Zhang Jiangshu

Zhang Jiangshu

Zhang Jiangshu (1898-1989), physical chemist and educator. He devoted all his life to the teaching and research work in the field of physical chemistry. He was one of the main academic leaders in the early physical chemistry in China. He was as famous as Huang Ziqing, so he was known as "south Zhang and North Huang". He made contributions to the development of Chemical Science in China and cultivated several generations of scientific and technical talents in China. Especially after the founding of the people's Republic of China, he was always loyal to the cause of people's education and devoted his life to the development of China's higher education.

Life of the characters

Zhang Jiangshu, also known as xuefan. He was born in Changshu County, Jiangsu Province on June 15, 1898. In his childhood, his family was very poor, and he felt that learning opportunities were hard won, so he worked hard and spared no effort to study. In 1910, he was admitted to Shanghai Longmen normal school (the predecessor of Shanghai middle school). When studying, he is conscientious, meticulous, never let go of any difficulties and doubts in learning, and become an outstanding student. In 1914, he was admitted to Nanjing Normal University (the predecessor of Nanjing University) with excellent results. After graduating in 1918, he remained as a chemistry assistant. Since then, he has an indissoluble bond with chemistry.

At the beginning of the 20th century, China's chemical industry just started, the road is difficult, Zhang Jiangshu is very concerned about the development of China's chemical industry. He used the opportunity of being employed as a chemistry teacher in Xiamen Jimei normal school and Shanghai Songjiang No.3 middle school to investigate the development of Chemical Technology in China. At that time, China's chemical industry was mostly limited to the manufacture of lacquer, alkali and some inorganic salt products, which was not commensurate with China's long history of papermaking, gunpowder manufacturing, fermentation and other chemical technology. Compared with the western developed capitalist countries, the gap was larger. Zhang Jiangshu deeply felt that China's chemical technology was too backward, and there was a lack of chemical technical talents. He gradually sprouted the ideas of "saving the country by science" and "saving the country by education". In 1923, he went to the United States to study at public expense. He first studied chemistry at the University of California (fourth grade). In 1924, he became a graduate student at Harvard University. Two years later, he obtained a master of Science degree from Harvard University. In 1926, Zhang Jiangshu returned home with full enthusiasm, determined to work hard for the prosperity of the motherland in the field of chemistry.

After returning to China, Zhang Jiangshu has been a professor in Guanghua University, the fourth Sun Yat sen University and Central University (renamed Nanjing University in 1949). He is rigorous in scholarship, clear in teaching concept, and skillful in experiment. He is deeply respected and loved by students. On the eve of the founding of the people's Republic of China, he served as chairman of the Department of chemistry and Dean of the Faculty of science of Central University. At that time, the KMT government wanted to move the school to Taiwan, but Zhang Jiangshu and others flatly refused. In order to protect the school, he participated in the "school maintenance committee" organized by progressive teachers and actively supported the progressive student movement. Ignoring the persecution and coercion of the Kuomintang reactionary government shows the integrity of a patriotic intellectual.

In the early days of the founding of the people's Republic of China, Zhang Jiangshu successively served as Dean of Nanjing University, Dean of the College of science, chairman of the Preparatory Committee of Nanjing Institute of technology, and member of Jiangsu Provincial People's government. At that time, he had received anonymous threatening letters with bullets from Kuomintang secret agents, but his firm belief in the party and the cause of socialist construction never wavered.

In 1952, the Central People's government appointed Zhang Jiangshu as the president of East China Institute of chemical technology and a member of Shanghai Municipal People's government. Since then, he has worked hard and painstakingly to establish the first higher chemical engineering college in China. In the case of insufficient education funds, he led all the teachers and students of East China Institute of chemical technology to work hard and run the school thriftily. Starting from the simple classrooms, dormitories and laboratories, East China University of chemical technology is regarded as a model of thrift in Shanghai universities because of the tradition of teaching and construction at the same time. He has been involved in every detail from the establishment of disciplines, the construction of teaching staff, scientific research, student education to administrative management. With his hard work, East China Institute of chemical technology has begun to take shape in a relatively short period of time, and was listed as a national key university in October 1960. During the "Cultural Revolution", although he was severely attacked and persecuted, he still tried his best to reduce the damage to the school. After Zhang Jiangshu resumed his post as president in 1978, he immediately carried out the restoration and rectification work, which made the school develop rapidly. Since 1981, due to his old age and illness, he has retired from the front line and served as honorary president of East China Institute of chemical technology. However, he still pays attention to the process of reform and construction of the University. East China University of chemical technology has developed from a single subject school into such a comprehensive national key university of science, engineering and culture today - East China University of science and technology, which embodies the half life efforts of Zhang Jiangshu.

