As a century-old school, Tsinghua University has maintained high-quality talent output for many years. I will take this opportunity to take a look at several outstanding graduates from Tsinghua University more than 80 years ago.

April 26, 2021 is the Tsinghua University 110th anniversary. As a century-old school, Tsinghua has maintained high-quality talent output for many years.

Take this opportunity to take you to review several outstanding graduates from Tsinghua University more than 80 years ago.

8th graduation photo of Tsinghua Physics Department

front row from left: Wang Daheng, Huang Wei , Xu Xiaowei, He Zehui , Yu Guangyuan; back row from left: Qian Sanqiang , Yang Zhenbang, Chen Yalun, Yang Longsheng , Xie Yuzhang

This is a photo taken by 10 graduates from Tsinghua University Physics Department in 1936. At that time, the Communist Party of China issued a call to achieve the second cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party and establish an anti-Japanese national united front. These 10 aspiring young people who have left the school have their own thoughts on the future of the motherland and have chosen different paths.

Wang Daheng and Xie Yuzhang stayed at Tsinghua Research Institute, continuing their studies while working as assistants; Huang Wei and Xu Xiaowei stayed at Tsinghua University to work; He Zehui decided to go to Germany to study military industry; Yu Guang went to Guang Lingnan University ; Qian Sanqiang chose to enter the Institute of Physics of the Peking Research Institute; Yang Zhenbang and Chen Yalun went to the Institute of Ballistics of Nanjing Ordnance Administration to serve; Yang Longsheng later went to Xiamen University .

Three of them went abroad to study physics and later achieved remarkable achievements. They were Qian Sanqiang, He Zehui and Wang Daheng.

Qian Sanqiang

"Two bombsSoul figure" strongly recommended many "fathers" to take up their posts

936 After Qian Sanqiang graduated, he entered the Institute of Physics of the Peking Institute of Research Institute. At the beginning of the following year, he and his supervisor Yan Jici jointly published his first research paper "Band Spectrum and Energy of Rubidium Molecule Dissociation". He also took the public-funded French examination at the suggestion of Yan Jici.

In September 11937, Qian Sanqiang entered the Institute of Radium Studies, University of Paris, France. His doctoral thesis instructor was Ilaina Curie, the daughter of Madame Curie. In April 1940, Qian Sanqiang obtained his doctorate and has since continued to do research in Curie Laboratory.

946, Qian Sanqiang and He Zehui got married in France and began a common scientific career.

Qian Sanqiang and He Zehui’s wedding photo

In the laboratory work, the group led by Qian Sanqiang used the latex technology to discover the three-dividing and four-dividing phenomena of atomic nucleus . Jorio said: "This is a meaningful work in physics after World War II . It was jointly completed by two young Chinese scientists and two young French researchers and is the product of international cooperation."

947, Qian Sanqiang was promoted to research supervisor at the French National Research Center, but in the end he still chose to return to China. He said: "Although science has no borders, scientists have their own motherland. It is precisely because the motherland is poor and backward that scientific workers need to work hard to change her appearance. We left our hometown, traveled across the ocean, and went to Europe to study in order to learn advanced science and technology so as to serve the motherland. How can we change our original intention? We should go back to our motherland and work with other scientists to make the emerging science of the atomic nucleus take root, blossom and bear fruit on the land of the motherland."

1948, they returned home on a boat.

After returning to China, Qian Sanqiang taught nuclear physics at Tsinghua University. After the founding of New China, Qian Sanqiang participated in the preparation of Han of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was one of the drafters of the "Draft Establishment of the People's Academy of Sciences". Zhu Kezhen evaluation: "Qian is actually the soul of the initial organization of the Academy of Sciences."

With the efforts of Qian Sanqiang, the Chinese Academy of Sciences established the Institute of Modern Physics, which gathered a group of the best talents and became the cradle of my country's nuclear science career.They started a hard business in an old-style courtyard house in Beijing. Without the instruments, they rode their bicycles to the thrift store to purchase equipment and started to develop it themselves. In 1955, the country decided to develop atomic energy . In 1958, Qian Sanqiang led the construction of my country's first reactor and cyclotron.

In the late 1950s, the Soviet Union withdrew its experts, and China's development of atomic bomb was in trouble.

