【Everyone walking together with one heart】
The motherland will always be his first choice
- Commemorating the 120th anniversary of the birth of fire and explosives expert Zhou Faqi
Author:Jiang Man,Wang Zheng(Unit: Beijing Institute of Technology)
Biography of scholars
Zhou Faqi (1901-1990), a native of Li County, Hebei Province. He used the name Zhou Kangzhi. Chemist, founder of the discipline of explosives manufacturing technology in New China. He went to France in 1921 and received his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Lyon in 1928. In 1929, he returned to China and served as a professor at the Sino-French University in Beiping, the head of the Department of Chemistry, and a researcher at the Institute of Chemistry of the Peking Research Institute. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he successively served as the director of the Academic Affairs Office, the director of the Scientific Research Department and the vice dean of the Beijing Institute of Technology (now Beijing Institute of Technology). Editor-in-chief of Synthetic Chemistry of Explosives.
"Our country has become better, and in the future I will live to the old age and work until I am old, and in the spirit of seizing the day, I will fulfill all the tasks entrusted to me by the party and contribute the rest of my life to the construction of the four modernizations." On January 15, 1980, after learning that he had been approved to join the party, Zhou Faqi, a professor at the Beijing Institute of Technology (now Beijing Institute of Technology), was so happy that he could not calm down for a long time. That year, the founder of the new Chinese explosives manufacturing process discipline was 79 years old.
Zhou Faqi photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Beijing Institute of Technology
Exotic other countries
Do not forget the dream of a rich country and a strong people
Zhou Faqi was born on November 8, 1901, to a peasant family in Li County, Hebei Province, where his father studied in Japan when he was young and followed Sun Yat-sen to the Xinhai Revolution. At the beginning of the 20th century, when the weakened China was in turmoil, the teenager Zhou Faqi witnessed the tragic situation of the country and the people being devastated, and deeply rooted the ambition of "rich country and strong people" in his heart. Encouraged by the May Fourth Movement, Zhou Faqi actively went to the counties of southern Hebei to carry out anti-imperialist and patriotic propaganda. Through participating in the progressive movement, the ideas of "saving the country through science and technology" and "saving the country through industry" began to take root in his heart.
"In order to save backward China, we must develop our own industry, and only by studying science and technology abroad can we realize the desire of industry to save the country after returning to China." With a deep love for the motherland and a persistent pursuit of dreams, Zhou Faqi was admitted to the preparatory class of the Agricultural College in 1920, and in 1921, he successfully obtained the official fee study qualification set up by the Beiyang government at that time.
A picture of Zhou Faqi in his youth was provided by the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Beijing Institute of Technology
On August 13, 1921, under the leadership of Wu Zhihui, then president of Peking Sino-French University, Zhou Faqi bid farewell to his hometown and went to France to study. When he came to France, because Zhou Faqi was an "official student", he was escorted to the first class of the Sino-French University of Lyon and studied under professor Glia, a Nobel Prize winner and a famous French chemist. After eight years of hard work, Zhou Faqi received a doctorate in physical sciences from the French State with excellent results, taking a step towards his dream as a teenager.
During his study in France, Zhou Faqi worked hard in the field of scientific research, made a major breakthrough in the field of magnesium organic compound research, and won the Bodro Prize of the Sino-French University of Lyon and the Association Prize, which caused a sensation among foreign peers.
Although he has a place in the professional field, Zhou Faqi has never forgotten his vow to "save the country through science and technology", he took the lead in Raising the banner of "Rich Country and Strong People" in France, and together with Li Linyu (later served as president of Beijing Sino-French University) and other students in Europe, he founded the China Chemical Research Society in Europe, actively carried out academic exchanges with domestic Sino-French universities and other schools, and also set up an academic meeting "Five-Party Association" with Li Shu, Yang Kun, Zhang Xi, Zeng Boliang, and Yin Zanxun, giving monthly special lectures, and igniting the spark of salvation and strength in foreign countries.
The wanderer returns
The motherland is always the first choice
"As long as you are willing to stay in France, with just a palm-sized letter, I can recommend you to teach at any university in France." Near graduation, the tutor Professor Gliya retained Zhou Faqi in this way. As a "rising star" in the field of organic chemistry, Zhou Faqi has been favored by many research institutes and universities in France. At that time, After the construction of The First World War, France was strong in national strength, leading in science and technology, and prosperous in culture and art, and Paris was the place of yearning for many intellectuals and progressives around the world.
