China's outstanding scientists: Xu Shou and Xu Jianyin, father and son.
Xu Shou, the word Xuecun, the number Shengyuan, is a native of Gangli, Qianqiao Society, Wuxi, Jiangsu. He is an outstanding scientist in China, the founder of modern science, a pioneer in the shipbuilding industry of chemical and power machinery, an expert in China's ordnance technology, and a pioneer in translating modern science education in China.
Xu Shou was born in a declining landlord family, his father died of illness when he was 5 years old, and his mother died when he was 17 years old. As a young man, Xu Shou gave up the imperial examination and devoted himself to studying various scientific knowledge imported from the West.
In 1861, Xu Shou entered the Anqing Ordnance Institute and worked with Hua Yufang and others to build China's first steamboat. Later, Xu Shou was transferred to the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau in Shanghai, and he made many inventions on guns and ammunition.
Around 1875, Xu Shou was founded in Shanghai with Fu Lanya and others"Gezhi College"to begin the demonstration of the chemical experiment. Xu Shou was the first Chinese to publish an article in Nature. Xu Shou also participated in the translation of a large number of Western scientific works, systematically introduced the main content of modern Western chemical knowledge, and pioneered the first syllable of Western language to create new Chinese characters to name chemical elements.
His translation of "Chemical Origins" was praised by the people of the time"Chemistry Rare Book"It is one of the most influential translations of modern chemistry in the early days of China. Li Hongzhang praised him for paying attention to Western studies and opening up the Chinese atmosphere. Xu Shou's translations include "Western Art Knows the New", "The Origin of the Steam Engine", "The Outline of the Camp Array", "Geodesic Mapping" and so on.
Son Xu Jianyin, also known as Yin, is a native of Wuxi, Jiangsu. At the age of 17, Xu Jianyin participated in the establishment of the Anqing Armory Institute with his father, and built China's first steamship in the fourth year of Tongzhi. In the sixth year of Tongzhi, he was transferred to the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, and assisted his father in the bureau for seven years"Tianji"with"Ride far"and 6 other steam ships, developing guns and ammunition, nitric acid, sulfuric acid and mercury.
In cooperation with foreign experts, he has translated military and scientific and technological books such as "Theory of Artillery and Iron Armor", "Green Cannon Method", "Sulfur and Strong Water Method", and "Steam Engine".
From the 13th year of Tongzhi to the 4th year of Guangxu, Xu Jianyin was invited to go to Tianjin and Shandong Machinery Bureaus to aid the construction of the two factories and made important contributions to the manufacture of military products.
In the fifth year of Guangxu, Xu Jianyin sent envoys to Germany, Britain, France and other countries to conduct technical investigations. In the twelfth year of Guangxu, when the Jinling Machinery Bureau was organized, the Western method was used to make a new breech gun and cast steel.
In the 24th year of Guangxu, in 1898, he was appointed as the supervisor of agriculture and industry and commerce during the reform and reform of the law, and later served as the Mawei Shipyard of the Fujian Shipbuilding Bureau, the general office of Hubei Provincial Operations, the Security Gunpowder Bureau, and the supervision of Hanyang Steel Pharmaceutical Factory. In the 27th year of Guangxu, in March 1901, Xu Jianyin died in the line of duty when he tried to produce smokeless medicine with employees in the steel pharmaceutical factory, and was the first scientist to sacrifice in a scientific research post in modern China.
Xu Jianyin is a patriotic scientist in modern China, who has made outstanding achievements in many fields of science and technology, and is a pioneer in spreading the progressive culture of the West and translating and introducing advanced science and technology from the West. He has translated more than 40 books, such as "The Complete Book of Shipbuilding", "New Book of Ice Science", "Chemical Origins", "Mine Records", and "Miscellaneous Records of European Travel". Among them, there are 18 kinds of monographs translated and published, and more than 10 articles in four kinds of books, which are recognized by the West as the first person in Chinese science and technology.