Zhang Jiangshu joined the China Democratic League in 1949 and served successively as a member of the Central Committee of the Democratic League of China, a member of the Central Committee of the Democratic League of China, a member of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Democratic League of China, and a consultant. He joined the Communist Party of China in 1956, realizing his long cherished wish. Zhang Jiangshu once served as the third people's representative of the National People's Congress and the first to Seventh People's representatives of Shanghai Municipal People's Congress. He is very concerned about the construction of teaching materials in Colleges and universities. For a long time, he was the director of the national Editing Committee of chemical teaching materials in Colleges and universities of engineering and the chief editor of the chemistry branch of Cihai.

Zhang Jiangshu devoted all his life to the development of education and Chemical Science in China, and left precious spiritual and material wealth for future generations.

Character contribution

Devote oneself to chemistry research and compiling teaching materials

As early as the 1930s and 1940s, Zhang Jiangshu had made many achievements in the research of chemical science, and published more than 10 papers, such as "chemical interaction between copper and hydrochloric acid", "concentration of cuprous chloride in concentrated hydrochloric acid", "analysis of actinolite", "determination of electrolytic constant and electric moment by resonance method", "Research on three electrochemistry in China". But he clearly realized that the key to revitalizing the chemical technology of the motherland is to cultivate a large number of chemical talents. However, the higher education of chemical industry in China at that time was seriously affected by the semi feudal and semi colonial economy and politics of China, and almost all of the university teaching materials were foreign. In view of this situation, while engaged in teaching and scientific research, Zhang Jiangshu began to devote himself to compiling Chinese textbooks. In 1945, his book theoretical chemistry experiment came out, which is the first physical chemistry textbook compiled and published by Chinese chemists. During this period, he has written several textbooks such as battery, chemistry teaching method and high school chemistry.

After the founding of the people's Republic of China, Zhang Jiangshu held many administrative positions, which took up a lot of his time and energy, but he was still concerned about the construction of teaching materials. He comprehensively analyzed the key and universal problems in national construction and scientific development of various departments. He believed that some key research projects of China's first five year plan, such as peaceful utilization of atomic energy, antibiotics, polymers, petroleum, etc., are closely related to physical chemistry. He believed that physical chemistry is of great significance in making full use of natural wealth, selecting the best technological process, and promoting the development of science and technology Effective control of the technological process can play a great role, so it is urgent to compile a physical chemistry textbook combined with China's national conditions. Therefore, he consulted a large number of materials at home and abroad, organized and led the compilation of physical chemistry textbooks, and took "concise, refined, clear and clear" as the characteristics of the new textbooks. In 1959, the book "physical chemistry and colloidal chemistry" edited by him was officially published by higher education press. It became the first unified textbook of physical chemistry for engineering universities in China. It laid a foundation for the compilation of chemical engineering textbooks for colleges and universities in the future.

For a long time, Zhang Jiangshu has also presided over the work of the Chemical Textbook Compilation Committee of Higher Engineering Colleges of the Ministry of education, and has done a lot of work in the construction of general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry and physical chemistry. In the 1960s, China published a complete set of Engineering Chemistry Textbooks for the first time, which is inseparable from Zhang Jiangshu's efforts. Zhang Jiangshu is one of the founders of the Chinese chemical society. In 1986, in congratulating him on his 50 years of chemical work, the Chinese chemical society gave him the honorary certificate, which said: "founding members, a generation of teachers", which is a good portrayal of Zhang Jiangshu's life achievements.

Engaged in education all his life, he has cultivated several generations of scientific and technological talents in China

Zhang Jiangshu, who has been engaged in higher chemical education for decades, is famous for his strict self-discipline and rigorous scholarship. No matter in the face of the Kuomintang reactionaries' perverse acts or the cruel persecution of the gang of four, he was able to stand up to justice, love and hate, and adhere to the truth. During the "Cultural Revolution", although Zhang Jiangshu was attacked and persecuted, he firmly believed that it was just a dark cloud and could not cover the warm sunshine. After smashing the gang of four, he once wrote a poem to express his feelings and interests: "Shugu Yangsheng Gang urges the army and the people to celebrate together.". Uncovering the face of the poor thousand state, the first time for Taofu. Unity is the best way to get rid of the negative side, but it also depends on the cold plum. Science and technology are needed for a long-term plan, and the old nine should cultivate talents in the middle. "

No matter for young teachers, graduate students, or college students, Zhang Jiangshu is strict in business. He not only emphasizes theoretical teaching, but also attaches importance to practical teaching. He personally explains some difficult concepts in physical chemistry course for young teachers and some difficult chapters such as "entropy" for students. Zhang Jiangshu has a brilliant view on the second law of thermodynamics in physical chemistry. His concept of "irreversibility" has been used in the teaching of physical chemistry in East China Institute of chemical technology. In recent years, the concept of "irreversibility" has been widely used due to the increasing attention of the engineering and technical circles to the effective utilization of energy

Chinese PinYin : Zhang Jiang Shu