On October 27th, the large-scale original drama "Hou Debang" will be staged in the Opera Hall of Tianjin Grand Theatre. Directed by Xu Ruisheng, a national first-class screenwriter and director, and co-created by teachers and students of Tianjin University, the play lasted nearly 7 years of repeated revisions and ten drafts, and finally put this original drama that recreates a generation of chemical pioneers - Hou Debang's road to salvation and survival on the stage.
As one of the selected projects of the national project "Backbone of the Republic - Propaganda Project of Famous Schools of Science masters" jointly initiated by the China Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the original gift drama "Hou Debang" for the 120th anniversary of the founding of Tianjin University aims to reflect the deeds and scientist spirit of Mr. Hou Debang, professor of Tianjin University (Beiyang University), a famous chemical engineer in China, and the pioneer and founder of China's modern national chemical industry, so as to enlighten future generations to cherish the present.
Sacrifice yourself for others, industry to save the country
A piece of glass, a steamed bun, a seemingly ordinary object, they all use the same raw material - soda ash. Nowadays, soda ash can be seen everywhere in daily life, but it is not known that in China a hundred years ago, people could not get the high price of soda ash, only sour steamed bread for food, and the factory that used soda ash as a raw material was even more difficult. At this time, there was a person who changed this situation, he was Hou Debang.
On August 9, 1890, Hou Debang was born in Minhou County, Fujian Province, to an ordinary peasant family. Since childhood, he has been diligent and studious, half ploughing and half reading, and has the reputation of "trailer study". In 1903, with the financial support of his aunt, he went to Fuzhou Yinghua Academy to study, and later studied at the Shanghai Minwan Railway College. After graduation, he worked as an intern at the British-funded Jinpu Railway. His young study and work experience allowed him to witness the exploitation and oppression of the poor and backward China and the people by the Western powers, and Hou Debang was determined to master science and technology and use science and industry to save the suffering China.
In 1911, Hou Debang was admitted to the Peking Tsinghua Preparatory School for Studying in the United States, and was known as Tsinghua Garden with excellent results of 10 homework and 1000 points, and was guaranteed to study in the chemical engineering department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States, becoming one of the first graduates to study in the United States, and received a doctorate degree in 1921. His doctoral thesis "Iron Salt Tanning Leather", because of his unique insights, was specially serialized in the Journal of the American Tanning Chemists Association, and published in full, becoming one of the classic documents widely cited in the tannery industry.
At this time, Hou Debang received a letter from Fan Xudong, a patriotic industrialist in China, inviting him to work in the "Yongli Alkali Company" after graduation and undertake the heavy responsibility of building the first alkali plant in Asia, the Yongli Tanggu Alkali Plant. It is also this letter that made Fan Xudong and Hou Debang, two pioneers of China's heavy chemical industry, get together and open the road to scientific salvation.
At that time, affected by the outbreak of the First World War, the source of foreign alkali imported from China decreased sharply. The people's lives are in dire straits, and industrial production is difficult to develop. To this end, Fan Xudong set his sights on the alkali industry after the successful establishment of Jiuda Refined Salt Company in Tanggu. At that time, the mainstream alkali production method Sur Wei alkali technology was monopolized by several large companies, so the establishment of alkali factories was different from ordinary factories, and it was impossible to buy the whole set of machines, and they had to secretly explore the design. "Although I am crushed to pieces, I will also work hard." For alkali production, Fan Xudong has long made up his mind. It was also Fan Xudong's indomitable enthusiasm for revitalizing the Chinese nation's industry that touched Hou Debang, causing him to give up his smallly accomplished tanning profession and devote himself to the field of alkali production, which was not yet specialized.
In order to make the Yongli alkali plant produce qualified soda ash, Hou Debang painstakingly studied, after 500 times of testing, Yongli alkali plant finally produced the first batch of high-quality soda ash in China and even Asia in 1926 - "Red Triangle" brand soda ash, and won the gold medal at the Philadelphia World Exposition held in the same year, won the "symbol of China's modern industrial progress" comments, but also broke the monopoly of Western alkali companies in one fell swoop.
