Serving the country with a powerful sword, two bullets split the sky - Commemorating the 105th anniversary of Cheng Kaijia's birth

He is a well-deserved "Chinese Nuclear Commander" who has made outstanding contributions to the development and testing of nuclear weapons. He is the only person in China who has won six national honors (academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, winner of the "Two Bombs and One Satellite" Medal of Merit, winner of the National Highest Science and Technology Award, winner of the "August 1st Medal", title of "Reform Pioneer", and national honorary title of "People's Scientist"). He has been rooted in the Gobi Desert for 20 years, hiding his identity and casting tools for the country. He is Cheng Kaijia.

August 3, 2023 is the 105th anniversary of Cheng Kaijia’s birth. Let us remember him together.

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Stick to the original intention and serve the country with science

On August 3, 1918, Cheng Kaijia was born in Wujiang, Jiangsu (now Wujiang District, Suzhou City). His grandfather Cheng Jingzhai named the future grandson of the Cheng family "Kaijia", which means "passing the imperial examination". Cheng Kaijia lived up to his grandfather's expectations. At the age of 13, he was admitted to Xiuzhou Middle School in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, and at the age of 19, he was admitted to the Department of Physics of Zhejiang University. However, China was suffering from the ravages of war at that time, and schools were constantly relocated to avoid the artillery fire of Japanese invaders. China is so big, but there was no place to put a desk. The grief and pain left a deep impression on Cheng Kaijia. From then on, the belief of "saving the country through science" took root in his heart.

In 1946, Cheng Kaijia went to study at the University of Edinburgh in the UK on the recommendation of Dr. Joseph Needham. He was lucky to become a student of the famous physicist Born. In 1948, Cheng Kaijia obtained his doctorate and worked as a researcher at the Royal Institute of Chemical Industry in the UK. He always believed that returning to his hometown and serving his motherland was his way out. After the founding of New China, he gave up the generous treatment in the UK and returned to his motherland without hesitation.

Follow the Party all your life and leave everything to the Party

After returning to China, Cheng Kaijia was assigned to work at Nanjing University. At that time, there were very few professors at Nanjing University. As a senior intellectual who returned to China, he was rated as a second-level professor by the school. But when filling out the form, he insisted on not taking the second-level salary and only accepted the third-level salary. He said: "The country is still fighting the war to resist the US and aid Korea, and my salary is enough."

In 1952, Cheng Kaijia submitted an application to join the party, and in 1956, he officially joined the Communist Party of China. Cheng Kaijia spent his life fulfilling the oath he wrote in his application: "I will follow the party all my life and give everything to the party."

In 1960, Cheng Kaijia joined the Chinese nuclear weapons research team with a transfer order from the state. The party needed him, so he did it. Since then, his name has been included in the state's top-secret archives.

Taking root in the Gobi Desert, building a shield for the country

In 1960, Cheng Kaijia served as the deputy director of the Ninth Research Institute of the Second Ministry of Machine Building and participated in the development of the atomic bomb. Through his research on the high-pressure state equation and chemical explosion tests, he was the first in China to calculate the temperature and pressure of the core of the atomic bomb when it exploded, providing an important basis for the design of the explosive power of nuclear weapons. In the study of the atomic bomb implosion mechanism, he solved the design problem of the detonation shock focus, providing a basis for the design of strong monomer structures and processing precision.

In 1962, when Cheng Kaijia had made great achievements in the theoretical research of atomic bomb, the organization arranged for him to switch to another research field - nuclear testing. In November, Cheng Kaijia joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army. After that, he joined the army and went into the desert to devote himself to the development and testing of nuclear weapons.

In the history of nuclear testing, Cheng Kaijia was the scientist who directed the most nuclear tests in China. Regarding the question of how to explode the first atomic bomb, he proposed to use an iron tower to implement it, and then use air explosion. He designed China's first creative and accurate nuclear test plan, which ensured the successful completion of the first nuclear test mission. On June 17, 1967, the first air-dropped hydrogen bomb test was successful. He proposed to change the flight direction of the aircraft to ensure the safety of the bombing aircraft. In September 1969, the first flat-hole underground nuclear test was successful. The backfill plugging plan he designed ensured the safety of the test project. In October 1978, the first vertical shaft underground nuclear test was successful using his plan. People habitually call this scientist "China's Nuclear Commander."

Over the past 20 years, Cheng Kaijia has successfully designed and presided over more than 30 tests, including the first atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb, and missile nuclear weapons. For each nuclear test mission, he would go to the most difficult and dangerous frontline to inspect and guide technical work, and entered the underground nuclear test explosion site many times, crawling into the test corridor, test room, and even the most dangerous explosion center. He dedicated the best 20 years of his life to the vast Gobi Desert, devoting himself to the research and testing of China's nuclear weapons.

Climb to the top and make selfless contributions

At the age of 87, Cheng Kaijia wrote in his own handwriting: "Scientific and technological research, innovative exploration of the unknown, unremitting efforts, courage to climb to the top, and selfless dedication." This is exactly what he insisted on and pursued throughout his life, and it is also a true portrayal of his scientific life.

When he was 100 years old, Cheng Kaijia once said frankly: "The greatest happiness in this life is that everything I have done is closely linked to the motherland." With a sincere heart, a lifetime of dedication, and outstanding achievements, Cheng Kaijia passed away in Beijing on the morning of November 17, 2018 at the age of 101.

Do earth-shaking things and be an anonymous person. Cheng Kaijia's pure heart of dedicating himself to the party and the country, and his struggle to build a shield for the country throughout his life will always inspire us to overcome all obstacles and move forward courageously.

Produced by Yuanbao Studio

Planning | Ma Shiyu Zhao Mumu

Photo and text | Zhao Mumu

Poster | Pei Ke

Video | Shi Jialing

Note | This article is published by China Atomic Energy Publishing and Media Co., Ltd. Please do not reprint without permission!