Leaving behind the comforts of life in the United States, giving up the Nobel Prize honors within reach, returning to the homeland to take on a secret mission at the national level, being separated from the dear family for a long time, and at the same time having a small accomplishment in the field of professionalism must be abandoned.
This sacrifice is enormous, because even if you have made an extremely important contribution to the country, your name cannot be known to the world, and you must remain incognito until the mission is completed.
If it were you, what would you choose?
Faced with such a choice, this strange woman, Wang Chengshu, gave her firm answer: "I do".
Wang Chengshu, born in a wealthy family, not only has a worry-free life, but also has an enviable talent: one eye and ten lines, and excellent intelligence. Unlike many ladies who enjoyed a privileged life at the time, she showed extraordinary talents for mathematics and calculations.
At the age of 18, she was directly admitted to the Department of Physics of Yenching University with excellent grades, becoming the only female student in that class. During his time at the university, Wang Chengshu's academic performance has always been leading, and his grades have always maintained the first place in the department. After graduating in 1934, she stayed on to teach, during which time she became acquainted with Zhang Wenyu, a professor in the Department of Physics, and their marriage became a topic of conversation.
At the age of 29, she decided to pursue higher academic achievements and went to the United States alone to further her studies, becoming a protégé of the master of physics Uhlenbeck. The Wang Chengshu Uhlenbeck equation, which was jointly developed by the faculty and students, has had a profound impact on the fields of upper-air physics and gas dynamics, and has shocked the global scientific community. At that time, there were rumors that the Nobel Prize in Physics was already beckoning to Wang Chengshu.
In 1949, with the birth of New China, Wang Chengshu decided to abandon everything and return to China immediately. In the United States, she faced the pressure of surveillance and even illegal interrogation, but she and her husband, who had traveled to the United States, secretly mailed important materials, notes and books back to China, while relentlessly applying to return to her homeland.
In her notes, Wang Chengshu wrote firmly: "I would rather live in a concentration camp than do anything harmful to the motherland." ”
In 1956, 44-year-old Wang Chengshu finally embarked on a journey back to China with his family and returned to the embrace of the motherland. On that day, she wrote a firm vow in her notebook: "I will do whatever the country needs." ”
One day in 1958, Qian Sanqiang, who was busy building a thermonuclear fusion laboratory, visited Wang Chengshu for the first time, hoping that she would join the fusion energy research project. For Wang Chengshu, who is 46 years old and has reached the peak of his field, this is equivalent to another new beginning. Wang Chengshu, who usually spoke softly, gave a firm reply that day: "I am willing." ”
After two Chinese New Year's Eve of working day and night, almost forgetting sleep and rest, Wang Chengshu went from a layman to a top scientist in the field of thermonuclear.
In March 1961, Qian Sanqiang approached Wang Chengshu again, this time with the task of being in charge of the research and development of highly enriched uranium, which was extremely secret to the state. This means that if the 49-year-old accepts the challenge, she will have to venture into a whole new field of research again, and will never be able to reunite with her family or publish any scientific research. Wang Chengshu, who understood all this, still did not hesitate without any hesitation after learning about the importance of highly enriched uranium, and said firmly: "I am willing." ”
In the distant and mysterious 504 factory, there is no way for the outside world to know how many calculations and failed attempts it has experienced, only that the only female scientist there, the woman who fought day and night, soon had gray hair.
In a work report, when the leader asked if he could complete the task on time, Wang Chengshu gave this answer: "Except for the promises I can't make to my husband and children, I can guarantee the completion of any task given to me by the motherland." ”
On January 14, 1964, Wang Chengshu and her team successfully developed the first batch of qualified highly enriched uranium, which provided the core fuel for the atomic bomb**, an achievement that was 113 days ahead of the original plan.
Since then, China has become the fifth country in the world to master the technology of highly enriched uranium research and development.
On October 16, 1964, with the success of China's first atomic bomb**, Qian Sanqiang found Wang Chengshu again. Faced with Qian Lao's apologetic request to continue to participate in further research related to nuclear energy as an anonymous person, Wang Chengshu did not hesitate to give her answer again: "I do".
Qian Sanqiang asked her if she had encountered any difficulties, "no", Wang Chengshu replied. When asked if she had anything to say to her husband and children, she answered "no" in a soft but firm voice. That year, at the age of 51, Wang Chengshu went to the 605 Research Institute in North China to serve as the chief designer of a large gas diffusion machine.
In 1978, Wang Chengshu was appointed chief engineer of the Science and Technology Bureau of the Research Institute of the Ministry of Nuclear Industry. In 1980, she was elected as a member of the Division of Mathematical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and her real name was reused. Her great contribution to China's nuclear energy industry has gradually become known to the public over time.
In 1992, after the death of Ms. Wang Chengshu's lifelong companion Zhang Wenyu, she decided to use her husband's life savings of hundreds of thousands of yuan to establish a primary school named Wenyu in the Shigatse region of **.
In 1994, Ms. Wang Chengshu ended her brilliant and low-key life at the age of 82. In the final stage of her life, she once again donated $100,000 to Project Hope, demonstrating her continued philanthropic spirit. When faced with the suggestion that the cost of ** in her later years was as high as 6,000 yuan, she responded in a humorous way: "Are my eyes still worth 6,000 yuan?" "It shows that she maintained her optimism and humor even in her later years.
I would like to pay the highest tribute to Ms. Wang Chengshu, a role model of the times and a strong pillar of the country.