The success of Hou Debang's alkali production gave China hope of moving forward, and his subsequent move shocked the world. Hou Debang was determined to write a comprehensive exposition of the technology, process and equipment of Survi alkali production, and to make his research results public to the world. You know, due to the blockade of soda ash technology, imported foreign alkali in China at that time could sell an ounce of gold a pound, no different from real gold and silver. Mastering this technology is undoubtedly mastering absolute wealth.
Hou Debang's bold decision was immediately opposed by the people around him, and everyone persuaded him to think twice, "Ten years of hard fighting has finally come to fruition, why are you bitter, you still have no place to live, not even a home." "My teacher Jackson once said, 'Science and technology belong to all mankind, and it should benefit mankind.'" A true scientist must not use science and technology as a tool for seeking personal wealth. ’”
In 1933, Hou Debang's book "Manufacturing Soda Ash" written in English was published in New York. He unlocked the mystery of the Sulvi alkali technology, and the mystery of the Sulvi alkali technology that had been blocked for 70 years was unveiled, and the alkali technology became the common wealth of all mankind.
In 1937, the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in full swing, and in the midst of 8 years of flames and smoke, in the face of the Threat and Temptation of the Japanese invaders, Fan Xudong, Hou Debang, Li Zhanchen, Sun Xuewu and others resolutely issued the strongest voice of national patriotism of "Preferring to Mourn, Not to Settle the Ceremony", refused to cooperate with the enemy, led the technicians to move west to Sichuan, built the Yonglichuan Factory and the Yellow Sea Chemical Research Society at the Wutong Bridge in Leshan, and created the Jiuda Model Salt Factory in Zhangjiaba, Zigong, where they overcame difficulties, resumed production, and supported the War of Resistance, and Dr. Hou Debang led the technicians. Under extremely difficult conditions, he invented the "joint alkali production method" (Hou's alkali method), which wrote a brilliant page for the Chinese nation in the history of the development of chemical industry in the world. On October 22, 1943, the British Chemical Society awarded Hou Debang an honorary member. At the time, only 12 chemists in the world, including Hou Debang, were awarded the title.
After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the factory gradually resumed production, and Hou Debang studied and invented a new process of carbonization synthesis of ammonia to produce ammonium bicarbonate fertilizer, and made it industrialized and promoted in a large area in the 1960s. Hou Debang was concerned about the chemical industry all his life, and after the founding of New China, in order to investigate the use of chemical fertilizers, he inspected everywhere, and finally he could not run, so he held a meeting at home to discuss. Until a few months before his death, Hou Debang also reported to the party group of the Ministry of Chemical Industry and asked to go to the Dalian chemical plant to investigate and study and solve the problem.
In January 1973, the seriously ill Hou Debang wrote his last letter to his beloved Premier Zhou Enlai: "... Debang is old, frail and sickly, and I am afraid that he will die soon. All his life, he was cultivated by the party and the state, and sent to study abroad, but he has not been able to repay it so far. After the age of 100, he plans to contribute the few reference books stored in his home to the country..." This is his last family property, and it is also another stepping stone that he finally left for future generations to climb the peak of science and technology. On August 26, 1974, Hou Debang died in Beijing at the age of 84.
Ten easy to draft, allegorical to the play
Chemical pioneer, scientific salvation, repeated achievements, world-famous. An outstanding scientist with such a legendary life, how should his story be written?
In 2014, the joint publicity activity for scientists jointly launched by the Chinese Association for Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering was officially launched. Hou Debang, as the founder of China's chemical industry and a professor of Beiyang University (the predecessor of Tianjin University), his spirit of saving the country through industry, scientific research and education has had a profound impact on Tianjin and Tianda, so Tianjin University fully mobilized teachers and students to participate in script creation.
