Chapter 11 fourth quarter

Ye Qisun did not use clear language to record his profound changes after making friends with Chen Wu like Wu Mi, especially the few words about "a gentleman is not a party".But there is no doubt that he and Chen Wu are congenial and are regarded as comrades from the bottom of their hearts. Otherwise, there would be no fact that he did not join the Kuomintang even when Tsinghua was in power.Of course, after the People's Liberation Army occupied Beiping, he, as the head of Tsinghua University, also failed to join the Communist Party.However, when his senior disciple Wang Ganchang was almost injured by military and police bullets because he participated in the movement, he asked with tears, "Who told you to go? Do you understand your mission?" We read from this interrogation After a few decades, when the mushroom cloud rose in the northwest of our country because of Wang Ganchang and others, looking back at this little episode, a fairly complete life plan is It is revealed like the map of Heluo in ancient times.We can't but admire these uncrowned sages, it is their sage thinking that makes our motherland and people proud of today.

Not all nations know the philosophy of being alone.Whenever the author sees teenagers from a certain country confronting fast-moving foreign tanks with stones in their hands on TV, or whenever I see beautiful girls from a certain country making body bombs to attack the army, my heart feels inexplicable pain. Qian Xuesen also had a similar experience of choosing "stones to save the country".But in the end, he followed his father's teachings, chose the road of saving the country through science, took care of himself, concentrated on studying, and was admitted to Tsinghua University in 1934 as a public-funded student studying in the United States.Because of the poor math performance in the special subject examination and the supplementary courses required for studying abroad, he studied in Tsinghua University for one year and was directly educated by Mr. Ye Qisun.Later, Qian Xuesen studied in the United States and was unique in the field of rocket research.After completing his studies, Qian Xuesen wanted to return to China but was obstructed by the American authorities. The Americans said: Qian Xuesen is too important to us, we cannot let him go anyway, and he knows too much. No matter where he goes, he will resist Get 5 divisions!

The value of a scientist is equivalent to 5 divisions of American equipment. The American way of thinking reminds us that war, like economic activities, must calculate the cost.An uneducated Qian Xuesen is only a hard rock at best, while a learned Qian Xuesen is worth five divisions in the eyes of Americans.In terms of Qian Xuesen's development after returning to China, saying that he is worth 5 divisions is still an underestimation of his value.But no matter what, for a country to truly gain respect in international affairs, it is by no means possessing many stones, but having the "sharp weapon of the country" as Lao Tzu said and numerous scientific and technological talents.

In 1923, Ye Qisun received a Doctor of Philosophy from Harvard University following his Master of Science in 1922.He politely declined his teacher's persuasion and decided to return home. Before returning to China, he took a trip to Europe with the money he usually saved.Europe is the hometown of modern physics, and he is going to visit those masters and their laboratories that he has admired for a long time. In October 1923, he successively visited the physics research institutes of Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium, where he met many colleagues in the physics field, learned from them and exchanged research and views on cutting-edge science with them. It also gives an objective assessment of the current state of science in China.

In March 1924, Ye Qisun returned to the motherland after an absence of six years via Shanghai via Europe, and began his dream of serving the country. In March 1924, Ye Qisun was hired as an associate professor in the Department of Physics by the prestigious Southeast University at that time. He was 26 years old that year. Southeast University was at the right time and place, and many of the earliest "returnees" in China at that time regarded it as the first choice for their work.Before Ye Qisun, Yang Xingfo, Hu Gangfu, Wu Mi, Wen De, Ren Hongjun, Zhang Zigao, Xiong Qinglai, Bingzhi, Hu Xianyu, Chen Zhen, Lu Zhiwei, Cha Qian, Zhao Chenggu, etc. have joined in succession. Become the leading academic center in China.

