"My father built many bridges throughout his life, including steel bridges spanning rivers and 'hidden bridges' built for China's popular science cause. His spirit has never left and continues to flow through the times." On January 9, at a series of events commemorating the 130th anniversary of Mao Yisheng's birth, Mao Yulin, daughter of Mao Yisheng, honorary chairman of the Mao Yisheng Science and Education Foundation, and member of the Jiusan Society, remarked in an exclusive interview with China News.
Mao Yisheng, a scientist hailed as the "Father of Modern Bridges in China," served as Honorary Chairman of the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society, President of the China Academy of Railway Sciences, Honorary Chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology, and President of the Western Returned Scholars Association, among other positions. On the anniversary, the Central Committee of the Jiusan Society and the China Association for Science and Technology jointly hosted a symposium commemorating the 130th anniversary of Mao Yisheng's birth. More than 100 people gathered at the Great Hall of the People to explore the resonance of Mao Yisheng's spirit in the new era.
The backbone of the nation uses "bridges" to fulfill its patriotic aspirations.
"The Qiantang River Bridge, designed under the supervision of Mr. Mao Yisheng, is a milestone in the history of bridge construction in China," said Wu Weihua, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and Chairman of the Central Committee of the Jiu San Society, at the symposium.
Wu Weihua believes that, given the profound impact of science and technology on the future of the nation and the well-being of the people, we should further learn from and carry forward Mr. Mao Yisheng's patriotic spirit of cherishing the motherland and serving the people, his scientific spirit of practicing diligently and daring to innovate, and his noble character of dedicating himself to popularizing science and being a stepping stone for others.
Mao Yisheng was born in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province in 1896. He studied abroad in his early years and returned to China after completing his studies. In the 1930s, he presided over the design and construction of my country's first modern road-rail bridge—the Qiantang River Bridge. To prevent the Japanese invasion, he personally blew up the bridge. After the victory of the War of Resistance against Japan, he presided over the bridge's reconstruction. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as the chairman of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and participated in the design of many important bridges in my country.
What Mao Yisheng left to the nation was far more than just the bridges that stand over the rivers. The many invisible bridges he painstakingly built were also repeatedly mentioned at the symposium that day.
In 1954, during the First National People's Congress, Mao Yisheng put forward four suggestions on how popular science work and scientific work could help production and construction during the First Five-Year Plan. Among them was "gradually establishing science and technology museums with regular exhibitions." In the 1980s, he served as the director of the Preparatory Committee for the China Science and Technology Museum under the China Association for Science and Technology, promoting the transformation of science and technology museums from blueprints into reality and making pioneering contributions to the construction of my country's modern science and technology museum system.
"Mr. Mao Yisheng was an outstanding pioneer of popular science in my country. He proposed that 'science belongs to the people,' regarded popular science as a bridge for China to modernize, and advocated that scientific research and popular science complement each other." He Junke, Secretary of the Party Group and Vice Chairman in charge of daily work of the China Association for Science and Technology, recalled that Mao Yisheng wrote tirelessly, producing a large number of popular science articles and editing publications such as the "Natural Science Mini-Series," which ignited the scientific dreams of countless young people.
Passing on the torch, bridging science to the future
The "bridge to popular science" built by Mao Yisheng is now extending to a wider public. On the afternoon of the symposium, the "Series of Exhibitions Commemorating the 130th Anniversary of Mao Yisheng's Birth" opened at the China Science and Technology Museum. Upon entering the exhibition area, precious original historical materials such as Mao Yisheng's manuscript of "Talks on Bridges" and a letter from the Preparatory Committee Office of the China Science and Technology Museum to Mao Yisheng are displayed, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the development of Chinese bridge science and technology culture.
Chen Kang, the project leader and engineer of the Ancient Science and Technology Exhibition Department of the China Science and Technology Museum, shared a detail with reporters: When working on the exhibition on the construction technology of the Qiantang River Bridge, the project team was at a loss due to a lack of materials. Later, they found an old book written by Mao Yisheng. "The book introduces the construction of the Qiantang River Bridge in a detailed and popular way, which fully reflects Mr. Mao's emphasis on popular science work at that time. We transformed the pictures and texts in the book into exhibition content to pay tribute to his popular science cause."
Mao Yisheng once said, "On the bridge of popularizing science, let children cross first." In the "Exploring Bridge Space" study and experience area of this series of exhibitions, many primary school students are exploring the mysteries of bridges through fun tasks. Chang Juan, deputy director of the Ancient Science and Technology Exhibition Department of the China Science and Technology Museum, introduced: "We designed a storyline of 'designing a bridge for children in Yunxi Village who have difficulty going to school,' hoping to help children understand engineering thinking and appreciate the original intention of building bridges for the people through gamified exploration."
The bridge of hearts stands forever, from grand rivers and highways to winding mountain paths.
On the anniversary, the Mao Yisheng Science and Technology Education Foundation announced that the 29th "Mao Yisheng Charity Bridge" will be built in Dantu District, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, Mao Yisheng's hometown, to build a "small bridge" for children to study safely.
On the day of the commemorative event, Mao Yulin (second from left) posed for a group photo with donors and designers of the small bridge project in front of the "Mao Yisheng Charity Bridge" exhibition panel at the China Science and Technology Museum. (Photo by Luo Luqiao)Since its launch in 2011, the "Mao Yisheng Public Welfare Bridge Project" has built 28 public welfare bridges in remote mountainous areas of 15 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions, including Chongqing, Yunnan and Ningxia, solving the travel problems of tens of thousands of villagers and students.
“My father built a bridge across the river, while we build a small bridge for the convenience of the people. This is not only a physical bridge, but also a spiritual bridge, connecting my father’s original aspiration with the call of the times for rural revitalization.” This is how Mao Yulin understands the passing of the torch from his father’s career.
As a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) for three consecutive terms, Mao Yulin submitted more than 80 proposals over 15 years, covering a wide range of areas including the construction of a "China Bridge Museum," the establishment of a "National Health Day," care for retired scientific and technological talents, and cross-strait scientific and technological exchanges. Following in her father's footsteps in offering suggestions and advice, she conducted in-depth research and reflected the voices of the people.
When Mao Yisheng was 73 years old, he looked back on his life and said, "Life is but a journey, which lasts for a hundred years. I have already traveled seven or eight tenths of it. Looking back on the past, it is all vivid in my mind. There are more rugged paths than smooth ones. Sometimes there are deep valleys and sometimes there are raging torrents. Fortunately, I have a bridge to cross them. What is the name of the bridge? It is called struggle."
Now, in his seventies, Mao Yulin revisited these words with deep emotion: "Today's gathering and reminiscence is like an invisible bridge, connecting the weight of history with the call of the future, inspiring those who come after to strive on the path of technological self-reliance and national rejuvenation, and to continue building a solid bridge belonging to this era." (End) (Reported by Luo Luqiao, China News Service)
