Chapter 19 The last light of the third quarter

In November 1955, Mei Yiqi believed that the time had come to realize the "big event" in his heart, so he accepted the request of the Taiwan authorities, left the United States and went to Taiwan to establish the Tsinghua Institute of Atomic Sciences, and then founded Tsinghua University. The isolated island took root and sprouted, scored twice, and once again produced a bunch of fruitful fruits.At that time, although Taiwan's political situation had stabilized, its finances were still stretched. In particular, foreign exchange reserves were in urgent need of a shot in the arm to ease the pressure of internal and external difficulties.When everyone saw Mei Yiqi's arrival, it was like seeing a radiant golden doll in the depths of a gloomy mountain, and they gathered around to take a bite, at least to grab some oil and water.Many bureaucrats, soldiers, and so-called representatives of public opinion, whether related or irrelevant to this matter, took various opportunities to question May in a beating style.Every time Mei met with this gang of mobs in public or private occasions, he had to suppress his temper and go through the plans for the preservation and use of the fund.I don't know if it's the fear of fleeing to an isolated island, or the cramped space makes people psychotic. It's unbelievable that several Tsinghua alumni who are in the military, who were bewitched and instigated by who and where, came to Mei Yiqi's door. Surrounded by a group, they raised questions and demands with a savage attitude, hoping to get a piece of lean meat or a bowl of old soup from it.This time the mouse made a knife—the trans-style questioning and noise in the nest left an extremely bad impression on Mei Yiqi, which made him more aware of the despicableness and ugliness in the hearts of some fugitives, and strengthened the strict management of the fund To the end and the determination and courage of "Though there are tens of thousands of people, I will go".

The reason why Mei Yiqi first founded the Institute of Atomic Energy was not a whim, but the result of long-term consideration and investigation.After the war, the scientific community has realized that atomic energy can not only create appalling atomic bombs, wipe out Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the earth in an instant, and make hundreds of thousands of living beings enter ghost records, but can also be transformed into extremely rich electrical energy for the benefit of mankind. In 1953, President Eisenhower delivered a speech at the United Nations, throwing out the "Plan for the Promotion of Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy". The purpose is not only to "end people's fear of atoms in their minds as soon as possible", but also to use this high-efficiency energy to create economic results and benefit mankind.Since then, some developed countries have rushed to develop and utilize this energy. In 1954 and 1956, the Soviet Union and the United Kingdom respectively built nuclear power plants, and the results of the peaceful use of atomic energy for the benefit of mankind began to appear.Under this trend of scientific development, the United States, which has always supported Taiwan, has cooperated with the Taiwan authorities by donating atomic furnaces and technology as part of a plan to promote peaceful uses of atomic energy.Taiwan, recovering from the wounds and disasters of the war, urgently needs to develop electricity to restore the economy. Therefore, Mei Yiqi negotiated with the authorities and first established the Institute of Atomic Energy. Based on this, it gradually expanded into a research institute composed of three or five. On this basis, the establishment of Tsinghua University was finally restored.This plan was recognized and approved by the Taiwan authorities, and they expressed high expectations for Mei, especially allowing her to allocate a school site near her official residence in Yangmingshan, Taipei.After hearing the news, leaders of many counties and cities in Taiwan thought that this golden baby that suddenly fell from the sky should be held in their arms, and that it should not be allowed to slip into other people's land and dance wildly.As a result, the mayors of counties and mayors tried every means to lobby Mei Yiqi to make this plan take root in the one-acre three-point land under their management.All of a sudden, there was a lot of public opinion and attention, which made it difficult for Mei Yiqi to resist.