The predecessor of Southeast University was Nanjing Higher Normal College, which was changed to National Southeast University in July 1921.President Guo Bingwen once advocated that Southeast University is a platform for "free lectures", and students can freely choose their own political beliefs, saying: "This is the democratic spirit of Democracy, and it is the free atmosphere of lectures in American democracy." Even in summer, there are countless Thousands of students come here from all over the country to listen to lectures.The school stipulates that all college students who come to study in the summer can choose 8 credits of courses each, and Southeast University will issue a certificate of completion.In summer lectures alone, Dr. Dewey from the United States lectured on "Philosophy of Experimental Education", Dr. Meng Lu taught "Education", Dr. Tuishi taught "Academic Reform", Dr. Wu Weishi taught "Entomology", Pasteur Dr. De taught "Agricultural Extension", Dr. Du Lishu from Germany taught "Philosophy of Vitality", Dr. Hu Shi taught "Pragmatism", Mr. Liang Qichao taught "History of Political Thought in the Pre-Qin Dynasty", etc. The students came from all over the country except Tibet, Qinghai and Mongolia. Students from all over the world, even North Korea, came to listen to the lectures. These students became propagandists of Southeast University after completing their studies. In addition, there were only two national universities in China at that time. One was Peking University, where Cai Yuanpei was the president, and the other was Peking University. Southeast University.Therefore, Southeast University was famous for a while, even surpassing Peking University at that time.There is a golden plaque in the main hall of the school with four big characters "beautiful in the southeast", summarizing the prosperity of Southeast University at that time.

Ye Qisun's joining made Southeast University very happy.As far as the domestic physics community is concerned, there is no scientist who has achieved such remarkable achievements in the field of natural science in the world. Therefore, the honor of Ye Qisun is an important part of the school's external publicity, and he himself is welcomed by everyone like a hero. Today, Ye Qisun has a group photo of him and everyone in the historical imprint left by Southeast University. In March 1924, Southeast University held the 10th Regular Conference on Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, and specially invited Ye Qisun and Ren Hongjun as new instructors, and then took a group photo to commemorate it.Ye Qisun and Ren Hongjun were in the middle, surrounded by Zhang Zigao, Xiong Qinglai, Bingzhi, Chen Zhen, etc., surrounded by students Zhao Zhongyao, Shi Ruwei, Liu Gangang, etc.Most of these members are early members of the Chinese Society of Science, and now they gather again at Southeast University, showing a picture of the early spring of China's science and education jungle, and it is also a declaration-in China, a new force is being born and growing.

Ye Qisun taught three semesters in the Physics Department of Southeast University.Hu Gangfu, head of the department, gave Ye Qisun good support for his teaching.Ye Qisun successively taught mechanics, electron theory and modern physics.Although the time was not long, Ye Qisun benefited a lot.Recalling this "beginning of teaching" in his later years, he said with deep understanding: "I tried my best to explain the courses taught thoroughly. At the same time, I also benefited a lot from myself. In the short three semesters, although only the education work It was the first time I tried it, but it left me with pleasant memories.” The reason why Ye Qisun was “happy” was because of his introverted personality, he must have been very happy to say this.From scientists to educators, although there are similarities, there are still differences in the end.Ye Qisun is very talented, but he has a flaw in oral language expression ability - he has a stutter, although it is not serious, but for an educator who uses oral language as the basic tool to preach and teach, he is not a small person after all. obstacle.Ye Qisun knew his faults, and he didn't know what to do before he went to the podium, but because of his solid knowledge and sufficient preparation of lessons, he even crossed this obstacle without any trace, so that the people who listened to the lectures didn't care about his stuttering. , Strong logic, and greatly praised by students.The most convincing proof of his success in this period of teaching practice is that Liu Dagang, who later became a chemist, and Li Shanbang, a geophysicist, made great progress in their studies because of Ye Qisun’s true biography. Ye Qisun left a deep impression."Zhao Zhongyao and Shi Ruwei, graduates of this year's undergraduate program, admired Ye Qisun so much that after Ye Qisun was hired by Tsinghua University, the two were willing to follow him.

And another change of Ye Qisun is invisible, that is the question of spiritual belonging: to be a scientist or an educator?In terms of talent, Ye Qisun is more likely to be a great scientist: he is not good at communication, so he can specialize in research; he is not good at expressing, but he can specialize in learning.The shortcomings of being an educator will be compensated in the field of science, and the shortcomings will become strengths, and the weaknesses will become strengths.Besides, because of his stuttering, it was never his dream to teach with a whip. All his teenage dreams were about being a scientist.