In order to truly restore the character image of Hou Debang and this tortuous history, the working group successively went to Beijing, Tianjin, Dalian, Nanjing, Fujian and other places to visit the Chinese Chemical Society, the Chinese Chemical Industry Society, the YongliHuachang Factory-run Nanjing Chemical Vocational and Technical College, the Nanjing Chemical Industry Group Corporation, the Yongli Chemical Tianjin Alkali Factory and other units, tracked hou Lao's life footprints on the ground, interviewed Hou Lao's descendants, secretaries, and insiders, consulted more than a thousand copies of books and historical documents, sorted out more than 100,000 words of first-hand information, and created a drama based on this. The first draft of the script of "Hou Debang" has invited playwright Yang Aijun and Tianjin University alumni Gao Shen to carry out creation, held script seminars, review meetings, and worked together to change the draft ten times, and finally completed the draft.
At the end of 2017, Tianjin University re-created and comprehensively improved the drama. On February 1, 2018, a new crew was formed, and Xu Ruisheng, a national first-class screenwriter and director, was invited to direct, and the stage performance was comprehensively improved. With "writing drama is writing love" as the creative standard, the character dialogue, action, and emotion are used to shape the image, so that the drama is closer to the public and close to life. Form a strong team of art experts, invite artists from Tianjin Vocational College To join, and participate in drama performances and choreography together with young teachers of Tianda University and students of Beiyang Repertory Theatre.
Teacher Feng Gongrang, a teacher at the Art Education Center of Tianjin University and a young composer, also created a symphony for the drama, completing an innovative attempt to combine the symphony and the drama. In order to catch up, he used the winter break to create and postponed his surgery. The symphonic suite includes 17 sections such as prologue, brotherhood, recitation of Taigong, reading on a bicycle, and alkali, and the creation focuses on the character of "love", the affection between Hou Debang and Taigong, the love with Zhang Shuchun, and the friendship with Fan Xudong. It was recorded by the Tianjin Symphony Orchestra and the Beiyang Choir of Tianjin University after repeated rehearsals.
Director Xu Ruisheng said that when he got the script of the drama "Hou Debang", he was deeply attracted by this drama, Hou Debang is not selfish, willing to dedicate his life to the country and the world's national spirit let him deeply moved, "Hou Debang's body has the most prominent symbol of Chinese traditional knowledge - the style of the scholar." They never consider personal gains and losses, but always have the world in mind, regard the interests of the country and the nation as the goal of lifelong struggle, this kind of talent can be called the 'backbone of the republic', this spirit is called the national spirit, worthy of our continued inheritance. ”
In order to perfectly present the drama "Hou Debang", Xu Ruisheng found a professional stage production team that he had cooperated with for many years to participate in the creation, and invited Ren Dongyue, the actor of Boya in the original large-scale historical drama "Boya Wrestling" directed by him and a teacher of the Department of Drama and Film and Television of Tianjin Conservatory of Music, to play Hou Debang. "When I received the invitation from Director Xu, I was surprised that he was nearly eighty years old and was willing to spend so much energy to create a new drama. When I began to consult Hou Debang's information for this drama, I understood why the director was like this. Hou Debang once said, 'The poor are good at their own, and the da is good for the world."' That's what he said, and that's what he did. When I saw his willingness to make the Sur-assay alkali technology public, I sincerely admired his spirit of selfless dedication, which was difficult for our generation to do. ”
In order to play this role well, Ren Dongyue read a lot of information about Hou Debang, carefully pondered the psychology of the characters, and strived to achieve the most real and appropriate restoration. Hou Debang has made countless achievements in his life, but what makes Ren Dongyue feel the most difficult to shape is not when Hou Debang creates one miracle after another, but the scene when Hou Debang's wife Zhang Shuchun died when Hou Debang said goodbye to him.
Unlike Hou Debang, Zhang Shuchun is an ordinary peasant woman, who has not read books and cannot read large characters, but accompanies Hou Debang all her life and silently guards this home for her. Because Hou Debang has been studying, going abroad, and traveling around the country for many years, the couple gathers less and leaves more, and the time they spend together is extremely short. In 1958, during the delegation led by Hou Debang in Japan, Zhang Shuchun died of illness, Hou Debang was deeply saddened, and deeply felt that he owed a lot to his wife, he said, "I have taught and educated people all my life, cultivated so many talents, but only taught you a 'Shu' word. For the next 16 years, Hou Debang has been accompanied by his deceased wife's urn, never touched the idea of continuing the string, and fulfilled his promise to "only keep the white hair in the empty room, and repay the half-life and death parting".
