China's aerospace industry has now stood at the pinnacle of the world, and a large part of the huge driving force behind this comes from a legendary figure - Qian Xuesen. His name, for China, is synonymous with the aerospace industry, and for the world, it is a symbol of innovation and wisdom.
There was once an American admiral who was not exaggerating, but said from the bottom of his heart: "One Qian Xuesen is worth the strength of our five divisions." This may sound like an exaggeration, but let's do the math carefully, how many people are in five divisions.
In the army, the strength of a division is about between five thousand and ten thousand people. Well, five divisions, that means at least twenty-five thousand. That's a pretty big number, but let's take it a step further and paint it with more specific numbers.
In the 50s of the 20th century, an infantry division in the United States, the number of which was about 13,000 people. If we estimate according to this standard, then the number of five divisions is almost 65,000 people. This means that Qian Xuesen's wisdom and talent alone can be compared with such a huge army.
Such strength is undoubtedly amazing. It was precisely because Qian Xuesen was so important that the United States did everything possible to prevent him from returning to China, unwilling to let this genius scientist contribute to China's space industry.
However, the U.S. obstruction didn't play a role, because Qian Xuesen, who is a patriotic Chinese. In fact, as early as 1948, several years before the founding of New China, Qian Xuesen had the idea of returning to China and wanted to contribute to the construction of the country. The love and attachment to the motherland in his heart cannot be stopped by any external force.
However, when the U.S. government learned of Qian Xuesen's plan, it immediately became vigilant. They are well aware that if a top scientist like Qian Xuesen can return to China, it will pose a huge threat to their scientific and technological status. So, in 1950, just as Qian Xuesen and his family were about to embark on a journey back to China in the name of "visiting relatives", the United States suddenly intervened and detained him.
They charged Qian Xuesen with the charge of "stealing confidential documents", which was completely unfounded, but the United States ignored it and illegally put him and his family under house arrest. What is even more excessive is that in order to prevent Qian Xuesen from seeking external help, the United States has also cut off all ties with China.
In the eyes of the United States, a top scientific researcher like Qian Xuesen is a potential threat if he cannot use it for himself. They would rather destroy him than see him return to China, because in their view, letting him go back to China would be tantamount to letting the tiger go back to the mountains, and the consequences would be unimaginable.
It is precisely on the basis of this domineering power mentality that Qian Xuesen spent five years under house arrest in the United States and has not been able to return to his beloved motherland. In the past five years, he has endured great mental pressure and loneliness, but he has never given up his longing for his motherland and his belief in returning.
One day in 1955, Qian Xuesen took advantage of the brief moment of American negligence to send a letter full of affection to his relatives in Belgium. This letter is not only a simple greeting, but a crucial step on his way back home. Because he cleverly included a piece of cigarette paper written to Chen Shutong, then vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, in this letter.
On that ordinary cigarette paper, Qian Xuesen described his predicament in the United States in earnest words, and he hoped to get help from the motherland and let him return to his mother's arms as soon as possible. He chose to send the letter to Tan Shu Tong, not only because Tan Shu Tong was an old friend of his father, but also because he was a trustworthy elder.
In addition, Qian Xuesen deliberately put an article in an American newspaper about his house arrest in an envelope. He hoped that through these truthful reports, Chen Shutong would be convinced that what he said was true, that he was indeed in a difficult situation and urgently needed the assistance of the motherland.
After receiving Qian Xuesen's "distress cigarette paper", Chen Shutong knew the importance of this matter. He immediately reported the matter to Premier Zhou. Premier Zhou, who learned of this, attached great importance to it and launched a series of rescue operations on the same day. However, the Americans have always refused to release the people for various reasons, but the mainland has not given up on rescuing them.
In June 1955, on the shores of picturesque Lake Geneva, an international conference was being held in an intense and orderly manner. This is not just a simple political meeting, but also a stage for a contest of power between countries. For China, the conference had a particularly important task - to demand that the United States release the eminent scientist Qian Xuesen, who had been detained.
At the meeting, the Chinese delegation made a tough request to the United States. They not only produced conclusive evidence of the US seizure of Qian Xuesen, but also listed in detail the importance of Qian Xuesen to scientific exchanges between China and the United States. However, the United States has been reluctant to relent.
In their view, Qian Xuesen's value is far more than a simple scientist. His wisdom and ability are of inestimable value to scientific research in the United States. Even if the scolded body is incomplete, the Americans still do not agree to release. The Chinese delegation is also well aware of the thinking of the United States. In order to allow Qian Xuesen to return to China smoothly, they opened a bargaining chip that the United States could not refuse. And this bargaining chip has a close relationship with the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea.
In the smoke of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, the Chinese army not only displayed strong combat effectiveness, but also demonstrated wisdom and strategy. In this fierce international conflict, we captured a group of American Air Force pilots. These pilots, known as the elite in the sky, represent a huge investment and expectation behind each of their flights.
