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Do you remember this photo that once went viral online?
Image source: @Jigong Strategy Weibo
The elderly gentleman in this photo is the honorary president of the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping and one of the first academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Liu Xianlin. In June of this year, a photo of him reading blueprints on a train was posted online, and he was praised as the “most distinguished guest in the second-class seat of the high-speed train“.
Months later, I was once again shocked by a photo of his desk…
On the desk, there are visible scratches, and even a whole section has lost its original dark red paint color, revealing a yellowish wood color.
The worn writing desk and hardwood chair have been used for over thirty years. He has repeatedly refused to replace them, stating, “The chair is too comfortable and makes me lose focus; only sitting on a hard chair can inspire creativity.”
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Liu Xianlin rarely publishes papers and does not have many theoretical topics, but he personally handles everything from soldering circuit boards, conducting on-site tests, to solving user issues. His laboratory is referred to as a “workshop,” and he is affectionately called “Master Worker” by everyone. For 55 years, he has been engaged in the research and development of surveying instruments, embodying the spirit of craftsmanship with perseverance and striving for perfection, taking the “measuring tool” to the extreme and advancing the level of Chinese surveying instruments to an internationally leading position.
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With very limited research funding, he has achieved a series of significant scientific research results, filling multiple domestic gaps, saving the country over 200 million yuan, and generating over 10 million yuan in foreign exchange.
A Desk That Reflects His Lifetime
“All my time is spent on invention and creation, yet I have no papers”
As a surveyor, combining production with equipment research and development is Liu Xianlin’s principle.
Liu Xianlin does not value papers, does not focus on patents, and does not simply pursue filling industry gaps. None of his innovative achievements are left in filing cabinets; all have been applied in practice, transforming into real productive forces. This is evident from Liu Xianlin’s desk.
When talking about these “treasures,” Liu Xianlin immediately becomes animated, even during interviews, he often touches the scissors on his desk.
A staff member from the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping told reporters that Liu Xianlin’s hands-on habits have been long-standing, “Originally, the power on this floor often tripped; whenever it tripped, you didn’t need to ask, it was definitely Liu Xianlin tinkering with something, overloading the electricity.”
Staff Introduces the SSW Vehicle-Mounted Laser Modeling Measurement System
For decades, Liu Xianlin has led several major projects, each from inception to success, almost always undergoing ten years of tempering, hundreds of failures, and countless ups and downs.
He even spent three days and nights in the machine room to solve a difficult problem in the aerial measurement program. In 1987, to promote the application of the JX-3 analytical mapping instrument, he transferred the driver software from the single-board computer to the system machine one by one.
Coincidentally, it was during the Spring Festival, and Liu Xianlin’s assistants went home to visit relatives. He felt that time was of the essence, so he enlisted his 10-year-old son to help. The father and son worked tirelessly in the laboratory throughout the Spring Festival, soldering several hundred solder joints. That year, the JX-3 analytical mapping instrument achieved mass production and was exported to international markets.
“One must use both brain and hands to make tangible contributions, to conduct useful research, and to pass on the spirit of hard work, fearlessness of hardship, and innovation to the younger generation,” Liu Xianlin stated. This is not only his insight from engaging in scientific research but also his understanding of the spirit of great national craftsmen.
Only the Ordinary is Most Moving!
Besides Liu Xianlin, there are many “Humble Gentlemen”
In various fields in our country, there are some “humble gentlemen” who have very low demands on their own lives but dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to their careers.
Mr. Lu Liang, Who Never Retires
This is a 94-year-old gentleman who has been retired for over 20 years. However, Mr. Lu seems to have not slowed down. Since coming to the nursing home in Banfu Town, Zhongshan City in 1994, he has returned to the guard room every morning after exercising to read all the newspapers and then clip them for everyone to read. His clothes and bedding are also neatly organized.
94-Year-Old Mr. Lu Liang
What is most surprising is that this elderly man, who has long worn a faded cotton T-shirt and gray long pants, donated 258,000 yuan to the Banfu Middle School where he worked, despite his monthly salary being only over 20 yuan before retirement and over 200 yuan before retirement. This 258,000 yuan is his lifetime savings.