Zhou Faqi (fifth from left) with foreign experts Photo courtesy of the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Beijing Institute of Technology
Zhou Faqi's laboratory at the University of Lyon is world-class, the windows are fixed glass windows, the building is equipped with a well-functioning air conditioning system, only the fume hood is equipped with tap water, frozen brine, gas, nitrogen and compressed air five pipelines, no matter what glass instruments have been used, as long as they are placed in the basket to be cleaned, the next day back to the laboratory, those instruments have been washed and dried, picked up and can be used. In the face of such world-class scientific research conditions and good development prospects, Zhou Faqi only has gratitude in his heart, but he does not linger. He also embraced his mentor with deep affection, and he returned to the motherland to develop science and technology and cultivate talents for the motherland, which was a solemn choice made by Zhou Faqi on the road of life.
In 1930, after returning to China, Zhou Faqi was hired as a professor and head of the Department of Chemistry of The University of China and France, and participated in the establishment of the Institute of Chemistry of the Peking Research Institute, as a researcher, responsible for research in the field of organic chemistry.
The Beiping Research Institute and the Nanjing Academia Sinica at that time were the two highest scientific research institutions in the country during the Republic of China. At that time, the research content of the Institute of Chemistry could be said to cover all aspects of people's livelihood and military affairs. For example, in the First World War, activated carbon was used as the main agent for gas masks to absorb poison gas, in view of the domestic and international situation at that time, in order to prepare for the war, Zhou Faqi and colleagues conducted research on activated carbon, according to the research results, hebei radio station at that time also made a special program "A Little Common Sense about War Gas". For another example, at that time, the domestic roads were paved with asphalt, but the summer was soft and the winter was cracked, and the government department required the chemical institute to study a scientific ratio. Zhou Faqi was responsible for this project, after dozens of experimental studies, he added zinc chloride to the hot asphalt, and finally succeeded, after the treatment of the asphalt, the temperature of softening was increased from the original 20 degrees Celsius to 65 degrees Celsius, and at a low temperature of minus 15 degrees Celsius, the pressure of 30 kilograms per square centimeter was also not damaged, and the quality exceeded that of similar foreign products, and achieved good results.
A picture of a letter from Zhou Faqi to the students was provided by the Propaganda Department of the Party Committee of Beijing Institute of Technology
On August 4, 1932, the Chinese Chemical Society was established in Nanjing, and Zhou Faqi, Li Linyu, Zeng Zhaozhuo and nine other chemists called for the establishment of a chemical liaison group in Beiping. On October 16 of that year, the Beiping Branch of the Chinese Chemical Society was officially established, actively contributing to the anti-Japanese struggle to save the country, and Zhou Faqi was elected as a director. It is worth mentioning that after the establishment of the branch, Zhou Faqi was not afraid of personal safety, covered the underground party members of the CPC, protected progressive students, helped relatives participate in the revolution, assisted the rear hospital of the Jizhong Military Region in purchasing medicines, and supported the patriotic struggle of the students of Sino-French University.
"The state will always be the first in his heart," Zhou Faqi's children and students said of him. In 1937, when the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression broke out in an all-round way and the Chinese nation was in a moment of peril, Zhou Faqi and a group of other teachers studying in France were influenced by the idea of communist progress because they were in France, actively responded to the call of the Communist Party of China, led progressive teachers and students to participate in the anti-Japanese democratic salvation movement, and contributed to the survival of the people and cultivated talents.
During the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese invaders occupied North China, Peiping and Tianjin fell one after another, and the teachers of Sino-French University adhered to the patriotic stance, did not compromise, did not give in, and were forced to suspend classes in 1938. In 1939, Zhou Faqi, who was then the dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of China and France, together with Xia Kangnong and Qi Yatang, jointly moved the University of China and France south to Kunming, purchased new land to build a school building, and together with the famous Southwest United University, insisted on running the school and supported the War of Resistance. At the same time, there is also the Beiping Research Institute that has moved south. Zhou Faqi has preserved valuable scientific research strength and scientific and technological talents for the country in the midst of hardships and hardships.
"Against Kong Xiangxi" parade, the establishment of the Kunming Municipal Federation of Students, the launching of anti-war propaganda... At that time, under the impetus of the Communist Party of China, the Anti-Japanese National United Front united the strength of the broadest masses of the people, including Zhou Faqi and other teachers and students who moved south. From the actual results of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, they realized that if they wanted the country to become rich and strong, they must unite and unite to resist Japan, so they closely followed the command of the Communist Party, vigorously promoted the ideas of "saving the country through industry" and "saving the country through science," and supported the War of Resistance with practical actions. Faced with the actual needs of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, Zhou Faqi added a craft course in the Department of Chemistry and took the lead in carrying out many research projects to serve the War of Resistance, such as the development of aviation gasoline instead of imported fuels, the development of asphalt urgently needed for road traffic in the War of Resistance, and made positive contributions to persisting in the War of Resistance, striving for final victory, and cultivating talents in need of war.