The United States has done everything it can to train these pilots. According to statistics, the training cost of each pilot is as high as nearly 10 million US dollars, which is not only the investment of money, but also the all-round integration of technology, education and resources. After World War II, in the struggle for hegemony between the United States and the Soviet Union, air power became a key link. Therefore, these captured pilots have undoubtedly become a big rock in the heart of the United States.
For China, these pilots are not just prisoners of war, but a strategic resource. They have superb flying skills and combat experience, and if they can be used properly, they will undoubtedly greatly enhance our air force. But at the same time, we also know the value of peace, so we decided to negotiate and let them return home.
However, the negotiation process did not go smoothly. At the beginning, we offered to release 4 pilots in exchange, but the American side was not satisfied. They felt that such a quid pro quo would be too unfair to them. Faced with such a dilemma, we could only think again and finally decided to increase the number of pilots released.
After many consultations and discussions between the two sides, an agreement was finally reached. We released 11 American pilots and successfully exchanged Mr. Qian Xuesen's safe return to China.
October 8, 1955 was a day full of joy and expectation for Mr. Qian Xuesen and his family. Qian Xuesen's family successfully arrived in Hong Kong, which marked their final return to the embrace of the motherland. After all kinds of hardships and twists and turns, Mr. Qian Xuesen was finally able to continue his scientific research career in this familiar land.
After returning to China, Qian Xuesen couldn't wait to start his trip. He has traveled to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and other places, and visited many important scientific research institutions and enterprises. Everywhere he went, he listened carefully to the reports of local researchers and gained an in-depth understanding of their research work and results. He is full of confidence in China's scientific and technological development, and he also knows that he shoulders the important responsibility of promoting China's scientific and technological progress.
In 1956, Mr. Qian Xuesen submitted a planning document to the central government on China's aviation industry. In the document, he elaborated on how China should conduct rocket and missile development. His suggestion was highly valued by the central leadership, and Premier Zhou personally instructed him to prepare for the establishment of the Aeronautical Research Society to officially launch China's aerospace industry.
Under Qian Xuesen's leadership, China's aerospace industry has achieved rapid development. It took only 4 years for China to successfully launch its first replica missile. This indicates that China has the ability to independently develop and produce missiles, and also lays a solid foundation for China's international status to be enhanced.
After another four years, China has ushered in an even more exciting time. China has successfully developed its first missile of its own design and successfully launched it. This achievement shocked the whole world and brought China's space industry to a new level.
In 1956, China made another major achievement, the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb. This milestone event marks that China has become one of the few countries in the world with a nuclear weapons capability.
Subsequently, China's artificial satellite industry also made significant progress. In that period, in addition to the United States and the Soviet Union, China was the third country to master satellite technology. Behind this achievement, it is inseparable from Mr. Qian Xuesen's outstanding leadership and selfless dedication.
Qian Xuesen, this name is like a bright star in the history of China's aerospace industry, illuminating the road of China's aerospace industry. He, an unswerving scientist, with his wisdom and perseverance,
Since then, under the outstanding leadership of Qian Xuesen, China's aerospace industry has embarked on a new journey and gradually moved towards the forefront of the world.
Qian Xuesen not only has a profound scientific and theoretical foundation, but also has infinite love and firm belief in the aerospace industry. He understands that if China's aerospace industry wants to make great progress, it must overcome all kinds of difficulties, make constant innovations, and bravely scale the peak of science and technology. Therefore, he has always maintained his enthusiasm and dedication to scientific research and constantly promoted the progress of China's aerospace technology.
Under the leadership of Qian Xuesen, China's aerospace team has undergone tests and tempering again and again. They have overcome technical difficulties, overcome scientific research difficulties, and completed launch missions again and again. From the successful launch of the satellite to the successful completion of the manned flight, from the in-depth implementation of lunar exploration to the brave progress of Mars exploration, every step embodies Qian Xuesen's hard work and sweat.
Qian Xuesen is not only the leader of China's aerospace industry, but also the representative of China's aerospace spirit. He used his own practical actions to explain what is the spirit of science, what is the spirit of innovation, and what is the spirit of struggle. His dedication and efforts have won China countless praises and respect on the international stage, and China's international status has been greatly enhanced.
And Qian Xuesen is not only satisfied with his achievements in the field of aerospace, he is also a scientist with far-reaching vision. He knows that the power of science can change the world and promote the development of society. Therefore, he has summarized his knowledge and experience into a complete set of scientific theories, and is committed to training a new generation of scientists. He firmly believed that only by using scientific methods to build socialism can China truly rise and become strong.
Under Qian Xuesen's guidance, China's systems science and aviation technology have developed vigorously. He has led the scientific research team to continuously explore the unknown areas of science and made great contributions to China's scientific and technological progress. His spirit and actions have inspired generations of scientists to fight for China's scientific cause.
Although China has paid a huge price to save Mr. Qian Xuesen, these "costs" are worth it in the hearts of the people. Because Mr. Qian Xuesen has not only made outstanding contributions to China's science and technology, but also let us see the power and hope of science. His return is not only the return of a scientist, but also the pride and pride of a nation.