Chapter 31 Chapter Twelve

In June 1949, Huang Jiqing flew from San Francisco to Hong Kong full of ambitions, preparing to return to China.However, when he was staying at a hotel in Hong Kong, an old friend who worked in Taiwan came to him in a hurry and handed him a telegram from Fu Sinian, the president of National Taiwan University.Fu Sinian was one of the figures that Huang Jiqing was very familiar with and could be said to have admired for a time. Fu, Ding Wenjiang, and Hu Shi were all good friends. Huang Jiqing became Ding Wenjiang's favorite student.This time, Fu Sinian, as a representative of Chiang Kai-shek, invited Huang Jiqing to lead the work of the Department of Geology at National Taiwan University.The earnest and emotional tone of Fu's telegram really made Huang Jiqing agitated.But Huang Jiqing didn't understand, why did he go to Taiwan, which is a tiny place!Including Mr. Fu himself?As soon as he made a phone call to the mainland, Huang Jiqing suddenly realized: It turned out that Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government was retreating, and attracting celebrities from all walks of life in the mainland to Taiwan was an important part of Chiang Kai-shek's retreat plan.I will not go!Those who are engaged in geology have to climb mountains and run across rivers. What kind of geology can be done in such a small place in Taiwan!Huang Jiqing threw Fu's telegram away, and said this to his old friend unequivocally.At that time, Hong Kong was a mess, and Chiang Kai-shek's spies were everywhere.Huang Jiqing was afraid of accidents, so he decided to leave immediately and return home.

Where are you going?The Central Geological Survey in Nanjing?This is the unit he worked for before going abroad, and he should return there, but I heard that Nanjing has been liberated by the Communist Party, and the Geological Survey Institute has also been taken over.As a well-known person who had served in the old government, Huang Jiqing had a lot of worries at that time. After all, he did not understand the Communist Party.What worried him especially was his mentor Weng Wenhao, who was the chief executive of the Kuomintang. He heard that he was listed as one of the important war criminals by the Communist Party and escaped.There were also many rumors from the outside world at that time, especially the rumors that Chiang Kai-shek sent spies to spread among high-level intellectuals.Some people say that the Communist Party has come, and anyone who has served as an official or appointed title in the Kuomintang government will be beheaded or imprisoned.Huang Jiqing thought to himself, he was also the director of the Geological Survey Institute, and he was also an academician of the Academia Sinica, so what should we do?In the end, he had a heartbreak: Never mind that, I'm engaged in geology and science, it's something that can't be changed in my life, so let's kill and chop and resign to fate.What he missed most at the time were his wife and three children.Someone told him that during the chaos in Nanjing, his family moved to live in Beibei, Chongqing.Huang Jiqing didn't hesitate any more. When the people in the mainland were rushing south for their lives like a tide, he carried a leather bag in one hand and returned to the mountain city against the gunpowder smoke and dust.Beibei is a small town more than ten miles away from Chongqing. During the Anti-Japanese War, Huang Jiqing once served as the director and led the whole team of the Central Geological Survey to camp here for several years.At this time, the small town is already a desolate depression.Chiang Kai-shek, who is gone, sits in the mountain city and wants to make his last struggle here.Huang Jiqing remembered that when he was worried that his family would get lost in the panic and chaos that day, an eight or nine-year-old boy stood in front of him with a smirk.son?son!Huang Jiqing was overjoyed, he put down his purse, stepped forward with open arms and hugged his eldest son Haosheng.

The whole family was reunited in the smoke of war.At that time, Huang Jiqing didn't think about anything, as long as the family of five was safe and sound, Amitabha.But someone just wanted to make trouble for him.One day, two armed gendarmes came to the house. "Mr. Huang, we are ordered to ask you to come with us." The military police obviously knew that the man standing in front of them was a great scientist, so they spoke politely. "Where are you going?" Huang Jiqing asked. "South, or Taiwan." "I won't go. Go back and tell your superiors. I still say the same thing: If you are engaged in geology, you must have your own territory. Taiwan is such a small place that you can't do it."

The military police looked at Huang Jiqing coldly for a moment, then left without saying a word. A few days later, a few more soldiers came and drove a jeep. The only difference was that the uniforms had changed. "You have to come with us this time." A man who looked like an official said. Huang Jiqing glanced at his wife and children, and had no choice but to follow them into the car. The jeep left in a flash, but the family's heart was hanging in their throats.As night fell, the jeep returned.Huang Jiqing jumped out of the car, took his wife and children to the house, and couldn't help saying repeatedly: "I'm relieved! I'm relieved!"

