"Deep diving" shines in the sky all his life, and he is willing to use this life to serve the country - In commemoration of the 97th anniversary of the birth of Academician Peng Shilu

He became an orphan at the age of 4, was arrested and imprisoned at the age of 8, and grew up wearing clothes and eating food from different families. He is the "real god" of China's nuclear submarines that Rickover, the "father of the world's nuclear submarines", wanted to see but failed to do so when he visited China. He was born in the year of the Ox, a pioneer on the road of nuclear power. He said: "I have only done two things in my life: one is to build nuclear submarines, and the other is to build nuclear power plants."

Today is the 97th anniversary of Peng Shilu’s birth. Let us remember Academician Peng Shilu and pay tribute to this role model of the times!

The blood of heroes and heroes surges, and hundreds of families raise children with love

Peng Shilu was born on November 18, 1925 in Haifeng County, Guangdong Province. He was the second son of Peng Pai, an early leader of the peasant movement in China. When Peng Shilu was three years old, his mother Cai Suping died, and when he was four years old, his father was martyred. After his parents died, the enemy searched for him everywhere. The local people risked their lives to transfer him from one family to another, protecting him with their blood and lives.

As a child, Peng Shilu lived in countless families and changed his name countless times. His miserable childhood made him constantly change roles: "little orphan", "little prisoner", "little beggar", "little guerrilla fighter"...

From then on, Peng Shilu's gratitude towards the people began to take root in his heart.

Self-reliance, Yanhe River, and the pursuit of atomic energy

Having experienced a childhood that is beyond the imagination of ordinary people, Peng Shilu is extraordinarily sensible and hardworking.

In 1940, 15-year-old Peng Shilu was sent to Yan'an, the holy land of revolution, and ended his days of hiding from the outside world. In Yan'an, he was rated as a model nurse and model student for his excellent academic, labor and work performance, and his deeds were published in Yan'an's Liberation Daily. In 1945, 20-year-old Peng Shilu gloriously joined the Communist Party of China. Regarding the unforgettable life in Yan'an, Peng Shilu once said with deep affection: "The holy land of Yan'an cultivated my habits of self-reliance, hard work, and frankness." "The revolutionary education I received in Yan'an is the greatest spiritual wealth of my life."

In 1951, the 26-year-old Peng Shilu passed the exam with excellent results and went to study in the Soviet Union. During this period, the world's first nuclear submarine, the USS Nautilus, dived into the Pacific Ocean. This strategic weapon attracted great attention from our country's leaders.

In 1956, General Chen Geng, who was visiting the Soviet Union, summoned Peng Shilu to the embassy and told him that the central government had decided to select a group of overseas students to study atomic energy and nuclear power. He asked him, "Are you willing to change your career?" Peng Shilu replied firmly, "Of course I am willing, as long as the motherland needs it." From then on, Peng Shilu became associated with "nuclear" and closely linked his life's energy with the development of the motherland's nuclear industry.

Peng Shilu in the Soviet Union

Push the divine whale to swim in the blue sea and ignite the nuclear fire to illuminate the sky

In 1958, Peng Shilu graduated from the Soviet Union with excellent results and returned to China. In the same year, the development of China's nuclear submarine was officially launched.

At first, China had almost no knowledge of nuclear submarine construction. The only information was five blurry photos of foreign nuclear submarines and a children's nuclear submarine model toy bought from an American store. Faced with numerous difficulties, Chairman Mao Zedong said with great momentum: "We must build a nuclear submarine even if it takes 10,000 years."

In 1962, Peng Shilu began to preside over the demonstration of nuclear power plants for nuclear submarines and the preliminary development of major equipment. "At that time, some of us studied chemical engineering, some studied electricity, and some studied instrumentation. Most of us did not understand nuclear technology, and we relied on four words to develop nuclear submarines - self-taught." Peng Shilu recalled. He mobilized everyone to learn English together. When Russian materials were no longer available, they switched to English materials. He said: "At that time, we ate steamed buns to do scientific research. Sometimes we couldn't even eat steamed buns, so we dug wild vegetables to eat. There were no computers at that time, only a hand-cranked calculator, and everyone used slide rules and abacus. So much data was calculated day and night with these tools."

On December 26, 1970, China's first nuclear submarine, the Long March 1, was officially launched. China became the fifth country in the world to have nuclear submarines after the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain and France.

Not a single foreign screw was used on China's first nuclear submarine!

Peng Shilu introduced my country's first nuclear submarine launched at the China Shipbuilding Research Institute

After the successful development of the nuclear submarine, Peng Shilu, who had been dealing with nuclear power for most of his life, had a new mission. This time, the country gave him another extremely difficult task of land reclamation.

Which technology route should China take to develop nuclear power? In the 1970s, the choice between the molten salt reactor and the pressurized water reactor became a focus of debate. After scientific demonstration and research, Peng Shilu proposed that my country's nuclear power plants should adopt the internationally mature pressurized water reactor route. This proposal played a key role in my country's nuclear power taking the "pressurized water reactor-based technology route".

In 1983, Peng Shilu was appointed as the general commander of the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station. At that time, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Project had neither sufficient construction funds nor sufficient talents and technology. Despite this, with the hard work of Peng Shilu and others, the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Project was successfully started in 1987. In the same year, he was entrusted with a new task by the state and served as the chairman of the Qinshan Phase II Nuclear Power Station, responsible for the construction of China's first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant. From introducing and digesting international advanced technologies to independently developing core technologies, Peng Shilu led his team to win one pioneering battle after another in the field of nuclear power.

In 1994, Peng Shilu was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

On March 22, 2021, 96-year-old Peng Shilu ended his life of "deep diving" for the motherland.

On March 30, 2021, with the song "Heroic Nuclear Submarine", Peng Shilu's last wish came true: his ashes were scattered in the sea, guarding the ocean of the motherland forever. He once said that it was enough for him to love and be loyal to his motherland while alive, and to devote himself to the prosperity of his motherland. At this moment, he may be that surging wave, diving deep with his favorite nuclear submarine, sailing all the way, accompanying the new journey of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, rolling forward and surging endlessly!

Produced by Yuanbao Studio

Planning | Ma Shiyu Zhao Mumu

Photo and text | Zhao Mumu

Poster | Hou Yixuan