It is said that the term "scientist" came later than sculptors, painters, musicians, etc. In 1833, a scholar named William Sewell used the term "scientist" for the first time at a scientific conference held at the University of Cambridge in England.He said he was imitating the way people call "artists" for people like Faraday who observed the mysteries of nature in the laboratory.These men had formerly been called "natural philosophers," but now, William Sewell thought, it was time to rename them, since the nineteenth and twentieth centuries would be the age of "scientists."

Science seems to have a growth period of ten thousand years.In fact, it has been accompanied by human survival activities, but people did not pay attention to it.The 5,000-year civilization of human beings has flowed away, and many vivid pictures will never come back. For human beings, the development of knowledge to the abstract is philosophy, the expression to the beautiful is art, and the deduction to the rational is science.But more often, people always confuse science and philosophy with art, or even mix them with other categories, and it seems that they have never been independent.However, no matter how people know it, science has been hard since the day it was born. It is like an amazing crystal that has settled down in the passing of the sun and recorded its own history with its unique characteristics.George Sutton said that although the history of science is only a small part of human history, it is an essential part and the only part that can explain the progress of human society. Ye Qisun believes in his own spirituality, and also believes that with his perseverance and resilience, he will make a contribution to the physical sciences.They were like visible castles, and though the paths leading to them were muddy and treacherous, he would one day live in them.Since the naming of scientists in the world is only a recent thing, it means that China's scientific development is not too far away from the world. Ye Qisun who has received scientific training has already seen the masts of Western scientific ships. Sooner or later the boat will blend into it.And he will go down in history as a pioneer of the first generation of science. Scientists are clearly on a higher ground than educators. Scientists will create "weapons of the country" for the country, and educators will cultivate scientific and technological talents for the country.This is an important part of Ye Qisun's overall goal of saving the country through science. China needs a scientific community, not just one scientist to change the world.It is precisely because of this consideration that Ye Qisun resolutely gave up the laurels of scientists who seemed to be close at hand, and chose a heavy life that was unpredictable at the time and later proved to be a road of no return. The three-semester teaching practice at Southeast University gave Ye Qisun confidence in how to be a good teacher.The gain of this confidence made him very "happy" and led him to move towards his ideal goal step by step. Wu Mi also has very pleasant memories of Southeast University.He quickly started the "Xueheng" magazine, which was called "modern protectionism" with a radical attitude.The banner of "prosperous national quintessence, melting new knowledge" he played in the magazine burned like a flame in the southeast sky.Because of the support of Jiu Yutang Yongtong, Mei Guangdi and others from the Heaven and Man Society, and the support of new acquaintances Liu Yizheng, Hu Xiansu, Chen Yinke and others, Wu Mi faced the torrent of the May Fourth New Culture Movement with his innocence. The feared warrior chanted his own cultural propositions, and he really had the heroic spirit of "singing while walking, how happy it is". For Wu Mi's "Xueheng" school, Ye Qisun is now a pure bystander.The love for Chinese studies is like the people of Jiangsu and Zhejiang who like to listen to Yue opera, and like the people of Shaoxing who like rice wine. It is a love that is revealed in the bones, and Wu Mi in front of him is a classic play, or a cup of Huadiao old wine, on his body , There are many ready-made things that can directly nourish Ye Qisun. This is one of the reasons why Ye Qisun, as a professor of science, has always been close to literati for many years.Ever since Ye Qisun and Wu Mi got acquainted, since Tsinghua, Harvard, and Southeast, the two have followed each other like a shadow, which can be regarded as a good story of "combining arts and sciences". In 1924, Liu Boming, vice president of Southeast University and director of the Department of Arts and Sciences, passed away. Although the president Guo Bingwen advocated democracy, he rarely achieved democracy and rejected dissidents, which made the atmosphere in the school suddenly tense.Wu Mi left early and was hired by Tsinghua University shortly after he took office at Northeastern University.At this time, Tsinghua University began to prepare for the establishment of a university department. In August 1925, Ye Qisun was hired by the University Department of Tsinghua University as an associate professor of physics.So, after 7 years away from his alma mater, Ye Qisun returned to Tsinghua University, where he thought about it day and night.