Chapter 2 Chapter One

On October 16, 1964, when the radio station broadcast the good news that my country's first atomic bomb was successfully detonated, there were rumors that Mr. Wang Ganchang was the main leader and developer of China's atomic bomb.It wasn't until the 1980s, when the inside story about my country's development of atomic bombs and other nuclear weapons was no longer "top secret", that my fellow villagers in Changshu and I knew that the person named "Wang Jing" was on the list of members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. It turned out to be Mr. Wang Ganchang!It is extremely rare in the history of the world that a world-renowned great scientist has remained anonymous for 18 years for the country's special mission in peacetime.

Among the group of outstanding scientists who participated in the development of China's "two bombs" at that time, there were Qian Sanqiang, Deng Jiaxian, Zhu Guangya, Zhou Guangzhao, Peng Huanwu, who were known as the "Father of the Two Bombs" or "Father of the Two Bombs" ... So, what is Wang Ganchang's position among these giants of science? Let us use the words of Qian Sanqiang, who is now recognized as one of the leaders and organizers of China's nuclear weapons: "My senior, Comrade Wang Ganchang, has made important contributions to the basic research of nuclear science and the application of atomic energy in our country... Comrade Ganchang He is the first (1929) physics graduate of Tsinghua University, seven grades higher than me. His professors at school include Ye Qisun, Wu Youxun, etc., and teachers include Zhao Zhongyao, etc. We often hear teachers mention the first session Wang Ganchang among the students... In order to prepare for the first Political Consultative Conference in July 1949, he held a preparatory meeting for the Natural Science Workers Conference in Beijing. During this period, I met the representative of Zhejiang Province for the first time. I was deeply impressed by Mr. Wang’s profound scientific knowledge, cheerful personality and straightforward speech. At that time, I thought that he should be invited to participate in the development of nuclear science in our country.”

Shortly after the founding of New China, the central government immediately made the establishment of the Institute of Modern Physics focusing on nuclear research.This institute was originally located in Donghuangchenggen, Beijing, and later moved to Zhongguancun, known as the "China Nuclear Cradle" by later generations. Its first director was Qian Sanqiang, and its deputy directors were Wang Ganchang and Peng Huanwu. .As the director, Qian Sanqiang is not only a famous scientist but also a famous social and political activist from now on, and needs to appear on many occasions.As he himself said: "At that time, I also worked concurrently in the Planning Bureau of the Academy of Sciences, and participated in several conferences on safeguarding world peace and other related work. Therefore, the responsibility of organizational leadership in the Institute fell on the shoulders of Mr. Wang and Comrade Peng Huanwu. And Mr. Wang took the main responsibility. In 1956, Premier Zhou Enlai presided over the formulation of the 12-year plan for my country's scientific development. The first draft of the atomic energy science part was drafted by Mr. Wang. The final plan included the construction of proton accelerators and electron synchrotrons. The research of radiation chemistry and isotope preparation, etc., made the program expand. All these, including low-energy nuclear physics, applied nuclear physics, cosmic rays, high-energy nuclear physics, reactors, accelerators, radiochemistry, isotope preparation, etc., were established in 1958. (The Institute of Modern Physics was renamed the Institute of Physics in October 1953) and the Institute of Atomic Energy (under the dual leadership of the Second Ministry of Machinery Industry and the Chinese Academy of Sciences) outlined a preliminary blueprint for the scope of science and technology..."

The "Institute of Atomic Energy" that Mr. Qian Sanqiang mentioned was led by the Second Ministry of Machinery and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Since the Soviet Union broke its promise and tore up all cooperation agreements with my country, it was approved by Comrade Mao Zedong and became the one responsible for the development of China's nuclear weapons. "Nine Institutes" (the Ninth Research Institute of the Second Ministry of Machinery), also known as the "Nine Bureaus" and "Nine Institutes" of the Second Ministry of Machinery. In the 1960s and 1970s, the "Ninth Academy" was the "baby lump" in the hearts of the first generation of leaders headed by Mao Zedong, and it was often talked about in high-level state secret meetings.

For a mysterious mission, the central government deliberately set up this top-secret unit beside the earthen city wall of Yuan Dadu in the western suburbs of the capital.It was a barren place, full of shrubs and weeds.The farmer who lived here suddenly discovered a gray four-story building on the top of the field, surrounded by high walls, and the People's Liberation Army stood guard at the door, and various cars often came in and out.So "Grey Building" has become a mysterious forbidden area.It was not until ten or twenty years later that people realized that this mysterious "gray building" is the commanding body and core department of China's nuclear weapons development.

