IMR - Key Persons

CHEN Xingqiu

Job Titles:

Deputy Secretary of Party Committee / Deputy Director

GUO Moruo

Job Titles:

President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences

Over the past century, a large number of Chinese scholars, with the ideals of enriching and strengthening the motherland and the original intention of saving the country through science, sailed away to study advanced science and sought the way of national rejuvenation. At the beginning of the founding of New China, many overseas scholars, including LEE Hsun, in order to put into practice the idea of serving the country with science, resolutely gave up their comfortable lives and good jobs, and returned to the motherland with patriotic fervor, experiencing bumps and setbacks, and became the backbone of the development of science and technology in New China, and made important contributions to China's economic construction, national defense construction, and the cause of science and education. LEE Hsun was admitted to the University of Sheffield, England, in 1937, and received a doctorate degree in philosophy in 1940 and a doctorate degree in metallurgical science in 1951. In his research, he discovered that hydrogen in steel leads to cracking and found out the law of removing hydrogen from steel. Through several papers, he comprehensively elaborated on the mechanism of cracking in alloy structural steel, and proposed measures and process parameters such as the temperature range of diffusion dehydrogenation, etc., and is widely recognized as the founder of the research field. During his study in the UK, LEE Hsun always cared about his motherland, he joined the "China Alumni Association in the UK" and served as the chairman of the Sheffield Branch, actively organized, contacted and participated in various activities to discuss and improve the understanding of the situation in the motherland, and played a very positive role in encouraging and mobilizing the talents to return to home country upon completion of their studies. Many scientists, including ZHANG Peilin, FANG Shuang, ZHANG Zuomei, ZHUANGg Yuzhi and KE Jun, were inspired by LEE Hsun to return to China. LEE Hsun with ZHANG Peilin, FANG Shuang and ZHANG Zuomei before returning to China in 1951 (front row, second from left) LEE Hsun presided over the Institute of Metal Research for thirty years and always insisted that scientific research was mainly oriented to the main battlefield of economic construction and national defense construction. At the same time, he attached importance to basic theoretical research. As the convenor of the National Long-term Science Planning in metallurgy, LEE Hsun planned the blueprint for the development of China's metallurgy industry. LEE Hsun also attached great importance to the training of talents. Under his idea, the Institute of Metal Research has gradually formed an excellent academic style which advocating the spirit of "three strictnesses" (seriousness, strictness and rigor) and a down-to-earth and factual work style.