On December 20, 2016, a special day, Mr. Li Pei ushered in the last birthday of her life in the ward, at this time her physical condition was quite weak, respiratory failure and a variety of geriatric diseases plagued her, but her mood was exceptionally happy.
On this day, the staff specially prepared a large bright red flower and a beautiful cake for her to express their respect and blessings to her. Li Pei lay on the hospital bed, looked at the flowers and cakes in front of him, and left this photo with a smile. Although the flame of life has gradually been extinguished, her thinking is still clear and she survives New Year's Day. However, on January 12, 2017, she finally closed her eyes and left this world.
The name Li Pei may not be so conspicuous among the general population, but for those familiar with the fields of technology and education, the story behind the name is enough to move people. Li Pei is a native of Jiangsu, born in a family full of books, and received a good education from an early age. At the age of 18, she was admitted to Peking University with excellent grades and began her academic career. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, she entered Southwest Associated University to study, which not only showed her academic talent, but also showed her perseverance.
Li Pei is not only a talented woman, but her beauty is also praised. After graduating from university, she worked for the China Labor Association and later went to Cornell University in the United States to further her studies. In the United States, she met her senior Guo Yonghuai, and the two hit it off at first sight and soon established a deep relationship. In 1948, they entered the palace of marriage hand in hand, and together they pursued academic and professional development in the United States. Guo Yonghuai, a well-known mechanics expert, already enjoyed a high reputation in the United States at that time, and some people even evaluated his value as equivalent to 10 divisions.
In 1949, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Guo Yonghuai and Li Pei both deeply cherished the desire to return to China to serve the motherland. They broke through layers of resistance, and like Qian Xuesen and his wife, they resolutely returned to China one after the other. After returning to China, Guo Yonghuai devoted himself to his work and made great contributions to the mainland's nuclear weapons research. At the same time, Li Pei also served as the director of the foreign language teaching and research department at USTC, and cultivated a large number of outstanding talents.
Although the living conditions after returning to China were not comparable to those in the United States, Li Pei had no regrets and devoted himself to the task of working and raising the next generation. However, unfortunately, in 1968, Guo Yonghuai suffered an aircraft accident at work and died tragically. The blow was huge for Li Pei, but she still lived strong and continued to care about national affairs and education.
In her later years, despite the loss of her husband and only daughter, Li Pei still lived strong and cared about the future of the country and the nation. Her strength and perseverance, as well as her deep love for her country and nation, are deeply admired. After Li Pei's death, the country did not forget her and her husband's contributions, and named the two newly discovered asteroids "Li Peixing" and "Guo Yonghuaixing" respectively to commemorate the outstanding contributions made by the couple to the country and the nation.