In order to overcome difficulties, Qian Sanqiang, deputy director of the Ministry of Machinery Industry of , deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Institute of Atomic Energy, has undertaken specific organizational leadership and talent cultivation. From 1959 to 1965, the Institute of Atomic Energy Research Institute sent and trained several scientific and technological personnel to develop the "two bombs".

Many scientists have taken key positions in the research and development of the "two bombs" technology, all thanks to Qian Sanqiang's recommendation. Deng Jiaxian , Zhu Guangya , Peng Huanwu , Cheng Kaijia, Yu Min , Zhou Guangzhao , Hu Renyu ... He all recommended and talked in person, and then sent them to the front line of the research and development of the "two bombs".

992, Qian Sanqiang died of illness. On the eve of the 50th anniversary of National Day, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission posthumously awarded Qian Sanqiang the " Two Bombs and One Satellite " Medal for Merit, commending his great scientific contribution.

He Zehui

Take national needs as its own responsibility

Hi Zehui was determined to serve the country after graduating from Tsinghua University and decided to study "experimental ballistics" at the Department of Technical Physics, Berlin University of Technology, Germany. She is the first foreign student recruited by the department and the first female student recruited by the ballistics major.

940, He Zehui obtained his doctorate. At this time, " World War II " broke out and she was unable to return to China and had to work in Berlin Siemens. This work laid the foundation for her to develop scientific instruments around reactors and accelerators after she returned to China.

946, after He Zehui arrived in France, he moved side by side with Qian Sanqiang in the scientific cause. They worked together to discover the tripartite fission and quadrilateral fission of uranium nucleus and analyzed the mass distribution of lobes.

Qian Sanqiang and He Zehui had three-split and four-split experiments

After returning to China in 1948, He Zehui became a researcher at the Institute of Atomics of the Peking Institute. After the birth of New China , she devoted herself to the creation of the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (renamed the Institute of Physics in 1953).

In order to establish our own nuclear experimental technology foundation, she chose to prepare nuclear latex as a research topic. The research team led by her specifically carried out work under very simple conditions. In 1956, she successfully developed atomic latex with an internationally advanced performance, and won the 1956 Chinese Academy of Sciences Award (Natural Science Part).

959, He Zehui served as the director of the Neutron Physics Research Office. She led and cultivated a rigorous and down-to-earth scientific research team that can fight tough battles, undertakes a number of basic research work, and strongly cooperated with the development of nuclear weapon .

He Zehui read materials in the library of the Institute of Atomic Energy and Energy

973, the Institute of High Energy Physics was established. He Zehui served as deputy director and actively promoted the research on cosmic ray super high energy physics and high energy astrophysics . With her advocacy and support, the Institute of High Energy Physics has built the world's highest alpine latex chamber in Tibet. At the same time, under the guidance of He Zehui, my country has carried out research on using high-altitude balloons to detect cosmic rays.

1980, He Zehui was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Academician). Until her 80s, she still insisted on going to work all day and continued to care about the development of my country's high-energy physics and nuclear physics.

Wang Daheng

Teen into optics and succeeded in the "two bombs and one satellite"

After graduating from university, Wang Daheng stayed at Tsinghua University as a graduate student in nuclear physics for a period of time. After the " July 7 Incident ", he had to interrupt his studies due to the war. After a brief employment, he had the opportunity to further his studies. In 1938, Wang Daheng was admitted to the Chinese-English Bosnian International Student and went to Imperial College London to study optics. Later, he went to , Sheffield University, and studied for a doctorate in optics.

1942, Wang Daheng gave up his doctorate degree and entered Birmingham Changsi Glass Company, where advanced optical glass can be produced. He worked as an experimental physicist in the experimental department and was engaged in the development and research of new optical glasses until he returned to China in 1948.

After returning to China, he participated in the creation of Dalian University and formed the Department of Applied Physics. When material conditions were extremely scarce at that time, like Qian Sanqiang and his wife, he made instruments by themselves and relied on self-made instruments to offer college general physics experimental courses for more than 600 students in the school.

At the suggestion of Wang Daheng, the Chinese Academy of Sciences decided to establish the Instrument Museum of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Changchun (the predecessor of the Changchun Institute of Optical Precision Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) in 1952. Changchun Optical Machinery Institute has since been praised as the "cradle of Chinese optics".