"What's going on?" asked the wife. "I saw the Communist Party!" Huang Jiqing gushed, "They are all good people, not what the Kuomintang said at all. There are a few officials named... yes, one named Liu Daifeng, and Duan Junyi, Wan Li, Li Wencai and others, they were very polite to me, and they all knew that I was the director of the Central Geological Survey and an academician of the Academia Sinica. They told me to recruit geological personnel scattered in several southwestern provinces to serve the new China together. I will be asked to meet an important person the day after tomorrow... Oh, what clothes should I wear to meet? It seems that the Communist Party cadres don’t wear suits, yes, you think about buying me a Chinese tunic suit.”

The wife was happy: "Okay, let's see if you are happy." "Why aren't you happy? Whoever asks me to do science and geology, I'll be happy!" Huang Jiqing said solemnly.There was an inherent innocence in his wise eyes. The important person who met him later was Comrade Deng Xiaoping, who was then the political commissar of the Second Field Army and the vice chairman of the Southwest Military and Political Committee.The two Sichuan fellows of the same age hit it off. "Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, our People's Liberation Army drove away Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang with guns, but to clean up this mess, we can't rely on guns. We have to rely on workers, farmers, and scientists like Mr. Huang!" Deng Xiaoping said with a heavy heart. The Sichuan dialect, said cordially. "The central government ordered me and Comrade Liu Bocheng to lead the troops to liberate the places where Chiang Kai-shek left behind. On the other hand, we have a more important task, which is to restore and build the Southwest as soon as possible. Construction, especially industrial production construction, cannot be separated from geological work. Our hometown in Sichuan and Yunguikang (the old province of Xikang, the author’s note) are precious lands with many mineral resources, right? So today, on behalf of the Southwest Military and Political Committee, I asked Mr. Huang to come out of the mountain to cooperate with the government’s leadership and organize the geological work in the Southwest. You see How should this work be done?"

Hearing Deng Xiaoping's words, Huang Jiqing was very encouraged, and said: "We should first set up institutions. Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Kangxi used to have geological survey institutes. Is it possible to consider forming the Southwest Geological Survey on this basis?" Check the office". "Can".Deng Xiaoping immediately made a decision and said: "Mr. Huang can start contacting the geological personnel in these provinces immediately. If you need the government to come forward, you can contact me at any time." In July 1950, the Southwest Military and Political Committee held its first plenary meeting, and Huang Jiqing was elected as a member.Less than two months later, the Southwest Geological Survey was established again, with Huang Jiqing as director, and two other geologists, Le Senyi and Chang Longqing, as deputy directors.On the day of its founding, Deng Xiaoping hosted a banquet in honor of Huang Jiqing and the other three.After the banquet, Deng Xiaoping left Huang Jiqing alone.At that time, Chongqing had just been established. This former wartime capital was the most important industrial city in the Southwest. Deng Xiaoping was very concerned about the city's industrial development.When he heard Huang Jiqing's introduction that many coal, iron ore and natural gas resources near Chongqing could not be developed for a while due to lack of drilling equipment, he immediately ordered six diamond drilling rigs to be dispatched.

"The large-scale construction of the country requires talents. Mr. Huang is a well-known person, and he must have many geological experts and friends abroad. Is there anyone willing to return to China?" Deng Xiaoping asked. Huang Jiqing thought about it and said, "Yes."He told Deng Xiaoping that there was a young expert named Zhao Jingde, who had a Ph.D. in geology and was knowledgeable about Fenggong, and was willing to return to China to participate in the construction. "Then you go and invite him back, and we will be responsible for all the travel expenses. You write a report, and I will approve it!" Deng Xiaoping was very straightforward.

Following Deng Xiaoping's advice, Huang Jiqing immediately wrote a report to the Southwest Military and Political Committee.Within a few days, Deng Xiaoping immediately approved the appropriation of 3,000 US dollars as the travel expenses that Huang Jiqing sent to Zhao Jingde to return home.Regrettably, when Zhao received the travel expenses and was preparing to return home, the US authorities ordered that Chinese experts and scholars be prohibited from leaving the country, so Zhao could not make the trip.However, through this incident, Huang Jiqing was deeply impressed by Deng Xiaoping's approachable, respectful style of approaching, respecting knowledge, respecting talents, and resolute handling of affairs by the leaders of the Communist Party.Undoubtedly, all these gave Huang Jiqing great spiritual strength.In the following three or four years, Huang Jiqing led the scientific and technical personnel of the Southwest Geological Survey to travel all over the mountains and rivers in Southwest Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan and some areas of Xikang with unprecedented work enthusiasm. The discovery and exploration of important mineral deposits such as Liangshan Coalfield, Taijiang Iron Mine, Pengxian Copper Mine, Zunyi Manganese Mine, Shuicheng Guanyinshan Iron Mine, Dongchuan Copper Mine, Jiangyou Haitangpu, and Jianyang Shijingsi Gas Oilfield have provided support for the Southwest provinces. Great industrial construction has made outstanding contributions.For example, Zhongliangshan Coalfield has been the main energy supply place of Chongqing for decades.