Do you remember the old gentleman who sat in the second class of the high-speed train,
wearing old leather shoes and working intently?
Image source: @Jigong Strategy Weibo
The old gentleman in this photo is Liu Xianlin, the honorary president of the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping and one of the first academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. At that time, some praised him as“the most distinguished guest in the second class of the high-speed train.”
Recently, a photo of Academician Liu’s desk has gone viral online. The worn-out desk and chair have lost their paint, yet it has been his workplace for over thirty years.
On this desk, there are tools like wrenches and hacksaws, as well as instrument components. The empty surface of the desk is covered with scratches, and a whole section has lost its original dark red paint, revealing a yellowish wood color.
Image source: China News Network
Clearly, this is a heavily worn desk, yet some say: “This is the most ‘beautiful’ desk.”
Who is Academician Liu Xianlin?
Born in 1939, Liu Xianlin has been engaged in the research and development of surveying instruments for 55 years, embodying the spirit of craftsmanship to perfection, advancing the level of Chinese surveying instruments to an internationally leading position.
He has achieved a series of significant scientific research results with very limited funding, filling multiple domestic gaps, saving the country over 200 million yuan and generating over 10 million yuan in foreign exchange.
His work in instrument development has significantly promoted the development of the entire industry, greatly accelerating China’s transition from traditional surveying technology to digital surveying technology.
Liu Xianlin stated that the most direct manifestation of surveying work is the maps used on everyone’s mobile phones, and his job is to bring the Earth home.
The analytical radiation triangulation method proposed by Liu Xianlin in 1963 is the first method invented by a Chinese person to be included in the standards.
◆The successfully developed CNC surveying instrument won the first prize from the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation;
◆ The orthophoto projector and its supporting program won the third prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1985;;
◆The analytical surveying instrument has become the mainstream instrument for producing large-scale maps in provinces and cities across the country, winning the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1992;;
◆In 1998, as the project leader, he completed the 863-308 project of the fully digital photogrammetry system JX4A-DPS, which passed national certification, was sold nationwide, and exported abroad, winning the first prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2001.。
These scientific research achievements have generated significant economic and social benefits, making outstanding contributions to China’s aerial surveying industry.
A desk reflects his half a lifetime
Image source: China News Network
As a surveyor, combining production with equipment development is Liu Xianlin’s principle.
Liu Xianlin does not value papers, does not focus on patents, and does not purely pursue filling industry gaps; all his innovative achievements have not been left in a filing cabinet, but have all been applied in practice, transforming into real productivity.
This can be seen from Liu Xianlin’s desk.
A staff member from the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping stated that Liu Xianlin’s hands-on habit has been long-standing, “Whenever there is a power outage on this floor, without asking, it is certain that Liu Xianlin is tinkering with something, causing an overload.”
For decades, Liu Xianlin has led several major projects, and from start to success, almost every time it has taken ten years of grinding, 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 aerial measurement procedures.
In 1987, to promote the application of the JX-3 analytical surveying instrument, he transferred the driver software from the single-board computer to the system computer 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 the help of his 10-year-old son. The father and son worked continuously in the laboratory throughout the Spring Festival, soldering several hundred solder joints.
That year, the JX-3 analytical surveying instrument achieved mass production and was exported to the international market.
“One must use both brain and hands, to make real 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 that this is not only his insight from engaging in scientific research but also his understanding of the spirit of a great nation’s craftsmen.
Seeing such an old academician, netizens couldn’t help but be moved, praising that this is truly a national treasure.
Many netizens see in Academician Liu the spirit of a generation of scientists who have endured hardships and dedicated themselves to the country, and at this moment, they pay tribute to them.
Young netizens exclaimed, “This is an idol worth learning from.”
Let’s applaud Academician Liu Xianlin!
Let’s applaud the backbone of the nation!
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Comprehensive from China News Network, China Youth Daily
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