When Mei was in great distress about the location of the research project and was in a dilemma, Chiang Kai-shek, who was dormant in a room and squinted his presbyopic eyes and followed Mei Yiqi's movements closely, thought that the time had come for him to come forward to rescue the siege, so he sent out Invitation card, inviting Mei to attend her regular tea party on a certain day.Mei went to the appointment on time. She thought that many bureaucrats, politicians or celebrities from the academic circle would attend, but when she arrived at Chiang Kai-shek's residence, she realized that she was the only one.Sitting with Jiang and chatting over tea, Mei suddenly realized that the other party's arrangement was actually out of special courtesy to him, and intended to avoid the meaning of "summoning", and to show Jiang Gong's importance, caution and respect for Mei himself. respect.During the conversation, Chiang Kai-shek told Mei Yiqi not to listen to the instigation of those eloquent county and mayor mayors, but to go around the island in person and to have her own opinion.Mei Yiqi thought so, and Chiang Kai-shek personally appointed Pu Xuefeng, a former professor of Tsinghua University and secretary-general of the Taiwan Provincial Government, to accompany him on the inspection.

After ten days of traveling along the longitudinal line of Taiwan Island, Mei and his party considered that there should be no households or agricultural and industrial facilities within 500 feet of the atomic furnace, and decided that the terracotta land in Hsinchu County was more suitable. The terrain here is open and most of it is wasteland, which is convenient for land acquisition. And construction, but only more than 70 kilometers away from Taipei, convenient travel, convenient for exchanges between scholars at home and abroad.After repeated surveys and consultations with people from both political and academic circles, the site was finally determined as the site for the resumption of the school and submitted to the Taiwan authorities for approval.Everything is ready, the only thing that is owed is Dongfeng—the interest of Tsinghua Fund has been paid in place.While Mei Yiqi and the "preparatory committee" organized by the Taiwan authorities were drawing up specific plans, there were still politicians who were members of the "preparatory committee" with a shabby mentality at the meeting. All the flowers are clean to "wash away the national humiliation".According to Zhao Gengyang, who participated in the seminar, after this fallacy was put forward again, many people of insight felt unhappy. "Commissioner Qian Changzuo once spoke, to the effect that there have been frequent foreign aggressions in the past century, and there have been many national humiliations. Gengzi is not the only one. But spending all the capital and profits of the fund seems to have nothing to do with Xue Guosha."After this blow, the other party felt bored and had no choice but to close his disgusting mouth.After several repeated discussions, it was finally finalized that the land purchase and construction funds would be allocated by the Taiwan authorities, and all equipment and instruments for the construction of the institute and the resumption of the school would be paid by the interest of the Tsinghua Fund.

In January 1956, under the auspices of Mei Yiqi, the construction of the first batch of Tsinghua campuses in Hsinchu started.In the autumn of this year, the first class of graduate students in atomic science was recruited, and they temporarily borrowed classes from National Taiwan University. In 1957, the first batch of school buildings, office buildings, professor residences, staff and student dormitories in Hsinchu were completed and put into use. Classes began in the new school in autumn, and Chen Kezhong (according to the south: Tsinghua 1920 alumnus, who served as acting principal and principal after Mei's death) was hired as Dean, recruits the second batch of graduate students, and builds a physics museum and an accelerator laboratory. In 1960, the atomic furnace room, atomic furnace laboratory, nuclear engineering museum, and isotope laboratory were completed one after another. In April 1961, the atomic furnace device was completed, and the critical test run went smoothly. In March 1962, the expansion project of the Physics Museum was completed, and the Institute of Chemistry and the Institute of Applied Physics were established one after another.Such a rapid construction speed is called "magician-like speed" by Taiwanese academic circles.Since July 1956, overseas Chinese scholars such as Yuan Jialiu, Wu Dayou, Deng Sili, Qian Jiaqi, Chen Shengshen, Sun Guanhan, Fu Ruixue, Ma Zusheng, Xu Xianxiu, and a large number of foreign scholars such as Kotani Masao, Li Deman, Saiteng Kazuo, Celebrities such as Sanada Junpei and Brad went to teach, and Tsinghua University in Hsinchu, which was under construction, was in full swing.

