Lesson 1 Deng Jiaxian/Yang Zhenning

Lesson 1 Deng Jiaxian/Yang Zhenning

From "at the mercy" to "standing up"

A hundred years ago, the Sino-Japanese War and the era of the Eight-Nation Alliance were probably the darkest and most tragic era in the 5,000-year history of the Chinese nation, just to cite 1898 as an example:

Germany forcibly occupied Shandong Jiaozhou Bay and "leased" for 99 years.

Russia forcibly occupied Liaoning Lushun Dalian and "leased" it for 25 years.

France forcibly occupied Guangzhou Bay, Guangdong, and "leased" it for 99 years.

The British forcibly occupied Weihaiwei, Shandong, and the New Territories of Hong Kong, the former "leased" for 25 years, and the latter "leased" for 99 years.

It was an era when the Chinese nation was at the mercy of others, and an era in which there was a danger of destroying the country and destroying its species.

Today, a century later, the people of Chinese have stood up.

This is the result of the efforts of thousands of people, and it is a great victory created by many heroic figures who can sing and cry. This may be the most important and far-reaching transformation in human history in the 20th century.

One of the scientists who has contributed greatly to this transformation has long been little: Deng Jiaxian.

"Two bombs" Yuanxun

Deng Jiaxian was born in 1924 in Huaining County, Anhui Province. After attending primary and secondary school in Peiping, he graduated from Southwest United University in Kunming in 1945. From 1948 to 1950, he went to the United States to study theoretical physics at Purdue University, and immediately returned to China by ship after obtaining his doctorate, and in October 1950, he went to work at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In August 1958, he was ordered to lead dozens of university graduates to begin studying the theory of atomic bomb manufacturing.

In the following 28 years, Deng Jiaxian always stood at the forefront of China's atomic weapons design, manufacturing and research, leading many scholars and technicians to successfully design China's atomic and hydrogen bombs, and guided the Chinese nation's national defense self-defense weapons to the world's advanced level.

On October 16, 1964, China exploded its first atomic bomb.

On June 17, 1967, China exploded its first hydrogen bomb.

These days are important days in the 5,000-year history of the Chinese nation, and they are the new birthday of the Chinese nation to completely shake off the crisis of arbitrary slaughter!

After 1967, Deng Jiaxian continued his work until his death, making many new and great contributions to national defense weapons.

In August 1985, Deng Jia first underwent surgery to remove rectal cancer. A second operation was performed in March of the following year. During this period, he and Yu Min jointly signed a proposal on the development of nuclear weapons in the People's Republic of China. In May 1986, Deng Jiaxian underwent a third operation and died of heavy bleeding on July 29.

"Bow down and die" accurately describes his life.

Deng Jiaxian was the founder and pioneer of the cause of nuclear weapons in the Chinese nation. General Zhang Aiping called him the "Father of the 'Two Bombs'", and he deserved it.

Deng Jiaxian and Oppenheimer

The year before the start of the Anti-Japanese War, from 1936 to 1937, Jiaxian and I were classmates at Chongde Middle School in Peiping for a year; Later, during the Anti-Japanese War, we were classmates at Southwest United University; We lived in the same house during his two years of studying in the United States. 50 years of friendship, like brothers.

From 1949 to 1966, I worked at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where I was headed by physicist Oppenheimer for 17 years. At the time, he was a household name in the United States for successfully leading the construction of atomic bombs in wartime America. The Institute for Advanced Academic Studies is a very small institute, and there are only five physics professors at most, and Oppenheimer is one of them, so I know him very well.

Oppenheimer and Deng Jiaxian were leaders of the atomic bomb design in the United States and China, respectively, and each was a contributor to both countries, but their personalities and personalities were completely different, and it could even be said that they went to two opposite extremes.

Oppenheimer is a top-notch figure, sharp. In his twenties, he was a graduate student in Bonn, the German town of Göttingen. In his autobiography in his later years, Bonn said that graduate student Oppenheimer often interrupted others when they were giving academic presentations (including Bonn), went up to the podium and picked up chalk and said: "This can be done better by the bottom way..." When I met Oppenheimer, he was in his forties, already a well-known figure for women and children, and interruptions to other people's reports and embarrassing speakers still happen. But less than before. There are many people who admire him and admire him, and there are many people who do not like him.

Deng Jiaxian is the least noticeable figure. After a few minutes of talking to him, you can see that he is a loyal and honest person. He is honest and honest, never proud. He did not pay attention to his eyes, and all his life liked the character represented by the word "pure". Among the intellectuals I knew, including Chinese and foreigners, he was the most down-to-earth Chinese peasant.

I think Deng Jiaxian's temperament and character are the reason why he was able to successfully lead many workers from all walks of life and make historic contributions to the Chinese nation: people knew that he was selfless, and people absolutely believed in him.

