Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen Su's "Comet"

There is a Baptist church in Xinzhou, Shanxi Province - Gospel Church.Pastor Zha Zhishan was originally a British monk who had been preaching in Xinzhou for 40 years.Like all the missionaries sent to China, he wears Chinese clothes, speaks Chinese, and speaks authentic Xinzhou dialect, and he even took such a Chinese name.His original name was Charles, and "Charles" is common in England both as a surname and as a first name. "Cha" is one of the "hundred surnames" in China; "Zhishan" comes from the first doctrine of Christianity: there is a God who is "all-wise, all-good, omnipresent, and omnipotent" in the universe.

In the 16th year of Guangxu, namely 1888, a ten-year-old beggar appeared near the Gospel Hall. He was dressed in rags and was skinny; Eye.Zha Zhishan chatted with him and learned that the little beggar's name was Su Fengqi: "Phoenix's phoenix, Qilin's qi" - the pastor thought, this is not an ordinary name! Su Fengqi's family was originally in Taigu, a wealthy family, and his father was a scholar.The child was interested in arithmetic and astrology from an early age.One night a few months ago, with a star map and a telescope, he invited his little friend Ye Chubo to climb the ancient beacon tower on the top of the mountain a few miles away, looking for a new comet.Su and Ye are neighbors. Su Fengqi and Ye Chubo have played games together since they were two or three years old, and later became classmates in private schools.As soon as we climbed the beacon tower, the weather changed suddenly, with violent wind and rain, flash floods and blocked roads.The soil around the beacon tower collapsed one after another, forming a cliff, and the two children had nowhere to go...

Terrible mudslides engulfed many villages and houses, including Su and Ye's family; although the two children survived by going out, they became orphans and beggars at the same time.In order to survive, the two broke up, Su Fengqi fled to Xinzhou, and Ye Chubo went to Fenyang.Zha Zhishan met Su Fengqi on the day of "Went of the Holy Spirit".On that day, he decided to take Su Fengqi in as a servant boy and singing boy in the Gospel Church, and was soon "upgraded" to an adopted son.Hearing the child call "Dad", the pastor felt so elated, as if he had become an angel!At that time, Zha Zhishan was already sixty-three years old, and the age gap between him and Su Fengqi was equivalent to that of a grandfather and grandson.

Like many missionaries, Zha Zhishan is a scholar, proficient in mathematics and arithmetic, multiple languages, and familiar with Chinese culture.While sending Su Fengqi to the private mat, he carefully passed on his knowledge to his "son".He quickly discovered the child's prowess in mathematics, astronomy, language and music, and his memory was amazing; after just a few years, both the tutor and the pastor felt powerless.Fortunately, Cha Zhishan had already prepared for this.In 1892, at the age of 67, he left for China and brought his 14-year-old Chinese son to England.The old man lived in a monastery in the northern suburbs of London, and took a course in Sinology at a university, while Su Fengqi was sent to an old public school - this boys' school had cultivated many famous scholars and high-ranking officials. The first time I received a Chinese boy with yellow skin and black hair.In 1895, Su Fengqi graduated from public school with honors and entered Cambridge University—this was another turning point in his life.

Cambridge is located in central England, about 50 miles north of London. It is a simple and elegant town surrounded by green forests and bordering the rippling River Cam.At the beginning of the Era, the Romans invaded and built a large amount of construction in this area, built roads and bridges, and traded, and then became a small town; in the middle of the eleventh century, Britain was conquered by the Normans, and this place flourished further; soon, Catholic forces established a bridgehead here, A large number of missionaries flocked, and churches were erected.When Su Fengqi arrived in Cambridge, the population of the town was only tens of thousands, and it was very quiet. It was full of ancient medieval buildings, especially large and small churches.The private University of Cambridge was founded in AD 1209 and has 28 colleges and three graduate schools.Peter College first appeared, and other colleges were established one after another. It took nearly three hundred years to form the University of Cambridge.The buildings of these colleges have their own styles. The Royal College is like a noble prince, Peter College is like an old man with silver hair, Queen's College is like a graceful lady, and St. Clair College is like a pretty girl...

Western universities originated in monasteries.The basic subjects of the university were mainly theology, law and medicine in the early days; the original university did not have a separate building, and teaching activities were carried out in the church - so the church became an integral part of the university building.Cambridge University is no exception.In addition to the campus cathedral, each college also has churches. What impressed Su Fengqi the most was the solemn and solemn Gothic church of the Royal Academy, especially its leisurely bells that seemed to bring people back to the Middle Ages...