In the 1950s, Wang Daheng took a photo with the leaders of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (from left: Qian Sanqiang, Yun Ziqiang , Wang Daheng, Zhu Kezhen, Wu Youxun , Ding Zan)

955, Wang Daheng was selected as the first batch of members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (academicians). In 1958, Changchun Optical Machinery developed the "eight major pieces" of high-precision optical instruments and optical glass (eight precision instruments of electron microscope , high-temperature metallographic microscope, multi-arm projector, large-scale spectrometer , universal tool microscope , crystal spectrometer, high-precision theodolite , and photoelectric rangefinder) and was famous in the national science and technology community.

In the 1960s, due to the needs of the country, Wang Daheng led the Institute of Optical and Mechanical Engineering and closely linked optics with the development of national defense and the "two bombs and one satellite". In 1964, my country's first atomic bomb was conducted for an explosion test, and a high-speed camera was required to record the relationship between the diameter of the nuclear explosion fireball and the time, thereby inferring the power of the atomic bomb. Wang Daheng led the scientific researchers to recruit a batch of imported high-speed cameras , which already existed in China, as the host, and modified them on this basis, increasing the camera's field of view area by 4 times, realizing the high-speed photography plan with specific requirements, successfully completing the development task and saving development time.

As a strategic scientist, Wang Daheng also actively provides suggestions for my country's scientific and technological development. On March 3, 1986, four scientists, Wang Daheng, Chen Fangyun, , Yang Jiaqi, , and Wang Ganchang, jointly wrote the "Suggestions on Tracking and Researching Foreign Strategic High-Technology Development" and wrote a letter to the national leaders.

This suggestion was approved by Deng Xiaoping: "This suggestion is very important... Make a decision on this matter quickly and do not delay." Soon, Wang Daheng and others' suggestions were approved and the "National High-Tech Research and Development Plan Outline" was formulated, which is the world-renowned "863 Plan".

"863 Plan" four advocates took a photo (from left: Wang Daheng, Wang Ganchang, Yang Jiaqi, Chen Fangyun)

In September 999, Wang Daheng won the "Two Bombs and One Satellite" Medal of Merit; in 2001, he won the title of Advanced Individual for Special Contributions of the National "863 Plan".

Review of these three representative Tsinghua graduates. They graduated from the country's difficult times in the war of resistance. Their academic graduation was also the beginning of their success. They left Tsinghua and were scattered all over the country, but they always cared about their motherland. As early as 1946, Qian Sanqiang and He Zehui went to Cambridge, England to attend the 300th anniversary of the birth of Newton . They met with their old classmate Wang Daheng and told their farewell.

When we parted this time, several old friends agreed: be prepared to return to China at any time, and go back when the situation is clear, so as to serve the future construction of a strong China. Finally, on the eve of the founding of New China, they returned to the motherland in the same year and devoted their lives to the prosperity and rejuvenation of the motherland.

946, Wang Daheng (first right) and Zhou Peiyuan (second right), Qian Sanqiang (fourth right), and He Zehui (third right) took a photo after attending the Cambridge Physics Rally

On the road of science and technology construction in my country, there are countless old scientists like them, and they closely linked their lives and ideals with the future of the motherland and the destiny of the nation. For more than half a century, they have always maintained the spirit of hard work and strived to achieve historical achievements worthy of the times and the people.

In order to vigorously promote the new era of scientists' spirit of patriotism, innovation, realistic thinking, dedication, collaboration and education, and further inspire the patriotism and the intention of innovation in the whole society, the Chinese Association for Science and Technology planned and carried out the national tour exhibition "My Motherland and Me - Chinese Scientist Spirit Theme Exhibition". From April 15th to 28th, the Chinese Scientist Spirit Theme Exhibition (Guangdong Station) was held at the Shantou Science and Technology Museum, and all sectors of society are welcome to visit.

article: Collection Engineering Project Office/China Association for Science and Technology Innovation Strategy Research Institute

Reference:

[1] Ge Nengquan. Heart-to-heart dream: Qian Sanqiang Chuan [M], Beijing: China Science and Technology Press, 2013.10.

[2] Liu Xiao. Juan Shu Kaihe Ren Tianzhen: He Zehui Chuan [M], Beijing: China Science and Technology Press, 2013.5.

[3] Hu Xiaojing. Child-child Danxin The Light of China: The Biography of Wang Daheng [M], Beijing: China Science and Technology Press, 2016.12.

[4] The pictures in this article are from the Academic Growth Data Collection Project of Old Scientists, the Chinese Scientists Museum (online version)