In the early days of the Cultural Revolution, his research institute (Ninth Academy), like other units throughout the country at that time, set up two mass organizations to fight each other. Deng Jiaxian was able to persuade the two factions to continue working, and successfully built a hydrogen bomb in June 1967.

In 1971, when he and his colleagues were criticized and besieged by the "Gang of Four", if others went to reason with the labor propaganda team and the military propaganda team, I was afraid that a tragic case would occur. And Deng Jia went first, and was able to convince the members of the work propaganda team and the military propaganda team. This is a true miracle.

Deng Jiaxian was the son with the highest dedication bred by thousands of years of traditional Chinese culture.

Deng Jiaxian was an ideal member of the Communist Party of China.

I thought that if Deng Jiaxian were an American, he would not have successfully led the US atomic bomb project; Oppenheimer would not have successfully led China's atomic bomb program if he had been Chinese. The people who originally hired them, Qian Sanqiang and Groves, can be said to have real knowledge of people, and they have a deep understanding of Chinese society and American society.

National feelings? camaraderie

In 1971, I visited the People's Republic of China for the first time. In Beijing, I saw Jiaxian, who had been away for 22 years. Even then, after the 1964 test of China's atomic bomb, the American press had repeatedly mentioned him as an important leader in the cause. At the same time, there are rumors that Hanchun, who went to China in March 1948, participated in the Chinese atomic bomb project.

When I saw Jiaxian in Beijing in August 1971, I avoided asking him where he worked, saying only that he was "working in a foreign field." But I asked him if Hanchun had participated in China's atomic bomb work, as American rumors suggested. He said he didn't think so, but he would check the exact situation and tell me.

On August 16, 1971, on the eve of my departure from Shanghai for the United States via Paris, the leaders of Shanghai invited me to dinner at the Shanghai Mansion. Someone in the audience sent me a letter, written by Jia Xian, saying that he had confirmed that no foreigners were involved in China's atomic weapons project, except for very little "assistance" from the Soviet Union as early as the end of 1959.

This short letter gave me a great emotional shock. With tears in my eyes for a while, I had to get up and go to the bathroom for plastic surgery. Afterwards, I wondered why there was such a big emotional shock, proud of the nation? Or are you proud to be the first? I never thought clearly.

"I can't go"

Qinghai, Xinjiang, the mysterious ancient Lop Nur, the battlefield of the Mager Shroud, I don't know if Jiaxian remembered the "Hanging Ancient Battlefield Text" that we recited together when we were in Kunming:

"Hao Hao! The flat sand is boundless, and no one is seen. Rivers lingering, mountain disputes. It was miserable, and the wind was sad. The grass is withered and frosty. The birds can't fly, and the beasts die in the flock. The pavilion chief told Yu Yu: "This ancient battlefield is also!" Always overcoming the three armies. Often the ghosts cry, and the sky is cloudy!"

I don't know what it was like to feel when he first buried his colleagues and subordinates in the desert with broken grass?

When "roughly" estimating parameters, it is necessary to have physical intuition; When planning calculations day and night, it is necessary to have mathematical insight; When deciding on a plan, it is necessary to have courage and sound judgment. But the accuracy of the theory is always a question. I wonder if my hands trembled when he signed the key plan first?

The Gobi Desert is often windy and sand and the temperature is often in the minus 30 degrees Celsius. Problems that arise when nuclear weapons are tested are bound to arise one after another. Although Jiaxian is known as a "lucky general", accidents cannot always be completely avoided. In 1982, after he became the director of the Nuclear Weapons Research Institute, a signal suddenly underground, everyone was very anxious, people urged him to go back, he only said: "I can't go." ”

If one day any director wants to make "The Biography of Deng Jiaxian", I would suggest to him to use a song from the May Fourth era as the background music, which I learned from my father as a child:

Chinese boys, Chinese boys

Hold up the sky with one hand

The east of the Yangtze River and Asia, Ema Kunlun

How many strange husbands in ancient and modern times

Broken head Huang Chen, Yan Ran Gong is still hot

My father was born in 1896, an era when the Chinese nation was at will, and he loved this song all his life.

Eternal pride

After Jiaxian's death, in my telegrams and letters to his wife Xu Luxi, there were the following paragraphs:

He is loyal and pure, and is my most beloved friend. His selfless spirit and great contribution are your and mine, and his eternal pride is yours.

The news of his death reminded me of his half-century friendship with me, and I knew I would cherish those memories forever. I hope that in these painful days, you will look at the harvest and your life from a long-term historical perspective, only the truly eternal is valuable.

Deng Jiaxian's life was oriented and consciously advanced. There is no hesitation, no contradiction.

Yes, if he chooses his life again, he will still follow the path he has already traveled. This is his character and quality. Not many people can value their lives in this way, and we should be glad for the crops!