In 1944, Zhou Faqi, then provost of Sino-French University, served in Kunming as the director of the Institute of Chemistry of the Beiping Research Institute, which moved south. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, he organized the relocation of the Sino-French University and the Institute of Chemistry back to Beiping, and raised funds from many sources to work hard to restore the laboratory that was seriously damaged by the Japanese and restore scientific research.
Reverse course
Make China's own explosives
"Scientific and technological research should adhere to the problem-oriented approach and run to the most urgent and urgent problems." General Secretary Xi Jinping stressed this. At the beginning of the founding of New China, the chemist Zhou Faqi declared his determination to firmly follow the party by running to the country's "most urgent and urgent problems".
In September 1950, the Ministry of Education of the Central People's Government decided to suspend the Sino-French University and merge its headquarters and three departments of mathematics, physics and chemistry into the School of Engineering of North China University (the predecessor of Beijing Institute of Technology), and Zhou Faqi became a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering in this new socialist university that moved from the Liberated Areas to Beijing.
On New Year's Day 1952, the School of Engineering of North China University was renamed Beijing Institute of Technology, and made all-round efforts to build the first heavy industrial university in New China. In March of the same year, the Ministry of Heavy Industry of the Central People's Government approved the approval, requiring the school to comprehensively adjust the original construction and development goals and cultivate senior technical backbone talents for the construction of major areas of the country, among which the chemical engineering department of the school was explicitly required to focus on cultivating talents in explosives and gunpowder.
At that time, during the Period of the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, it was of great significance to build a high-level professional fire and explosives. At this time, Zhou Faqi, who is more than fifty years old, has long been an influential scholar in the field of domestic organic chemical reagent research, turning to cultivating fire and explosives talents and building a new disciplinary direction, not only a huge safety risk, but also to give up the accumulation of the first half of his life and start all over again. As the director of the Academic Affairs Office of Beijing Institute of Technology, Zhou Faqi's teaching and management tasks are also very arduous, on the one hand, many majors need to be adjusted and newly built, the syllabus needs to be reformulated, the available teaching materials are insufficient, and it is urgent to translate or write; on the other hand, the teachers have insufficient experience in building new majors, and the task of establishing and improving the teaching system is very urgent. Zhou Faqi was once again faced with a choice.
When he graduated from school, Zhou Faqi chose to give up overseas preferential treatment, return to the motherland, and devote himself to serving the country with science and technology; in the early days of the founding of New China, the country was in ruins, millet as part of the salary, at that time, was a rare thing, Zhou Faqi took the initiative to report to the organization, saying that his family could not eat so much, applied to give himself less hair, lowered one level; the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea broke out, Zhou Faqi's 14-year-old only son was full of patriotic enthusiasm like him, and proposed to join the army to defend the country, but he did not hesitate. He also personally sent his son to... In the face of seemingly difficult choices again and again, Zhou Faqi's choice will always be the motherland in his heart. Today, in the face of the important mission of cultivating fire and explosives professionals for New China, he still did not hesitate in the slightest, responded to the call of the state, adjusted the research direction, and made up his mind to "let New China have its own fire and explosives profession".
"The lights in my father's study are always on, and the tall back is always quietly working." Zhou Faqi's daughter talked about her father, and the most impressive thing was always his hard-working figure, and since taking on the task of establishing a fire and explosives profession, Zhou Faqi rarely rested. In order to solve the problem of China's high-performance explosives scientific and technological achievements from scratch, it is necessary to design a training system for the independent research and development ability of professional talents. In the face of the serious shortage of relevant domestic materials, Zhou Faqi led the teachers to extensively collect and translate foreign materials, carry out design and discussion in combination with the actual situation in China, and finally established a complete set of teaching systems, improved professional settings, strengthened basic teaching, especially for teaching links such as teaching materials, experiments and internships, which directly and effectively promoted the regularization of the fire and explosives profession. During this period, in order to strengthen the construction of the Beijing Institute of Technology, the state transferred the relevant school-running forces of the former Northeast Military Engineering College to the school, which strongly supported the professional construction and made the development of the school's military engineering discipline in the forefront of the country.