Ren Dongyue said that this drama does not seem to be important in the whole play, but it is the most emotional part: "Hou Debang is a well-known chemist, an industrialist who saves the country through science, and dedicates his life to the prosperity of the country, but he still has a fragile side, and for his wife, he only has deep guilt." It is also this scene that allows us to see a 'fresh' Hou Debang. ”
Widely disseminated, touching future generations
It is reported that since the first round of performances in April 2015, the original drama "Hou Debang" has been performed 17 times in Tianjin, Beijing, Inner Mongolia and Guangdong, with continuous praise. In 2020, in the 12.5-hour live broadcast of the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the founding of Tianjin University, the drama "Hou Debang" became the favorite cultural and artistic program of teachers, students and alumni, and was broadcast more than one million times.
On July 30 this year, the third "Young Artist Training Program" was officially launched at the Tianjin Grand Theatre. Since the launch of the first "Young Artist Training Program" in 2018, it has been successfully held for three sessions so far, and this event aims to rely on the venue resources of Tianjin Grand Theatre to provide a stage for teachers and students of Tianjin universities and art colleges to display their practice, so as to improve the creative enthusiasm and professional level of artistic talents, accumulate experience and promote the growth of artistic talents. At the same time, as part of the cultural performance for the benefit of the people, a series of performance activities were launched to enrich the cultural life of the people of Tianjin. The large-scale original drama "Hou Debang" brought by Tianjin University will also be used as the first performance of this year's "Young Artist Training Program" to meet with audiences and friends.
It is worth mentioning that this performance will be held in the Opera Hall of Tianjin Grand Theatre, which is also one of the highlights of this year's "Young Artist Training Program". Moving the stage of young artists from small theaters to opera halls, concert halls and other large theaters not only provides a larger and more professional display platform for teachers and students of colleges and universities and art colleges in the city, but also helps to promote the improvement of the artistic level and quality of art teachers and students in colleges and universities, and builds a bridge to the national and even international stage.
Guan Hong, secretary of the Youth League Committee of Tianjin University, said that the process of watching the drama is also a process of infiltrating the soul, and the drama "Hou Debang" shows the patriotic heart of this scholar model, the aspiration of rejuvenating the country, the feeling of bowing down to exhaustion, the soul of seeking truth from facts, and infecting a generation of students with his lofty spirit of believing in science and saving the country through industry. Therefore, the crew often tours to various colleges and universities across the country, and at the welcome ceremony of new students of Tianjin University every year, the drama "Hou Debang" is one of the indispensable programs.
Many students were deeply moved and inspired after watching the drama, and regarded Hou Debang as a model for their hard work. Sui Haonan, the winner of the Tianda Outstanding Student Pacesetter, said: "I am taking Mr. Hou Debang's example of 10 homework courses with 1000 points, taking the highest score of all professional courses, and creating a record in the Department of Mechanics with an average score of 97 points. A master of the School of Chemical Engineering was quite touched after watching the drama: "Today, when I heard the drama of "Hou Debang", my heart churned, I wanted to relive this period of history, and then I returned to my academics and determined scientific research diligently! A high school student from Beijing Jianhua Experimental School wrote such an exclamation in the WeChat circle of friends: ""Hou Debang" taught us what persistence and love for the cause, taught us to ignite blood for the country, and taught us that love is not Qingqing and me, but silently supported behind our backs." ”
Tianjin University also invited Hou Debang's descendants to come to watch the drama "Hou Debang", and Hou Debang's granddaughter Hou Shengxin said with emotion after watching the performance: "Grandpa often educates us, diligently can make up for clumsiness, diligent and thrifty. Although Grandpa has been dead for many years, his voice and smile are often in front of my eyes, and this drama reminds me of what Grandpa looked like in those days, because this drama not only has a home country, but also has more feelings. (Xu Xuefei)
Source: Tianjin Daily