In 1957, when Lin Lanying, a famous semiconductor expert in China, returned to China, she was detained by the United States Customs with all her savings, totaling 6,800 US dollars. However, instead of being angry, she was relieved, for the amount was insignificant compared to her pursuit. Lin Lanying's mother has a low status, and the patriarchal thinking in the family has long influenced her, trying to stipulate what kind of life she should live after marriage. But Lin Lanying was unwilling to be resigned. When she was seven years old, her father did not allow her to go to school, and she went on a hunger strike** to finally win the right to go to school. From primary school to middle school to university, Lin Lanying's academic Xi grades have always been among the best. After graduating from college, she not only stayed on to teach, but in 1949 she was fortunate enough to go to the University of Pennsylvania to further her education. At that time, China was still in a blank state in the field of solid state physics, while foreign countries were already authoritative, and all standards were formulated by them. Lin Lanying went to the United States for further study, not to "gild", but to sincerely hope to use her knowledge to change the motherland.
With her efforts, Lin Lanying became the first Chinese woman to earn a Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Her Ph.D., "A Study of Ionic Crystal Defects", caused a great sensation at the time. The American semiconductor giant Sofinia hired her as a senior engineer with a high salary. Lin Lanying helped the company overcome previously unsolvable problems, and also obtained a US patent technology, becoming a well-known semiconductor expert. In view of Lin Lanying's ability and achievements, as long as she is willing to stay in the United States and live her life step by step, her life will be very comfortable. However, she resolutely gave up all this. After achieving the achievement, Lin Lanying went through the procedures for returning to China on the grounds of "mother's illness". Although the United States has the freedom to come and go, the US authorities still do everything possible to obstruct important talents such as Lin Lanying and Qian Xuesen. Qian Xuesen was imprisoned when he returned to China, and he needed various complicated conditions and procedures to be released on bail, but in the end he could not return to China until China exchanged him with 11 pilot prisoners of war.
Lin Lanying's road back to China was also bumpy, and a Chinese-American couple even advised her: Don't go back to that "agricultural country"! Subsequently, the FBI agreed that she could move the entire family to the United States, and Sofinia was even willing to offer an annual salary of $10,000 to keep her and reimburse all of Lin's mother's medical expenses. Based on the purchasing power of the dollar at the time, an annual salary of $10,000 was equivalent to today's gold-collar class. Lin Lanying was unmoved by those "sincere" advices, but said frankly: "If you want to persuade me not to return to China, just like I want to persuade you to go to China, it is impossible!" In the face of Lin Lanying's firm stance, the US authorities took tough measures. All of her paperwork was deliberately delayed, and the FBI even sent someone to search her home for "searching for contraband."
Even on the day of Lin Lanying's boarding, American investigators conducted a thorough search of her luggage and confiscated the $6,800 she had saved over the years because of the "no allowed to bring U.S. dollars into China" rule. Although Lin Lanying didn't care about the money, she was extremely nervous when the American investigator picked up the two bottles. The investigator asked, "What's in the bottle?" Lin Lanying pretended to be calm and replied, it was a medicine for her mother's lung disease, so she was lucky to escape. It turned out that the two bottles contained 50 grams of germanium single crystal and 100 grams of silicon single crystal developed by her, although only 150 grams, they were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in the market. More importantly, at that time, foreign countries completely controlled the ** semiconductor materials, and these two bottles of semiconductor materials were simply the future of China's semiconductor industry, which could not be estimated by money. After returning to China, Lin Lanying donated the 150 grams of materials to the Chinese Academy of Sciences free of charge and quickly put them into work.
However, due to being away from the country for 10 years, Lin Lanying, who had just returned to China, contracted acute peritonitis in less than a week, and the pain even led to multiple faintings. **After learning about this, he personally called the hospital: "It must be cured, there must be no accidents!" "Because the domestic semiconductor industry is in its infancy, and there is also a lack of relevant scientific research talents, the state specially sent a delegation to the Soviet Union to study Xi. It was this visit to the Soviet Union that prompted China's semiconductor industry to a new level. In the Soviet Science and Technology Museum, Lin Lanying discovered the indispensable materials for the manufacture of large-diameter monocrystalline silicon and the development of large-scale integrated circuits. However, the Soviet Union was unwilling to provide China with these materials, nor was it willing to provide opportunities to learn Xi, forcing Lin Lanying to return to China to "be self-reliant". Finally, in 1958, China successfully drew the first silicon single crystal.
In 1961, China successfully developed the first open-door silicon single crystal furnace, which reached the world-class level, laying a solid foundation for the development of microelectronics and optoelectronics in China. Lin Lanying is one of the founders of China's semiconductor industry, and her voluntary return to China to carry 150 grams of materials has played a vital role in the development of China's semiconductor industry. Without her contribution, perhaps China's semiconductor industry would face even greater delays. On March 4, 2003, Lin Lanying died in Beijing at the age of 85.