In order to strengthen professional construction, Zhou Faqi also gave full play to his influence in the domestic academic community, and actively invited his former colleagues and students to provide support for the construction of the fire and explosives profession, including Qian Sanqiang, Zhuang Changgong, Wu Xian, Zeng Zhaobao, Yang Shixian and a large number of well-known domestic scholars who have helped professional construction. After painstaking preparations, in 1953, China's first explosives manufacturing major was born in the Beijing Institute of Technology, and the first batch of explosives professionals in New China began to thrive. In the mid-1950s, "Explosive Manufacturing Process" written by Zhou Faqi as the editor-in-chief was regarded as the first high-level work in the field of explosives in China. Behind the achievements and achievements is the hard work day and night, and the deliberation of words and sentences over and over again. From green silk to white hair, Zhou Faqi relied on his profound academic achievements and practiced his firm belief in cultivating explosives talents for new China with practical actions. In 1956, in the first batch of professor rating lists released by New China, a total of 6 people from the Beijing Institute of Technology were selected, and Zhou Faqi was among them.
"Make China's own explosives, make the world's best explosives", this is the spiritual starting point for the first generation of fire explosives in New China to pursue excellence, and it is also the common ideal and pursuit of teachers and students. In 1963, the state launched a key scientific research task, and the Beijing Institute of Technology undertook the development of key links. After the school's research and decision, the elite generals of the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Department of Mechanical Engineering were dispatched to form a "multi-service, large corps" linked large-scale joint research team, with Zhou Faqi as the leader of the scientific research group and Ding Jing, director of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as the deputy leader. In the face of major national tasks, Zhou Faqi calmly commanded, coordinated, led teachers and students to tackle key problems day and night, and successively developed three types of high-performance materials, and achieved the predetermined research goals. It can be said that this project research is of landmark significance to the construction of the discipline of explosives.
In the 1950s and 1960s, under the leadership of Zhou Faqi, after years of professional construction and major scientific research projects, the fire and explosives major of Beijing Institute of Technology gradually embarked on the high-speed track of formal development, and cultivated a large number of outstanding talents in the field of new Chinese explosives, including Cui Guoliang, Dong Haishan, and Xu Gengguang, who enrolled in the same year, and were all elected as academicians, leaving behind the good story of "one discipline and three academicians", and also laid a solid foundation for the future school's weapons science and technology discipline to win the country.
In the 1980s, the cultivation of composite talents, including high-level graduate students, became one of the top priorities at that time, and Zhou Faqi once again "put on the battlefield" and led the establishment of a doctoral program in the discipline of energetic materials, which was also the first doctoral program in the history of the school. A few years later, Zhou Faqi personally trained the first doctor for the school.
Zhou Faqi, who has made great contributions to the cause of new Chinese explosives, is known as the founder of the discipline of new Chinese explosives manufacturing technology.
Lide Tree Man
"Mr. Big" on campus
A straight Zhongshan suit, a tall and upright posture, white hair as snow, a gentle and elegant smile, and a spirit of serene and amiable, this is the impression left by Zhou Faqi to the teachers and students.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Beijing Institute of Technology was in a period of rapid development of comprehensive construction, and all work was advancing rapidly, as a returnee scientist who had become famous before the founding of New China, Zhou Faqi with his profound academic accumulation and many years of rich experience in participating in scientific research management work, fully devoted himself to the construction of the school's various work, and successively served as the director of the Academic Affairs Office, the director of the Scientific Research Department and the vice dean. In addition, he was also a member and convener of the first disciplinary review group of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, and was also elected vice chairman of the China Ordnance Engineering Society, a member of the China Association for Science and Technology, and a deputy to the National People's Congress.
"Live Class Schedule!" When Zhou Faqi was the director of the Academic Affairs Office, teachers and students liked to call him so affectionately. Zhou Faqi cares about every lesson of the students, and insists on keeping in mind the curriculum of more than thirty majors in the school, no matter which day, which classroom, which class, no matter which major, he is clear about the teaching arrangement.
As soon as he has time, Zhou Faqi will go to the classroom to listen to lectures, check the quality of teaching, find problems at any time, and supervise improvement at any time. Zhou Faqi attaches particular importance to "educating people"; if he finds that some teachers do not pay attention to educating people, leave after teaching, and ignore the opinions put forward by the students, he personally does ideological work for these young teachers, making it clear that educating people and cultivating hearts is the responsibility of every teacher, and effectively promoting the teaching reform and the construction of the teacher's style and study style carried out by the school in accordance with the requirements of the state at that time.
