an actual measured power equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT equivalent .
1 On June 17, 1967, my country once again completed an amazing epoch-making feat and successfully achieved the perfect nuclear test of the first hydrogen bomb. At that time, international media couldn't help but praise that the smooth explosion of the hydrogen bomb led to another qualitative leap in the development of China's nuclear weapons.
The successive birth of a series of important national weapons is enough to prove that my country has entered the world's leading position in the nuclear industry. It is gratifying that during the efforts to develop the two-bomb , Qian Xuesen and many other scientific and technological talents gave suggestions to the country, hoping to include the artificial satellite project in the national mission.
Premier Zhou deeply agreed to this. After finally obtaining Chairman Mao’s approval, the “Oriental Hong-1” satellite was officially put into research and development.
1970 On the evening of April 24, 2019, my country's first artificial satellite successfully entered the preset orbit. At this moment, people across the country can hear the clear and loud tune of "Oriental Red" on the radio.
What makes people extremely praiseworthy is that the 1960s and 1970s was a critical period for our country to pursue and catch up with .
"Dongfanghong-1" artificial satellite was successfully launched shortly after the main decision and guidance of Premier Zhou, the design and construction of torpedo nuclear submarines were quickly put on the agenda.
1971, nuclear submarine completed the mooring test as scheduled. Premier Zhou, who was overjoyed, issued instructions many times to ensure that all links are safe.
year later, the nuclear submarine was officially delivered to the People's Navy ; in this way, it solemnly declared to the world that my country's nuclear industry construction has ushered in a new era.
As we all know, Premier Zhou Enlai, who has fought for the "China's soaring world" for life, once admitted that in the 20 years after the liberation of the country, he focused on two major events, one was water conservancy and the other was heaven.
At that time, the country's space dream and nuclear weapons dream had been realized, and they continued to explore the mystery to a higher level, while the water conservancy facilities related to people's livelihood seemed to be pale in comparison.
It has to be admitted that just as my country's nuclear industry construction is in full swing, Shanghai, a major coastal town, faces huge troubles. What's going on?
can not only cause nuclear explosions, but also nuclear power plants
As the lifeline base of the country's economy and industry, more and more companies have shown difficulties in starting three days and suspending work for four days; as for some new factories and mines, they have suffered a lot and dare not start production easily.
Looking into the reason, there are only four words that can explain it, that is "insufficient electricity"! If this continues, not only will Shanghai's economy be on the verge of collapse, but the overall situation in the country will also be subject to significant impact.
At this critical moment, how will the central government respond? Some leaders expressed their opinions and offered suggestions; proposed plans such as relying on the continuous coal resources of North China and the use of sufficient water sources to achieve power generation.
However, Premier Zhou saw the disadvantages at a glance. If he wanted to transport the northern coal resources to Shanghai, he would inevitably be overwhelmed by railway transportation; as for the support plan of the southern hydropower generation , it is undoubtedly a move that distant water cannot quench his thirst.
In view of this, he immediately announced the ultimate plan; from a long-term perspective, if we want to completely solve the problem of power shortage in Shanghai and East China, the only feasible way is to develop efficient new energy.
In fact, as early as November 1970, Premier Zhou said to the leaders of the Second Machinery Department very funnyly: The Second Machinery Department can not only carry out nuclear explosions, but also build nuclear power plants.
The twists and turns of "July 28 Project"
Don't you know that after the Soviet Union built the world's first nuclear power plant in 1954, it opened the curtain of the atomic energy era. After learning the news, Premier Zhou expressed emotionally that in addition to providing a powerful source of power for mankind, atomic energy can also open up bright futures for all fields of science.
1970 On December 15, Zhou Enlai presided over the Central Committee for the first time to discuss specific related matters of nuclear power plant projects, namely the "July 28 Project".
Last week, the Prime Minister repeatedly emphasized that the construction of nuclear power plants must follow the basic policies of safety, practicality and economy. , although ideal is extremely plump, reality is so skinny; the July 28 project has been questioned from the beginning, why is this?
One of the original core problems is the choice of reactor type for nuclear power plant. Taking the powerful United States as an example, whether it is a nuclear submarine or a nuclear power plant, it is keen on using pressurized water reactor .