The "Grey Building" still stands in place, surrounded by countless buildings that are far taller and more magnificent than it.The former "grey building" is submerged in the central area of ​​Haidian Garden Road in the downtown area.When I stood on the bustling street and looked at the "gray building" that was still full of mystery a hundred meters away, a "mushroom cloud" suddenly rose in front of me... The dean of the "Ninth Academy" is General Li Jue, who was the on-site organizer who directly directed the development of the "two bombs" under the leadership of Marshal Nie Rongzhen.

The three vice presidents are Wang Ganchang, who is in charge of nuclear test research, Peng Huanwu, who is in charge of theoretical research, and Guo Yonghuai, who is in charge of design research.Zhu Guangya, Deng Jiaxian, and Zhou Guangzhao are the heads of the research laboratory under Wang Ganchang. They are very talented and very young.From the beginning of 1961, the backbone structure of the "nine courtyards" has been followed until 1978.Later, Li Jue ceased to serve as the dean, and Wang Ganchang, who was the deputy minister of the Second Ministry of Machinery at the time, served as the dean concurrently until September 1982.Zhu Guangya, Deng Jiaxian, and Zhou Guangzhao were also successively promoted to the positions of vice president and president.

"Wang Ganchang is one of the main founders of my country's nuclear weapon development. He not only participated in the experimental research and organizational leadership of my country's atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb principle breakthroughs, and the development of the first generation of nuclear weapons. Conducted foundational research on power pulse technology and experimental diagnosis of nuclear weapons tests, and guided the solution of a series of key technical problems. In the process of conducting underground nuclear tests, he spent a lot of energy and time researching and improving test methods, making my country's only With a very small number of tests, the key technology of underground nuclear testing has been mastered." Comrade Zhou Guangzhao wrote this comment in February 1996.As a well-known theoretical physicist and president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhou Guangzhao, who has always used extremely rigorous words, commented on Mr. Wang Ganchang’s contribution to China’s nuclear weapons development. In his 180-character comment, most of which were technical terms, The words "foundation" and "key" are used twice.Obviously, Wang Ganchang is a well-deserved true Chinese "nuclear bomb pioneer".

In the years after the successful explosion of the "two bombs", a group of famous scientists who made significant contributions to the development of the "two bombs" later came to the front stage of political and social activities from behind the curtain of "state secrets", and became well-known characters.And Wang Ganchang is one of the few great scientists who have not stepped out of the mystery of the "two bombs" development work.There are two reasons for this: first, Wang Ganchang was already 55 years old when the central government decided to participate in the leadership and organization of the development of the "two bombs", and he was the oldest and most qualified scientist who directly participated in the development work. In February 1980, at the National Science Work Conference under the chairmanship of Deng Xiaoping, "Science is the primary productive force" was determined, and the "smelly old nine" who had not received due political treatment for a long time had the opportunity to enter the political arena for the first time. Chance.Wang Ganchang was already 73 years old at this time. He said that to be a leader of the country, one must have great talents in charge of all aspects of work.I am old, and it is my greatest gratification to do some business work for China's nuclear energy industry in my lifetime.Therefore, when the "young people" who fought side by side with him for more than a dozen years, such as Qian Sanqiang, Zhu Guangya, Zhou Guangzhao, etc., became the vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, or the president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. , he continued to immerse himself in the front line of China's nuclear energy work. Although at that time he also served as a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, vice chairman of the National Association for Science and Technology, and chairman of the Chinese Nuclear Society, he was still a mysterious figure unknown to the public. figure.The second is that the development of the "two bombs" is China's top secret. All participants, even the cooks on the construction site, must come from "three generations of poor and hired farmers". The political review is the strictest. Anyone who has anything to do with the development of the "two bombs" Among the 100,000 participants, almost all were "CCP members", but Wang Ganchang was not, and he was one of the few non-CCP decision-makers in the core leadership.Wang Ganchang was recommended as the vice president of the "Ninth Academy" at that time, directly responsible for the leadership and organization of the development of the "two bombs", which was personally approved by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai.Since he walked into that "gray building" in April 1961, he has been incognito for 18 years.He is not only the scientist who participated in the research and development of the "two bombs" for the longest time in anonymity, even in the seven or eight years after he was able to disclose his identity, he still strictly followed the organization's regulations and rarely showed up, let alone using his real name. .