"Comrade Nengting, I read the thesis again, and there are still some minor problems..." Fan Nengting, a doctoral student under the guidance of Zhou Faqi, is the first doctor trained by the Beijing Institute of Technology, and in his doctoral dissertation, he still binds a handwritten revision letter written by Zhou Faqi 36 years ago, from the principle of chemical reaction to the punctuation of the paper, densely written detailed revision opinions, and his ardent expectations for students are revealed between the lines. Research in the field of explosives is extremely dangerous, Mr. Zhou always requires us to strictly abide by the habit of standardizing experimental operations, the laboratory has never had an accident, this rigorous attitude has laid a good foundation for our future research work. Fan Nengting still admires his mentor's rigorous academic attitude.
"You should tap your potential, have the determination to overcome difficulties when you encounter difficulties, and rely on yourself." In Li Fenming's recollection, his mentor Zhou Faqi often encouraged himself in this way. Li Fenming is 57 years younger than Zhou Faqi, but the two have become friends for many years. After graduation, Li Fenming was assigned to a factory in Inner Mongolia, and for a period of time, because of the difficult conditions and bottlenecks in his work, he had a fear of difficulties. At this time, Teacher Zhou, who was far away in Beijing, insisted on writing a letter to him every half a month to send him care and encouragement. "Without Teacher Zhou, I wouldn't be where I am today." After that, Li Fenming worked hard, and because of his outstanding performance, he was transferred to Beijing to work and had a broader stage of life. When he reported the good news to the teacher, Zhou Faqi just smiled and said to him: "Your wish has come true, and my wish has also come true." ”
After the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee, the school began to actively resume various work, and Zhou Faqi, then vice president of the Beijing Institute of Technology, was 77 years old, but still insisted on going to work every day and taking students to do experiments. Bathing in the spring breeze of reform and opening up, Zhou Faqi finally realized one of his long-cherished wishes - to join the Communist Party of China.
For joining the party, Zhou Faqi was not a whim. On his growth path, his father, aunt, cousin and many other relatives participated in the national salvation movement in different capacities, and the words "patriotic", "revolutionary" and "salvation" have been subtly influencing him. 60 years ago, the 18-year-old Zhou Faqi had already established the grand ambition of enriching the country and strengthening the people, but at that time he only knew how to learn more scientific knowledge and use science and industry to save the country; during his study in France, he was enlightened by communist ideology and began to realize that the cause of science and technology can play a greater role under the correct thinking and organization, so while promoting the cause of science and technology, on the other hand, uniting patriots and actively participating in the patriotic movement; returning to the motherland and personally experiencing the great changes in the two Chinas, Zhou Faqi was more convinced. Only the Chinese Communist Party can save China, and only the Chinese Communist Party can make China strong. This also encouraged him to actively participate in the party's education construction, cultivate scientific and technological talents for the construction of new China, always work diligently in the front line of teaching and scientific research, and continuously move closer to the party in the trajectory of his life.
Although he is nearly old, in the face of the new development opportunities brought by the country's reform and opening up to the cause of higher education and schools, Zhou Faqi continues to shake his spirit, actively undertake teaching and scientific research tasks, train young and middle-aged teachers, write his loyalty to the party and the country with actions, and set an example for the teachers and students around him.
Although Mr. Zhou Faqi has long left the beautiful campus of Beijing Institute of Technology, his outstanding contributions to the discipline of new Chinese explosives and the wind and bones of Lide Tree still inspire generations of Beili workers to be determined to strengthen the country, seek knowledge and innovation, and strive for self-improvement. In 2015, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the founding of Beijing Polytechnic Institute, the school built a bronze bust for Mr. Zhou Faqi, followed by the "Zhou Faqi Scholarship" and the "Zhou Faqi Scholarship".
"Japan and Kosovo, civil war peace, China standing; education, scientific research, new China." Difficult and dangerous obstacles are not afraid, and the dangerous peaks are willing to climb. Give up organic, give up expertise, do the country, new direction. On September 19, 2015, at the unveiling ceremony of the statue of the famous chemist Mr. Zhou Faqi, several students wrote and recited "Poems dedicated to Mr. Zhou", and the sonorous and concise sentence outlined the legendary life of Zhou Faqi, the founder of the discipline of explosives manufacturing technology in New China and the first generation of gunpowder experts of Beijing Polytechnic.
A generation has a generation's mission, and a generation has a generation's responsibility. In his lifetime, Mr. Zhou Faqi anchored the course of life to save the country with patriotic feelings, opened up the disciplinary field of a strong country with advanced scholarship, and cultivated generations of talents who served the country with the heart of educating people.
"Learning without getting tired, teaching people tirelessly", Zhou Faqi's desk hangs these eight big characters, where he talks with students about science, ideals, and life, and when he is tired of work, he quietly stares...
Guangming Daily (2021.07.26. 11th edition)
Source: Guangming Network - Guangming Daily