The advantages of this nuclear reactor are that it has safe operation, economical and practical, and mature technology. Because of this, nuclear power plants in many countries around the world tend to pressurized water reactors.
However, the pressurized water reactor also has obvious disadvantages. At least 95% of the burning nuclear fuel uranium 235 will become nuclear waste . The huge harm of nuclear waste has long been obvious to all. Not only does the cleaning difficulty double, but it also faces the risk of leakage and spread at any time.
If that is the case, does it have a nuclear reactor with better performance? The answer is of course yes! molten salt reactor is the culmination of top technology. The reactor mainly uses thorium as nuclear fuel, which can make combustion more thorough and waste significantly reduce.
, coupled with my country's rich thorium storage capacity, it will inevitably provide sufficient fuel support for nuclear power plants. For this reason, many scientific and technological workers strongly recommend that molten salt repositories should be the best choice for building nuclear power plants. So which nuclear reactor will my country’s new nuclear power plant adopt?
At that time, the chief engineer of the "July 28 Project" Ouyang Yu advocated that since the molten salt reservoir was just in the experimental stage, the relevant technology and risk assessment were not yet mature; so for the sake of safety, it is better to use pressurized water reservoirs.
At that time, the chief designer of my country's first nuclear submarine Peng Shilu also readily agreed, believing that the pressurized water reactor is a safe solution. In this way, with the support of authoritative nuclear experts, the problem of relay selection in nuclear power plants has finally been solved.
As the saying goes: One wave has not yet subsided and another wave has started again; although the reservoir shape of the nuclear power plant has been established, new debates arise immediately; was my country's first nuclear power plant independently developed or introduced from abroad?
Just as the two factions were arguing, a serious nuclear leakage accident occurred at the San Mile Island nuclear power plant in the United States. Faced with the continuous spread of international nuclear panic, the July 28 Project is also in a precarious situation.
At this time, a voice said that even the United States, who masters advanced technology, cannot avoid accidents in nuclear power plants; for my country with lack of experience, how can we ensure that independent research and development are foolproof?
Another voice strongly refutes that it is better to teach people how to fish than to teach people how to fish. If you blindly seek foreign assistance, you will definitely develop a dependent mentality, and how can you truly have core technology? Later, under the decision of Premier Zhou, Gong Deng and other leaders, they continued to continue the path of self-reliance and miracle creation as always.
1974, Ouyang Yu, Peng Shilu, Miao Hongxing and others gathered in the Great Hall of the People to report the nuclear power plant design plan to Premier Zhou and other central leaders.
What is heartbreaking is that Premier Zhou's body is no longer optimistic and he is suffering from cancer cell lesions. But Premier Zhou is still worried about the construction of the nuclear power plant. That's why Premier Zhou insisted on meeting regardless of his physical condition.
The last meeting
In order to ensure timely treatment of Premier Zhou, ambulances and medical staff outside the venue were on high alert. However, the beloved Prime Minister was still talking and laughing, listening carefully to various details of the nuclear power plant construction plan, and giving important instructions and opinions. During the
, Premier Zhou explained to the scientific researchers like a joke: "You must live a little longer than me, and you will have more tasks in the future!" Last meeting, Premier Zhou disagreed with the opposition and approved the adoption of the July 28 project design plan; and specially allocated RMB 630 million to complete the design and construction of the nuclear power plant.
Unexpectedly, this Central Committee became the last meeting chaired by Premier Zhou. Just over a year later, Premier Zhou passed away due to ineffective treatment.
Adhering to the Prime Minister’s final instructions and final expectations, the July 28th Project was finally launched with difficulty. On August 19, 1982, the preparatory team finally selected a site to build a nuclear power plant in Qinshan Town, Haiyan County, Zhejiang Province. At this point, the construction of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant was slowly started.
In the great journey of creating and leading the new China, Premier Zhou has always taught by example and practiced it, and has made incomparable significant contributions to the rise of the motherland!
Premier Zhou’s selfless dedication and glorious personality of seeking welfare for the country and the people have long been erected in the hearts of hundreds of millions of people! Now the country is prosperous and the people are prosperous and happy. This prosperous era is as you wish!