Su Fengqi studied mathematics and astronomy at St. John's College; after entering the graduate school, he specialized in celestial mechanics and cosmometry; Working at Zhiyao Observatory... He believes that only the infinite and vast universe can accommodate his extraordinary talent and outstanding vision.Sure enough, he finally wrote his own book and became an "encyclopedia" astronomer. He was elected as a fellow of St. John's College, and successively became a member of the International Astronomical Union and the Royal Society. In 1675 AD, Charles II ordered the establishment of the Royal Greenwich Observatory on a high slope on the Thames River in southeast London.The area around the observatory later developed into Greenwich Park and the town of Greenwich.The mission of the observatory is to engage in applied astronomical research, surveying and drawing sky maps, helping ships at sea to locate, establishing timekeeping methods and compiling astronomical almanacs, etc., and achieved a series of top scientific achievements in the world at that time.In 1881, the International Conference of Geographers proposed to take the meridian passing through Greenwich as the "prime meridian". This meridian is also the starting point of geographical longitude and the starting point of the world's "time zone". The so-called "Greenwich Mean Time" is twelve o'clock at noon, which is the benchmark of Universal Standard Time...

In short, Su Fengqi was cultivated and nurtured in places like Cambridge University and Greenwich Observatory.He has contributed in a wide range of fields, but most notably in the study of asteroids and comets.He conducted long-term follow-up observations on the "asteroid belt" that exists and runs between the orbits of Jupiter and Mars, and calibrated asteroids with a diameter of more than 100 feet one by one; the "Su's Star Catalog" compiled for this purpose is particularly Pointing out that some asteroids that may be "derailed" are destructive threats to the earth - Su Fengqi's warning has aroused serious concern, and even such asteroids are called "Su star" or "disastrous star" by some people.

In terms of the origin and structure of comets, Su Fengqi put forward a new hypothesis that the earth has been hit by comets many times.After careful calculation, he pointed out that there is a "hidden star" that revolves around the sun with a period of about 60 to 70 "million years". Every time this star approaches the "perihelion", it will cause the fragmentation of a large number of comets. Debris will crash into the Earth, causing periodic Earth cataclysms... Colleagues laughed and said: "What's the matter with you, you have formed an indissoluble bond with the 'Calamity Star'!"

In any case, Dr. Su Fengqi's research on asteroids and comets has been highly praised.The Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society awarded him the "Elizabeth Golden Crown Award" in 1917 accordingly - since the establishment of the Nobel Prize, no astronomer has ever won it, and it does not seem to be possible in the foreseeable future.Therefore, the Royal Society and the Royal Astronomical Society decided to establish the "Elizabeth Golden Crown Award" to reward astronomers who "have world influence or are enough to leave a footprint in the history of human astronomy".In addition to certificates and bonuses, each winner will also receive a precious diamond ring. The words "Elizabeth Gold Crown" are engraved in English on the ring, the "proprietary name" of the ring is engraved in Latin, and the ring is engraved in Arabic numerals. The award-winning year.The crown diamond setting of the ring worn by Professor Su Fengqi on his left ring finger is set with a lavender diamond weighing 3.35 carats. The Latin word "comet" and Arabic numerals are engraved on the platinum ring "1917"...