From 1990 to 1993, Mr. Lu Liang was an English teacher at Banfu Middle School in Zhongshan City and was the oldest teacher at the school. He never married and has no children, yet he has many students. Huang Bingpei, the principal who worked with Mr. Lu for three years, said, “Even after retirement, students still come to him for English questions, and he readily agrees without refusal… When there are many people, there are seven or eight students in his room. It was only last year that he refused to tutor students when his hearing had almost gone and his vision had significantly declined.”
Mr. Lu said that although his salary was not high at the time, he was very happy. The party gave him opportunities, and he wanted to give back to the school and be grateful to the teachers and students. “During this time, the principal also told me to evaluate me as a senior teacher, but I said no, I am almost 60 years old, let the opportunity go to the young people.”
“The Deer Call, Eating Wild Apples” – Tu Youyou
On January 9 of this year, just after her 86th birthday, Tu Youyou received the 2016 National Highest Science and Technology Award, with a prize of 5 million yuan. On October 5, 2015, she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering artemisinin, which effectively reduced the mortality rate of malaria patients.
Tu Youyou (Image source from the internet)
To determine the effectiveness of artemisinin on humans, Tu Youyou and her research team spent all day in the laboratory, even testing the drug on themselves. She also once suffered from hepatitis due to ether poisoning, while one of her team members, Zhong Yurong, had part of his trachea and lung lobes removed, and another researcher, Cui Shulian, passed away early.
However, she did not give up. After 191 trials, Tu Youyou’s research team finally discovered an artemisinin extract with 100% anti-malarial effect. Currently, the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences has included the research on artemisinin series as a key task in the development of traditional Chinese medicine, aiming to clarify the drug resistance mechanisms and control methods of artemisinin-based drugs, as well as their clinical applications.
If it weren’t for these awards and the keynote speech delivered in the Nobel Hall of the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, we might not have recognized this elderly woman who has long worn a white lab coat.
On her 86th birthday, Tu Youyou donated 1 million yuan to establish the “Tu Youyou Pharmaceutical Talent Award Fund” at Peking University. Tu Youyou stated that her achievements today are thanks to the cultivation of her alma mater, and she still has many research projects to complete, hoping that the young people at Peking University and Peking Medical University can take up the baton.
The Noble Yet Approachable Mr. Xu Yuanchong
A cultural program with a strong literary atmosphere, “Readers,” made 96-year-old translation master Xu Yuanchong instantly trending in the first episode. His conversation with the host moved countless people.
This 96-year-old man, who has been engaged in literary translation for over sixty years, with translations covering Chinese, English, French, and other languages, is known as “the only person who translates poetry into English and French.” He was previously little known.
Yet this 96-year-old man still works until three or four in the morning every day. Regarding “staying up late,” he offered a rather literary explanation, saying, “Stealing a bit of time from the night.” Throughout his life, he has translated countless poems and texts, yet he lives a very simple life. Some netizens shared a past story with Mr. Xu:
In 2007, Mr. Xu was diagnosed with rectal cancer, and the doctor said he had at most seven years to live. However, in 2014, at the end of the life span predicted by the doctor, Mr. Xu received the highest translation award in the world, the “Aurora” Outstanding Literary Translation Award. The 96-year-old translator Xu Yuanchong said on the stage of “Readers”: “Let Chinese culture be recognized; I have no regrets if I leave now.”
Professor Gan Chunsong from the Philosophy Department of Peking University and Executive Vice President of the Chinese Confucius Society has a deep memory of Xu Yuanchong: “He not only translated ‘The Peony Pavilion’ but also translated ‘The Book of Songs,’ ‘The Songs of Chu,’ ‘Song Lyrics,’ etc., into English and French, presenting many ancient Chinese classics to the world in a beautiful way. At the same time, he actively introduced Western classics to Chinese readers. This has significant implications for the return of the value of traditional Chinese culture.”
There are many more people like this, who are “humble yet reputable, better than those who boast of wealth yet remain unknown.” Their names and attire may be unremarkable, or they may be unfamiliar to us, and even now, almost no one knows them, yet they tirelessly strive in their respective fields, creating value for themselves, their fields, and their country.
Perhaps he is also an old scholar or just an ordinary old gentleman, but what we admire and are moved by is not the halo around them, but their unpretentious and humble spirit, isn’t it?
◇ Editor: Xiao Yan
Comprehensive from China News Network, etc.
Reprint with source: Jiangsu News (WeChat ID: jstvjsxw)