In July 1958, Yu Hongjun, the "President of the Executive Yuan" of the Kuomintang government in Taiwan, was forced to resign, and Chen Cheng once again served as the head of the "Executive Yuan" as the "Vice President" and the vice president of the Kuomintang.Mei Yiqi, who has always been friendly with Chen Cheng, was invited to serve as the "Minister of Education" and the director of the Atomic Energy Commission.According to Pu Xuefeng's recollection: "Mr. Mei honored the government's order and presided over the Ministry of Education. The authorities knew that Mr. Mei was unwilling to leave Tsinghua University when it was re-established, so they ordered him to remain the president of Tsinghua University. On the day of his inauguration, he went to the Ministry Colleagues in China made a speech, and encouraged me to remember the word "education" more and pay less attention to the word "department". It means seeking truth from facts and avoiding the bureaucratic habit of procrastination and procrastination." Vice-Chairman of the Development Committee, co-chaired the formulation of the "National Long-term Development Scientific Plan Outline" with Chairman Hu Shi.With a series of titles and a mess of affairs, Mei Yiqi ran back and forth, eating light food and sleeping less, and finally became ill from overwork, and her health gradually became exhausted. In May 1960, Mei Yiqi was admitted to the Special Ward No. 2 of National Taiwan University Hospital due to lumbago, fever and complications of pneumonia. Since then, she began to struggle with the serious illness for two years.

On June 10, 1960, Mei Yiqi was diagnosed with prostate cancer and underwent neck lymph gland removal surgery.According to the pathological examination results, it was determined to be prostate cancer metastasis, and the condition changed rapidly after the operation, which was likely to be life-threatening.When the news came out, Chinese and foreign people were shocked and expressed their concern. Chiang Kai-shek, Chen Cheng and others respectively ordered the National Taiwan University Hospital to do everything possible to save and prolong Mei's life.Relevant physicians from various departments of National Taiwan University Hospital held a special meeting to study the countermeasures, and decided to increase the resistance and control the further deterioration of the prostate tumor as the main treatment measures, so as to maintain as much as possible until the patient saw the completion of the Tsinghua atomic furnace he presided over. On June 11, the hospital began to contain the patient's female hormones, but the effect was not significant, and Mei was still in critical condition.

After hearing the news, Hu Shi, Chen Xueping, Qian Siliang, Cha Liangzhao, Pu Xuefeng and other academic dignitaries and friends rushed over to discuss urgently, and called Mrs. Mei Han Yonghua to come to Taiwan from the United States to take care of her.When Han Yonghua got the news, he hurriedly packed up and flew to the platform in fear. In 1951, after Mei Yiqi settled down in the American Association, his wife Han Yonghua got the news and brought her two grandchildren to the United States from Hong Kong.At this time, his son Mei Zuyan was studying in the United States, and an old couple reunited with their son who had been separated for 8 years. In the autumn of 1943, Mei Zuyan, who was studying in the second grade of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Southwest Associated University, dropped out of school and joined the army. He was assigned to the US Army Garrison in Kunming as an interpreter, and was later sent to work at a military base in Mississippi. When Yiqi studied in the United States in his early years, his alma mater, Wu Shitao Institute of Technology, was transferred to the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1949, he graduated as an "Honors" (Honors) and entered the Illinois Institute of Technology in the United States to study for a postgraduate degree. After graduating in 1950, he joined the Worthington Company in the United States as a technician. . In 1954, under the instigation of a group of overseas Chinese students, Mei Zuyan had the idea of ​​returning to the mainland to build a great socialist motherland under the red flag of the Communist Party.Many years later, Mei Zuyan said: "Many overseas students returned to the mainland before, and there were many reports about the situation after liberation. My father knew that some classmates and I were also planning a long trip. Anxiety in my heart. Later, I still paid more attention to my own will to choose my own future.” Mei Yiqi pursued democracy and freedom all his life, respected individual will, and never interfered with the pursuit of children’s ideals. Mei Zuyan dropped out of Southwest Associated University and joined the army. If so.Of course, with the passage of time, there are differences between the two. Faced with her son's new life choice, Mei's inner pain can be imagined.When her son formally decided to leave, Mei Yiqi, who has always been taciturn, said to the only son in a low tone: "It is useful for you to go back, but I can't." Then said: "Maybe there will be no chance to meet again." Bi burst into tears.Mei Yiqi's words became a prophecy, and since then, the father and son have separated forever.

