Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen

In 1975, the second underground nuclear test, which was suspended for several years due to the "Cultural Revolution", was put on the agenda again. Wang Ganchang, who was 68 years old at the time, was still in charge of technology, and together with the boys, he went from Turpan to the Gobi Desert. , took the car, bumped for 11 hours, and arrived at the explosion site. "Let me go into the hole and have a look again." As before every nuclear test, Wang Ganchang insisted on personally checking the device and wiring at the last moment.When the people present saw the old man struggling to bend over to get in and out of the low "cat ear hole", everyone would be moved.

The Big Bang still achieved the expected success under the watchful eye of Wang Ganchang. This year was exactly the year when Deng Xiaoping came back to preside over the work. This year, Wang Ganchang's name appeared on the list of members of the Standing Committee of the Fourth National People's Congress chaired by Premier Zhou Enlai. In 1976, the 70-year-old Wang Ganchang went to the snowy Qinghai Plateau again, and successfully conducted my country's third underground nuclear test in the belly of the endless "sea of ​​death".After three underground nuclear tests code-named "21-29", "21-92" and "21-93", my country's air, ground and underground nuclear tests have basically gone through all the processes.Wang Ganchang returned to Beijing with the nuclear test results that made the people of the whole country proud.What he didn't expect was that his most beloved person——Premier Zhou passed away.

"You see, when I reported to the Prime Minister last time, he asked me 5 questions, and I only answered 3. Now I have figured out the remaining 2 questions, but he has left... "Wang Ganchang sat on a chair and told people in grief. A few months later, on the "Ching Ming Festival", a massive mass mourning event took place in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the People's Premier.Wang Ganchang joined the mourning team without hesitation, regardless of the crowded traffic, old age and frailty. In October, a spring thunder sounded in China, which had been dull for a long time.Wang Ganchang was very excited. He said: "This is a 'nuclear explosion' with a greater yield! I will continue to work hard to contribute to the country."

In 1978, Wang Ganchang was ordered to return to Beijing from Mianyang, where he served as the vice minister of the Second Ministry of Machinery and concurrently served as the director of the China Institute of Atomic Energy.Three months before this, he was re-elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Fifth National People's Congress. On October 20, 1979, the 72-year-old Wang Ganchang realized his lifelong pursuit and became a glorious member of the Communist Party of China. In February 1980, he was elected as the chairman of the newly established Chinese Nuclear Society, and was also elected as the vice chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology.This year, he went to Zhongnanhai to give a report entitled "Nuclear Energy - One of the Important Contemporary Energy Sources" for the central leaders. Since then, he has devoted himself to the leadership and organization of China's nuclear power plants and other nuclear energy research.

In 1982, at the age of 75, Wang Ganchang voluntarily resigned from his position as the deputy minister of the Second Ministry of Machinery, and still served as the honorary director of the Institute of Atomic Energy. In 1983, he was re-elected as a member of the Standing Committee of the Sixth National People's Congress. In 1984, Wang Ganchang personally presided over and guided the demonstration of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant and Beijing's high-current electron linear induction accelerator. In 1986, he and Wang Daheng and other famous scientists proposed to the Party Central Committee to track the development of foreign high-tech, that is, the famous "China 863 Plan".

In 1987, Wang Ganchang presided over the national "Shenguang" laser device appraisal meeting, and published an important paper on China's laser research on his 80th birthday. In 1988, he, Wang Daheng, Yu Min and other physicists proposed to the State Council to include "laser nuclear fusion" in the "863 Plan", which was approved. In 1989, Wang Ganchang visited Dubna, Soviet Union, and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Moscow University. In February 1990, he, Qian Sanqiang, Li Jue, and Jiang Shengjie jointly wrote a letter to Comrades Jiang Zemin and Li Peng, making suggestions on the development of nuclear power plants in China, and the krypton fluoride excimer laser research led by him made important progress.

In 1991, Wang Ganchang accepted the national award for his contribution to the "863 Project". In 1994, Wang Ganchang put forward five new suggestions to the "863 Program", which received national attention. In 1995, together with Qian Xuesen, Huang Jiqing (discoverer of Daqing Oilfield) and Wang Daheng, he was awarded the "Ho Leung Ho Lee Fund Excellence Award" by Premier Li Peng. In 1996, he donated money to establish the "Wang Ganchang Basic Education Reward Foundation". In the summer of 1997, he was suddenly knocked down by an unknown (unidentified) cyclist and seriously injured. He was hospitalized in Beijing for several months.

In December 1998, Wang Ganchang passed away.Jiang Zemin, Li Peng, Zhu Rongji and other national leaders and nearly a thousand people from Chinese and foreign scientific, sociological and educational circles sent wreaths. On September 18, 1999, the Party Central Committee, the State Council, and the Central Military Commission posthumously awarded the "Two Bombs and One Satellite Medal" to Wang Ganchang and other scientists. "Nuclear Physicist Wang Ganchang", Atomic Energy Press, author: Li Qiuzhi, Sun Xiaoguang, Chang Jiachen "Wang Ganchang and His Scientific Contributions", Science Press, Authors: Hu Jimin, Xu Liangying.