Since then, Su Fengqi has a nickname - "Comet". This is no longer the name of a celestial body in the original sense.Many people thought that Su Fengqi had a bad personality, was harsh and unreasonable.Now, from "Su Xing" to "Disaster", to "Hidden Star" and "Comet", his name has almost been associated with "disaster" and "misfortune"... Su Fengqi has a deep foundation in Chinese culture, and pays great attention to discovering the essence of the nation's culture in the long history of China.Astronomy is particularly well placed in this respect.At Cambridge University, Su Fengqi often went to the Department of Oriental Studies, first to listen to lectures, and later to give lectures; he spoke with joy, and the hall was always full of people.He said that Westerners have always believed that the first visual record of Halley's Comet came from Babylonian astronomers in 164 BC. The Big Dipper is the earliest record of human visual observation of Halley's Comet; Lu Wengong's 14th year is 613 BC, which is 449 years earlier than the Babylonians and more than 670 years earlier than the Europeans !He pointed out that there are as many as 30 records of Halley’s Comet in Chinese historical records—this is unique in the world; he said that he himself has seen from the above records that Halley’s Comet passes the perihelion every two times for more than four years Changes, and based on this, the gravitational force of the "giant planet" Jupiter on Halley's Comet is calculated.Su Fengqi also personally participated in the observation of the 31st appearance of Halley's Comet. The time was May 1910. The brightness was first-class. 100 million kilometers, spanning half of the sky, the tail of a comet once swept across the earth, almost competing with the Milky Way - even for such an ordinary observation, Su Fengqi also made a major discovery that all astronomers in the world did not have - a magnetic storm. Sir Ross, the chief astronomer of the royal family and Su Fengqi's friend, smiled and said, "Here, did you see it? This 'comet' lives up to its name!" Su Fengqi pointed out that the ancient Chinese book "Ganshi Xingjing" identified 511 stars and 118 constellations, which is the oldest star catalog in the world; he asserted that the Chinese made the earliest meteor shower in the first month of 644 BC According to records, the earliest record of the Lyrid meteor shower was made in 687 BC, and the "bright star" phenomenon was first recorded in the world in 1054 AD, which is the "supernova explosion" in modern astronomy.Su Fengqi believes that the "Si Fen" and "Si Zhi" in the Fuyi era were officials specializing in astronomy, seasons, and phenology observations; the 19-year seven-leap rule established in 594 BC was 160 years earlier than similar Western calendars. Ten years, it was in the leading position in the world at that time; from 626 BC to 591 BC, the sundial used by the Chinese to determine the season and time was the earliest timekeeping tool for human beings; The total solar eclipse is the earliest among the thirty-seven total solar eclipses recorded in "Spring and Autumn", and it is 135 years earlier than the total solar eclipse recorded by Celis in ancient Greece, which is recognized as the earliest in the world; Su Fengqi confirmed that "Shang Shu "Yin Zheng" in "Naiji Qiuyueshuo, Chenfu gathered in the room" is the earliest record of solar eclipse in human beings, which is earlier recognized as the oldest and recorded in "Babylonian Chronicles" in July 1063 BC. Thirty-one solar eclipses came a full ten centuries earlier! Su Fengqi emphasized in every lecture and every paper that the human beings who created ancient India, ancient Egypt, and ancient Babylonian civilizations are all extinct.Those who live in today's India, Egypt, and Mesopotamia are "foreign invaders" and "later conquerors", not the human beings who created the splendid civilization of the local area, just like the Spaniards who "occupied" Central and South America today. Ancestors are not the same as the creators of the Mayan civilization.He even said that even the ground beneath his feet was so! "Barbarian Angles, Saxons and Jutes" bloodyly invaded and occupied the British Isles, and only then did the "so-called United Kingdom".On the earth, in the whole world, the fact that ancient civilizations and their creators have been passed down to this day and have assimilated the "ignorant invaders" time and time again, only happened on the land of China in the east of Asia-this in itself has explained Chinese culture is incomparably broad and profound!Such a great civilization will eventually conquer and integrate the entire human world... Su Fengqi's arguments often arouse an uproar.Some journalists and scholars cursed him as a "yellow peril", a "crazy man", a "hybrid of Emperor Wu of Han and Genghis Khan", and so on.In the West, this kind of debate has no results or can only be seen after several generations; unexpectedly, this debate finally attracted the attention of an important figure in China, that is Cai Yuanpei. Cai Yuanpei was ten years older than Su Fengqi. He was a Jinshi of Guangxu and had worked as an editor at the Imperial Academy.Such a person, however, successively organized the Restoration Association, joined the Tongmeng Association, and drove the Revolution of 1911.In view of his lack of "Western learning" foundation, he deliberately went to Germany to study in 1907. During his stay in Berlin, he met Su Fengqi who was giving lectures there.After Cai Yuanpei returned to China, he corresponded with Su Fengqi. The friendship between the two continued, and they met many times in Britain, France and China.After Cai Yuanpei became the president of Peking University, he advocated scientific democracy, academic freedom, and "inclusiveness" of old and new ideas.All these are quite appreciated by Su Fengqi, who was deeply influenced by Britain.Soon after Cai Yuanpei became the president of Peking University, he hired Su Fengqi, who was regarded by some in Europe as the "yellow peril", "madman" and "bastard" as the "foreign professor" of Peking University.Su Fengqi wrote back: "I can be a 'professor of Peking University', but not a 'foreign professor of Peking University'—obviously, you don't know that I have always maintained Chinese nationality." In May 1924, Su Fengqi returned to China to settle down and served as director of the National Observatory and a professor of Peking University—the former was recommended by Cai Yuanpei, and the latter was hired by Cai Yuanpei.Cai Yuanpei was a veteran of the Kuomintang with high morals and prestige. He successively served as the chief education officer, the president of Peking University, and the dean of the graduate school;When the Peking Research Institute was established in 1929, Su Fengqi desperately hoped that Cai Yuanpei could help him become the president of the Peking Research Institute. The director of the National Observatory is equivalent to "Qin Tian Jian Zheng".But in Su Fengqi's words, the power of this official is limited to the Nanchi sub-yard of the observatory, and there is no way to talk about funding, and even the salaries of the staff have been in arrears for many years; , struggling.Su Fengqi is ambitious and wants to take advantage of the cultural heritage and academic environment of the ancient capital of thousands of years to build the Peking Research Institute into a major center for mathematics, physics, astronomy, calendar, and optical instruments, and set up corresponding departments in Peking University or Yenching University under the leadership of his old friend Leighton Stuart. Department, or simply set up another university!Relying on all these, he was determined to build his dreamed Xiangshan Observatory, which would one day be comparable to the Greenwich Observatory.Just like the other brand of Zijinshan Observatory is "Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy", another brand of Xiangshan Observatory is of course "Institute of Astronomy of Peking Research Institute", and Su Fengqi will also serve as the director. Su Fengqi has negotiated with some foundations, universities, societies and observatories in the United Kingdom and the United States, and they will provide funds; after the observatory is built, let them participate in observation and research and share the results.In order to achieve all this, he worked tirelessly, and then went to Xiangshan...