The gentle breeze whisks away the last gift of this autumn, and the fallen leaves come to No. 10 East Shima Da Ren Hutong in Beijing with affection and blessings to present a birthday gift for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, which is the same age as New China. The vast city of Beijing has awakened, and the torrent of time has baptized the traces left by the years on the gate of the hutong, and what remains unchanged is the heart that marches towards science. And let's cut through the dust of history to find and relive that exciting story.
The streets of Beijing's East Sima Da Ren Hutong (now renamed Yuqun Hutong).
Who would have thought that there was a clever chance between the founding place of the highest academic institution in the natural sciences of China and the Ma people during the Ming Dynasty? You may wonder why the historical lens of the Chinese Academy of Sciences gave "Ma Daren" a close-up.
The founding place of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 10 Ma Daren Hutong (now No. 17 Yuqun Hutong).
This little-known past requires us to go back to the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic. At a time when the war of liberation was about to achieve national victory, the Party Central Committee considered establishing a unified academy of sciences after the founding of New China.
"Draft for the Establishment of the People's Academy of Sciences", page 1 (Image from the Internet)
The newly established "Faculty" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences did not have an office address at the beginning, and the initial office meetings were held in the Beijing Hotel where the leaders of the Institute temporarily stayed, and living in the hotel was certainly not a long-term solution, and this expedient dilemma needed to be solved urgently. Therefore, the relevant person in charge contacted Wu Yuzhang, who was mainly in charge of the preparatory meeting of the All-China Natural Science Workers Congress (hereinafter referred to as "Kedai Preparation"). Wu Yuzhang was the president of North China University (now Renmin University) and was elected as one of the first members of the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Portrait of Wu Yuzhang (image from the Internet)
Letter of appointment of Wu Yuzhang as a member of the Faculty of Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Image from the Internet)
The office of "Kedai Chip" is located at No. 10, Ma Daren Hutong, Beijing. Wang Zhihua was Wu Yuzhang's secretary in the Department of Science and Technology, and he also held the position of the General Office of the Academy of Sciences. The establishment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is closely linked to the "science and technology preparation", and the proposal for the establishment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was put forward for the first time on the "science and technology preparation".
Photo taken of the preparatory meeting of the First National Congress of Natural Science Workers of China (photo from the Internet)
It is precisely because of the "kinship relationship" between the Academy of Sciences and the "Science and Technology Chip" to a certain extent, so there was a later discussion between the Academy of Sciences and the "Science and Technology Chip" - "borrowing a treasure land from your side" for temporary office. On November 1, 1949, the Chinese Academy of Sciences began its official office in Ma Daren Hutong.
Shanghai's Academia Sinica units jointly sent a telegram congratulating the establishment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Source: Museum of History of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
On November 1, 1949, "the Chinese Academy of Sciences temporarily began its office on November 1 at No. 10, East 4 Ma Daren Hutong, telephone number 4. 1207. The circular was issued, and China's scientific and technological undertakings have opened a new chapter. As a result, the Chinese Academy of Sciences was established.
Office Circular issued in the name of President Guo Moruo and other leaders of the Academy (Archives of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)
Although "Ma Daren" is not so famous in history, the seemingly inconspicuous corner of the city of "Ma Daren Hutong" is the cradle that gave birth to the scientific dream of New China.
Exterior view of Yuqun Hutong No. 17
At the beginning of the establishment of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Premier Zhou proposed that the Chinese Academy of Sciences should become the locomotive for improving the scientific level and cultivating new forces in the country. The bucket turns to the stars, and the sun and moon rotate. In the past seventy-two years, from a hundred wastes to be revived to the Haiyan River, from "marching toward science" to "scientific spring", the Chinese Academy of Sciences has continuously rushed forward with the Ma Daren Hutong as the starting point, rolling forward in the wheel of historical progress. Whether it is the dilapidated old courtyard hidden in the ordinary residential area yesterday, or the solemn organ building standing in the Sanli River today, it has inherited the endless will and strength in the long river of time. On the day of the 72nd birthday of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as a member of the National University of Science and Technology, we chose to open the historical archives to participate in this root-seeking trip in order to know the unique glory and hardships of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In the future, as a member of the National University of Science and Technology, we believe that we will work with the motherland, the times and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to jointly participate in and witness the development and take-off of China's science and technology!
Author: Dong Ze'ao Is a graduate student at the School of Humanities, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Photo: Chang Haoran Graduate student at the Sino-Danish College of the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Source: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences