"Mr. Nankai" who "corrected the name" of Chinese pesticides - mourning Academician Li Zhengming

【Remembrance】

Author:Zhou Jiming (Professor, Hubei University)

On October 4th, When I heard that Mr. Li Zhengming passed away unexpectedly, my heart was very heavy. Although I have never met Mr. Masamune, I have become acquainted and befriended his grandfather, Levigg. Mr. Zhengming has countless honors and identities: famous educator, chemist, pesticide scientist, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, professor of Nankai University... But I prefer to follow the teachers and students of Nankai University and call him "Mr. Nankai". He has lived and worked in Nankaiyuan for more than half a century, and presumably, he also likes this title.

Born in Shanghai, his grandfather Li Weige was one of the pioneers of China's modern steel industry and played a pivotal role in the history of Hanyeping. Sheng Xuanhuai, a representative figure of the late Qing Dynasty foreign affairs movement, called him "first-class in ambition and talent" and "China has experience, only one person is public". In 2014, I undertook the major bidding project of the National Social Science Fund "Collection, Collation and Research of Archives and Documents of Hanyeping Company", and in the process of combing through the data, I found that Mr. Li Zhongdao, the philosopher of Li Weige, had two sons and a daughter, and the eldest son, Li Zhengming, was the director of the Institute of Elemental Organic Chemistry of Nankai University. Through a friend, I got Mr. Masamune's mail address, so I took the liberty of sending an e-mail to ask if he had any relevant information that had not yet been published. Two days later, I received a warm reply from Mr. Masana, who expressed his support for the project and provided many information clues, saying: "Please inform you of the mailing details, as soon as the situation permits, I can send some information on my hand." "I was very impressed. More than ten letters of correspondence were exchanged between us. I promised Mr. Masamune that if it was written as a research article, I would send it to Mr. Masamune for correction first. Unexpectedly, the article was not completed, and Mr. Passed away unexpectedly, and I am deeply saddened and sorry.

When I recalled Mr. Li, I once again read the article "From "Returnees" to "Peasants" - "The Patriotic Feelings of Mr. Nankai" Li Zhengming published by Guangming Daily on May 19, 2019, and I found that from Li Weige to Li Zhengming, this family has always inherited patriotic blood.

Li Weige once described himself: "Contemptible people observe the current situation and know the steel world, this factory is really the root of China's wealth and strength, so they risk it regardless of the interests." However, the weight of the shoulders, the difficulties are so many, and those who are unwilling to eat and sleep restlessly for four years are almost every day. In December 1907, Li Weige took over as the general office of the Hanyang Iron Works, and he announced to the whole factory that his salary would be "raised 200 taels per month to be stored in the storage office of the factory for interest, and for those who died of illness or injury, and whose family members had no one to support them, they were slightly subsidized." The purpose of this move is to help everyone through the difficult times and "preserve this fundamental industry for China." It is precisely because of his feelings and responsibilities for the country and the nation that he went abroad to investigate and improve the production technology of the iron factory, improve product quality, strengthen production management, and send students to study abroad, so as to promote the Hanyang Iron Works to turn defeat into victory and a new look.

Li Weige's spirit profoundly influenced Mr. Zhengming. In 1953, after graduating from university, Li Zhengming resolutely decided to give up the superior living conditions and advanced scientific research environment in the United States, and took a boat with the first batch of Chinese students to Hong Kong and return to the embrace of the motherland. At that time, there were only more than forty scientific research institutions in the country, less than a thousand scientific research personnel, and fewer scientific and technological achievements. Even so, he had no remorse.

Mr. Masana once said in his self-statement that there are two fortunate things in life: One is that "in the difficult period of continuous war and turmoil in the old society, it is not easy for parents to be diligent and frugal in running the family, and it is not easy to maintain a life, but still has a strict family style, attaches great importance to the education of our children, requires us to read good books to become useful people for society, requires us to adhere to credibility, be upright, respect others, and help others." So we didn't get into any bad habits since we were young. The second is that "in 1953, I insisted on returning to China, and with the support of my parents who knew the great righteousness, I could return home after a protracted struggle to return home and reunite." ”

Despite the obstacles and difficulties, Mr. Masana is determined to return to his homeland. Later, he was assigned to Nankai University by the Ministry of Education, where he served as Professor Yang Shixian's scientific research assistant, and then followed Professor Yang Shixian to pursue graduate studies. In 1956, he graduated from the Department of Chemistry of Nankai University with a graduation certificate number of 001, so he was affectionately known as "Mr. Nankai" by teachers and students.

This "Mr. Nankai" also lived up to his name and devoted his life to "justifying the name" of China's pesticides. In 2007, Mr. Zhengming won major scientific and technological innovation achievements, and his team independently developed and created monopyrosulfuron, which is the first green ultra-efficient herbicide with independent intellectual property rights in China, filling the technical gap of China's long-term independent creation of herbicides, breaking the long-term monopoly of developed countries, making China one of the few countries in the world with the ability to independently create herbicides.

Through the joint efforts of several generations of Chinese pesticide people such as Mr. Zhengming, by the end of 2015, China's pesticide production has reached the world's first, and the annual output value has exceeded the 100 billion yuan mark, half of which is exported to all over the world.

It was also in 2015 that he donated the 500,000 yuan of the "Tianjin Science and Technology Major Achievement Award" that he had just won to the Yang Shixian Scholarship Foundation. This move, he took for granted: "When I received the certificate of commendation at the city award ceremony, I thought that it was precisely because of the years of cultivation and help of the party organization and Elder Yang that I could make some achievements." I should follow the Chinese tradition of Zhi'en Tu Bao and do my best to add bricks and tiles, which is my obligation and responsibility. After the donation ceremony, he rode home alone on his bicycle.

Looking back on the life course of Mr. Masana, although it has gone through twists and turns, it has always been unswerving. When he returned to China after interrupting his study abroad career, the voices of mockery and puzzlement around him rang out from time to time. However, he believes: "After returning to China, my professional knowledge can be closely integrated with the construction of the motherland's science and education cause, make certain achievements in the post, see the achievements of the science and education undertakings I have participated in and the growth of cultivating talents, and feel that my life is very valuable." ”

Recalling mr. a few things, those words that have been lingering in my ears: "Man cannot only satisfy his personal material interests, but also pursue them spiritually." "Mr. Li Weige is like this, and so is Mr. Li Zhengming's life.

Guangming Daily ( 2021-10-07 03 edition)

Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily