This 90-year-old academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering wore the same pair of pants for 30 years, but donated 3 million to his alma mater

On Zhihu, there was a question and answer like this: "Who are the experts in China who are good at large-scale cross-border structures?"

The answer with the highest number of likes was: "The best in China should still be Shen Shizhao."

So, who is Shen Shizhao?

He is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, winner of the highest achievement award of the China Steel Structure Association, and the protagonist of a recent donation of RMB 3 million to the Harbin Institute of Technology (hereinafter referred to as "HIT") Education Development Foundation to support the development and construction of the School of Civil Engineering.

Although he has made great achievements in scientific research and donated millions of yuan to his alma mater, Shen Shizhao lives a very frugal life. Now that he is over 50 years old, he still wears decades-old clothes. He said: "I have been studying and working in Harbin Institute of Technology for 70 years. I grew up in Harbin Institute of Technology. Harbin Institute of Technology is my home. I think it is very meaningful to use my savings to contribute to the talent training of Harbin Institute of Technology."

Harbin Institute of Technology presents the Education Contribution Award medal and donation certificate to Academician Shen Shizhao (left)

From the "Land of Fish and Rice" to the Ice City of the Motherland

In 1953, when the first "Five-Year Plan" of New China was being implemented, after graduating from Tongji University, Shen Shizhao responded to the country's call and came to Harbin Institute of Technology to become a teaching graduate student at the age of 20.

At that time, there were 1,500 students on the train that Shen Shizhao was on. Some of them went to Shenyang and Changchun, and Harbin was the final destination of the train. "There were 14 people who came to Harbin Institute of Technology. The school sent a flatbed carriage to pick us up and take us to the dormitory. The school conditions were very poor at that time. We lived in a large room with more than 20 people, with upper and lower bunks, but our spirits were very high. People of my age felt deeply about the suffering of the Chinese nation. After the founding of New China, we were determined to play our role and build the country well." Shen Shizhao said. From then on, this young man from Jiaxing, Zhejiang, took root in the ice city of the motherland.

Shen Shizhao when he was young

Since you have made a choice, you must stick to it. After years of tempering at HIT, Shen Shizhao successfully grew from a teacher graduate student to a young teacher. By 1957, more than 800 young teachers from all over the country gathered at HIT. At that time, their average age was only 27.5 years old, but they became the backbone of the country's industrial modernization and were hailed as the "Eight Hundred Warriors" of HIT.

After the founding of New China, the country was in a state of disrepair. From bridges and roads to housing and underground construction, civil engineering was indispensable. According to the development trend of national construction, Shen Shizhao began to focus on the field of civil engineering.

In 1978, China implemented the policy of reform and opening up. Shen Shizhao was sent to the Fulitz Institute of Engineering at Lehigh University in the United States in 1979 as one of the first visiting scholars to go abroad. The institute is famous for its steel structure, so from then on, his research work completely broke away from wood structure and turned to steel structure. "With the development of my country's economy and society, the construction of large public buildings will definitely increase, and large-span space structures will have a place to play." He said. Under this situation, Shen Shizhao worked for decades.

From the "Sky Eye" to the Bird's Nest

In his 90 years of life, at every crossroads, "whether it is beneficial to the country" was the only criterion for Shen Shizhao to make decisions.

On September 25, 2016, the 500-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST), known as the "Super Eye of the Sky", was put into use in the karst depression in Pingtang County, Guizhou Province. This is the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope with independent intellectual property rights in my country. As a pioneer of large-span space structures in my country, Shen Shizhao led his team to participate in the design of the active reflector structure system of the "Sky Eye", which took 8 years from pre-research to final completion of the plan.

China's "Sky Eye"

Theoretically, the "Sky Eye" can receive electromagnetic signals from 13.7 billion light-years away, which is close to the edge of the universe. The reason why my country's "Sky Eye" can see so far is that a world-first technology plays a vital role, that is, the "active reflector surface structure system" of the FAST project undertaken and completed by the Harbin Institute of Technology's space structure research team led by Shen Shizhao. It is also known as one of the three major independent innovations of China's "Sky Eye". In view of the outstanding contribution made by Harbin Institute of Technology in this regard, the National Astronomical Observatory applied to the International Astronomical Union to name a newly discovered asteroid "Harbin Institute of Technology Star".

For decades, Shen Shizhao and his team have always created masterpieces. In addition to the "Sky Eye", he has participated in the design of major sports projects such as the Beijing Olympic "Bird's Nest" and Water Cube, the Asian Games Shijingshan and Chaoyang Gymnasiums, and the Winter Asian Games Heilongjiang Speed ​​Skating Hall. He said: "We don't allow our time and energy to be wasted on routine projects."

Bird's Nest

In addition to scientific research, Shen Shizhao has devoted all his efforts to the education career he loves. Since the 1980s, he has led students to concentrate on the theoretical research of spatial structures. Under his leadership, the large-span spatial structure team of Harbin Institute of Technology has built a complete theoretical system from stability, wind resistance, earthquake resistance, etc., just like building a building, brick by brick, to guide the development of the industry. "This is not a thing with much economic benefits, and it is also a thing that requires endurance." He said. And it is with such a spirit of silent dedication that Shen Shizhao, who is a man of great virtue, has trained more than 600 backbone talents in spatial structures for the country during his 70 years of study and work at Harbin Institute of Technology.

Academician Shen Shizhao and students

In Shen Shizhao's view, young people are the future of the country. He hopes that through this donation, he will support more outstanding young students of Harbin Institute of Technology to work hard on the road of "China Construction" and make further contributions to the great cause of building a strong country and national rejuvenation.

After making the donation, Shen Shizhao received praise from the outside world, but he did not take it seriously. "I am 90 years old now, and I feel like I will not live for many more years. What should I do with this money? My son and daughter do not need my help. I have been a teacher all my life, and my students are like my own children, so I think it is best to give it to the school, and continue to contribute to the cultivation of talents and encourage teachers and students to teach and study well," he said.