On October 20, 1979, Wang Ganchang joined the Communist Party of China at the age of 72.He was introduced to the party by Comrade Li Yi, another outstanding leader of my country's nuclear industry who had fought side by side with him for decades, and Comrade Jiang Shengjie, a famous nuclear chemical expert and then vice minister of the Second Ministry of Machinery.Why did Wang Ganchang ask to join the proletarian vanguard when he was "accomplished" and over seventy years old?In his application for joining the party, I saw a passage from the heart of this old scientist who has made outstanding contributions to the nation: "I have personally realized that under the ravages of imperialism, the Chinese nation, which has suffered a lot, has no Chinese Communist Party. There would be no new China. We are a big country with a population of 1 billion and 800 million farmers. Without the strong leadership of the Communist Party, it is impossible to build a powerful socialist country. After ten years of turmoil and twists and turns, and the convening of the Third Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee , I am even more convinced that the Chinese Communist Party can rely on its own strength, correct mistakes, set the course, and lead the people of the whole country to build socialism and move towards communism. Therefore, I am determined to apply for membership in the Chinese Communist Party, and strive for socialist modernization and the cause of communism Life." Comrade Li Yi, one of his introductions to the party, said a very touching sentence on Mr. Wang Ganchang's 80th birthday: "Comrade Ganchang is a highly respected nuclear physicist, and he is the main force in the scientific research of nuclear physics in our country. One of the founders is one of the main founders of China's first atomic energy scientific research institution. In the decades after the founding of New China, he took root in China for nuclear science, cultivated generations of nuclear science research talents, and contributed to China's nuclear science has worked hard to achieve the world's advanced results; for self-reliance, breaking through the barriers of atomic bomb and hydrogen bomb science and technology, and promoting the country's prestige, he has made major contributions and established meritorious deeds... He lived a hard and simple life, was open-minded, dared to tell the truth, dared to Criticize and listen to other people's criticisms and different opinions. He is full of democratic spirit, good at gathering everyone's wisdom and giving full play to everyone's talents; Talent; he is used to visiting the front line of scientific research in person, doing it himself, and patiently cultivating young people; he also treats party and government cadres and logistics personnel equally, and never regards himself as an authoritative scientist. He despises other people's labor. He has indeed set up a model of comradely solidarity and cooperation among intellectuals, scientists, party and government cadres, and logistics personnel." One summer day in 1997, I finally saw the "Minister Building" in Muxidi, Beijing. The "hometown".

"Ah, the fellow is here! Sit down." The 90-year-old Mr. Wang Ganchang spoke pure "Changshu dialect", which completely dissipated my sense of awe.When we met for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this monumental figure like Mount Tai has no airs at all, and his body is unimaginably tough.As soon as he took my hand and sat down, a phone call came.Sitting on the sofa, he didn't feel procrastinated at all. He stood up and went straight to the phone, speaking in a very clear and sonorous voice.I thought at the time: It is not a problem for me to live to be 100 years old. Wang Ganchang's active thinking and amazing memory dispelled my doubts about the interview, so I left him a long list of questions and made an appointment for another time for a long talk.He readily agreed, and when he said goodbye, he wrote an inscription in my notebook, "I hope you will become a great writer in the future". Soon, when I was busy preparing for the interview, one day I suddenly saw an amazing piece of news in the "People's Daily": A ninety-year-old scientist was walking on the side of the road in front of his home when he was hit by a young cyclist.The man sped away after seeing the old man fell to the ground.Passers-by later took him to the hospital.This immediately reminded me of Wang Ganchang.I immediately called his family, and his family confirmed to me that it was Mr. Wang Ganchang who was knocked down! "How is Mr. Wang doing now?" "Broken femur, can't move one leg, doctor said at least three months in hospital..." Damn cyclist!Do you know how much loss will be brought to the country if Mr. Wang does something good or bad?If this collision happened more than 30 years ago, then China's atomic bombs and hydrogen bombs may explode at an unknown time!It is said that after the news of Mr. Wang's being bumped was disclosed in the press, it caused shock at home and abroad. Every day in the ward of the Beijing Hospital where he lived, flowers from all walks of life were sent from all walks of life, and even the entire corridor was full of piles.However, the person who crashed the car never showed up. So far Mr. Wang Ganchang has passed away, and that person is still at large outside the moral court.It's unreasonable!During his hospitalization, Mr. Wang Ganchang still did not forget to accept my interview, but he was dissuaded by the doctor because of his serious injury.This is something I deeply regret.Because not long afterwards, Mr. Wang Ganchang, a generation of nuclear science masters in our country, left us with his unfinished business.At the farewell ceremony held in Babaoshan, Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji and other state leaders all sent wreaths.