Mei Zuyan left the United States and returned to the mainland, and was soon assigned to Tsinghua University as a teaching assistant. Mei Yiqi also went to Taiwan the following year, and Han Yonghua continued to live alone in New York.Because Mei Yiqi received Taiwan dollars after going to Taiwan, and her salary was meager, far from being able to support his wife in dressing and eating, Han Yonghua, who had been stubborn all his life, began to work outside.At this time, Han was 62 years old. He first worked in a clothing factory, then sold goods in a jewelry store, was introduced to a hospital as a nurse, and finally transferred to a school for blind children to take care of blind children. Life was extremely difficult.According to Zhao Gengyang’s recollection: In the 478th year of the Republic of China, Yan Zhenxing, an alumnus of Tsinghua University, went to Taiwan from the United States and said, “I once visited Mrs. Mei. She's coming to Taiwan!' As Brother Yan said, tears filled his eyes."After Mrs. Zhao reported the situation that Mr. Yan said to Mei Yiqi, Mei thought that his salary in Taiwan was meager and he could not send money to take care of him. The construction of the Tsinghua campus in Hsinchu was at a critical moment, and he still had the responsibility of "Minister of Education". There are a lot of entertainment, exhausted physically and mentally.What is even more difficult is that Mei Yiqi lives in the office of Tsinghua University in Taipei, and does not have her own private house. She can only plan to settle down after the completion of the Tsinghua atomic furnace in Hsinchu and her resignation from the "Minister of Education".Unexpectedly, the atomic furnace has not yet been built, and the "Minister of Education" is still in office, but due to overwork, he cannot afford to fall ill, even to the verge of dying.Faced with this situation, Han Yonghua had to be called to Taiwan to take care of him. On June 19, Han Yonghua arrived in Taipei to meet her husband.

On July 22, Mei Yiqi's condition became more critical, and the doctor began to use the blood of an unmarried woman for repeated blood transfusions (39 times in two years). On July 28, the operation to remove the testicle was performed, and the condition improved slightly. While the medical staff of National Taiwan University Hospital were doing their best to treat them, the U.S. Defense Command in Taiwan specially sent Colonel Firoved, the chief of surgery at the U.S. Naval Military Hospital, to the consultation, and then specially invited Dr. Weiss, the chief of internal medicine from the Yokosuka U.S. Naval Base Hospital in Japan, for his diagnosis. And try our best to supply the needed medicines from the US military medical system.With the joint efforts of the Taiwan authorities and the U.S. Defense Command in Taiwan, Dr. Hodges, the highest authority on X-rays in the United States, was invited to Taiwan many times to examine Mei Yiqi's stomach, intestines and whole body.Dr. Kuru Xingsheng, a Japanese cancer expert, was also invited to Taiwan from Japan to examine Mei Yiqi's condition and propose treatment methods.After the concerted efforts of world-class experts at home and abroad, Mei Yiqi's condition gradually improved, and her appetite increased. On October 31, she left the bed for the first time and was pushed out of the wheelchair for a walk outside the ward. Her condition was stable.

In September 1961, Mei Yiqi's left lung was stuffed with phlegm, and he was on the verge of death. Dr. Doan, an American visiting professor at National Taiwan University, suggested using a new anticancer drug 5-Fluoro-Uracil, which was also used by the president of the US House of Representatives, Ray Penn.The Taiwan authorities agreed with the plan and immediately ordered relevant parties to import the drug from the United States, and transport it to Taiwan by plane at the fastest speed to prolong Mei's life. On September 16, the drug arrived in Yunwan and was administered to the patient. There were six sessions before and after. Each session was injected for two weeks and then rested for ten days. Repeatedly, the dosage of each session was gradually increased, and the effect was gradually seen. During Mei Yiqi's stay in the hospital, he was always concerned about the matter of the atomic furnace, which he had devoted all his efforts to. When he was in better health, he was still reviewing official affairs on the sickbed. In December, the installation of the atomic furnace was completed, and the Taiwan authorities arranged a celebration. Because Mei could not get out of bed to travel, on January 1, 1962, Mei Yiqi was arranged to symbolically press the button of the atomic furnace on the sickbed, marking the A period of "major event karma" in his last years has been cultivated to a positive result.