Wang Chi: Finding a ray of light from loneliness

Lonely moments are the best opportunity to talk to yourself.

young people:

Hello! I am a space physicist. When I saw so many young people expressing their loneliness in the comments, I was also deeply moved. Because in my nearly 30 years of space science research, loneliness has been my constant companion.

In 1993, when I was 26 years old, I said goodbye to my family and went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alone to pursue my doctorate. There was no international Internet at that time, and communication was basically based on letters, because international long-distance calls were very expensive. When the plane took off from the Capital Airport, I also felt a little lonely and confused. The destination Boston was only a name I had seen in books, but I was going to an unknown place with a dream. When the plane was about to land over Boston, I saw the brightly lit city, and my heart was relieved, because I knew that I would start a new stage of my life in this strange city.

Fortunately, my doctoral advisor was the chief scientist of the plasma instrument of the US Voyager 2. Thanks to this opportunity, I came into contact with NASA's greatest space project in history, which taught me about mankind's never-ending spirit of exploration, the scientific attitude of pursuing excellence, and the pursuit of excellence in technical research.

The process of pursuing a doctorate was painful and lonely. The strict requirements of MIT made me stay up all night to do homework, spend New Year's Day in the library, and drive hundreds of miles to ask questions. But realizing my ideal is the light in loneliness, which makes me feel that there is always hope.

However, just when I felt that I had integrated into this society and was feeling at home, something, a bigger thing, made me feel even more lonely.

Every time I go to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) for a meeting, I have to apply for a security clearance long in advance, and on the day of the meeting I have to wear a badge that says "escort" when entering the laboratory.

This means that whenever I am in the lab, I must be accompanied by an American. I cannot be alone. I feel lonely and frustrated.

It just so happened that the Chinese Academy of Sciences had a talent introduction program, and Mr. Wei Fengsi, director of the Space Weather Open Research Laboratory, contacted me and asked if I wanted to come back. I had just transferred to MIT as a research scientist, and my salary doubled compared to my postdoctoral period, which was a very generous reward at the time.

On the one hand, returning to China means starting from scratch but gives you unlimited space for scientific research. On the other hand, there are high-paying jobs but full of restrictions. After thinking about it, I chose to return to China.

My wife hesitated for a moment, but I had already made up my mind: I had chosen space science, and my goal was to concentrate on scientific research without any restrictions, and to contribute to the development of my country's space science. I believed that my work was valuable, and I believed that I had made the right choice.

At the beginning of this century, China's level of space science was far behind the world. There was no first-hand observation data in this field at that time, and we relied more on foreign data for research. You can imagine what we did: "Others have eaten the meat, and you go to gnaw on the bones."

Looking back now, although I am already at the age of "knowing the destiny", when you choose a path you like, many times such a choice is not understood or supported by the people around you, and you may even have to sit on the "bench". You have to handle everything by yourself, and you have to move forward by gritting your teeth.

In my opinion, personal achievements are closely related to the development of the entire country in this field. If the field is not good as a whole, your personal development will not be much better. Now 20 years have passed, looking back, I did make a very correct decision at that time.

I have caught up with a great era. I feel very lucky and proud to be able to integrate my personal development into the rapid development of our country's space science and make progress together.

At the same time, my experiences over the years have also made me realize that loneliness is almost inevitable if a person wants to accomplish something. Wandering in a foreign country, seeking truth in the vast universe, and being lost in scientific research are all things I experienced and overcame when I was young.

It is precisely because of this that I have more confidence in you who are reading this letter now, because I know that you must be in better conditions and have a wider path than I did back then, so you should be braver and more confident. If I can overcome it, you can do it too.

I will share with you my three experiences of overcoming loneliness, hoping that it will be of some help to you.

First, accept "loneliness". As the saying goes, everything is difficult at the beginning, and the more difficult it is, the easier it is to feel lonely. When I just returned to China, I was faced with a huge blank in the field, and no matter how great my ambitions were, they were all worn away by half. Loneliness is the norm in life. When you realize that this is the current situation, you will accept this real situation and find a way to build a new "module" from 0 to 1.

Second, learn to get along with loneliness and use it to recognize what you really want in your heart.

When I was a kid, I often lay in the field beside a reservoir in the Hunan countryside and looked up at the starry sky. The stars in the sky attracted me and made me want to fly up to see what secrets were there. That was the first time I decided to study the stars. Later, when I actually participated in the mission of Voyager 2, I was shocked by the vastness of the universe, which further strengthened my interest in the field of space science.

You must firmly believe that the moment of loneliness given to you by God must be the best opportunity for you to talk to yourself. Don't miss it.

Finally, please believe that when you move forward towards your dream, more and more people will begin to understand and support you. On the day I received the honor of "Academician", I used "gratitude, responsibility, and cherishment" to express my feelings. I am grateful to my parents who raised me, my family who accompanied me, my school who cultivated me, my mentors and friends who supported me, and my unit that supported me, which opened up new possibilities for my scientific research. Without them, it is hard to imagine that I would have the opportunity to participate in major national tasks such as the "Meridian Project", "Space Science Pilot Project", "Chang'e 4" and "Tianwen 1", which are groundbreaking national heavy equipment.

Even today, like you, I still feel lonely from time to time. After all, China's space science is still in its infancy, and there is still a long way to go in the future. I hope we can all grow together with loneliness and find our own light in loneliness.

Anchor | Zhang Daxin

Planning: Jia Fenyong, Zhou Genghu, He Yuxin, Song Yumeng

Reporter: Song Yumeng, Ye Qian, Dong Ruifeng, Pang Mingguang,

Li Guoli, Wang Haoming, Zhou Yongmin, Deng Jie, Sheng Ruili, Zheng Tianhong

Xinhua News Agency Omnimedia Editorial Center, PLA Branch, Sports Department, Yunnan Branch, Guangdong Branch, Shanghai Branch

Sina Weibo, New World

Co-production

Learn to face loneliness!