国防科技大学出版社
2017年2月1日
ISBN:9787567304864
雷勇
- He encouraged his classmates, saying, “In the future, the reconstruction of our country will urgently require science and technology. For now, the only right path for young students is to immerse yourselves in the study of science and technology, to build up a reserve of talent for the nation.” (p. 50)
- Ci Yungui recalled: “I was the top student in my school, determined and confident that I would become a scholar or a scientist in the future. Party politics wasn’t something for people like me. I always felt that those involved in the Kuomintang (KMT) and the San-min Doctrine Youth Corps were shallow and unlearned, nothing but opportunists and scoundrels looking to climb the ladder and get rich. I refused to associate with them. To me, being asked to join the KMT was an insult, like throwing myself into the mud. At the same time, I felt that high-achieving students like us were proud and valued our intellectual independence, unwilling to be constrained by anyone. Many of the teachers we respected were not affiliated with any party and, intentionally or not, spread ideas like ‘a gentleman may have friends, but he belongs to no faction’ and a general disdain for the KMT. Furthermore, my family had repeatedly warned me since childhood to stay away from any political parties and to focus on my studies. Therefore, several of us, without a second thought, unanimously refused to join the KMT and the Youth Corps.” (pp. 50-51)
- From then on, Ci Yungui developed a deep hatred for the Kuomintang and its running dogs, and even came to detest all politicians, resolving to dedicate himself to science and technology. He felt it was shameless that at a time of national crisis, these people were still forming cliques for personal gain and engaging in endless infighting. He confidently believed that only by advancing science and technology could China be saved and set on the path to prosperity and strength. (p. 51)
- At this time, he “was eager and very confident of becoming an expert,” and particularly hoped to one day study at a prestigious university in Britain or the United States to realize his dream of “becoming a famous scientist.” However, this wish was long in the making, yet he said, “it was truly what my heart yearned for.” (p. 65)
- The month-long tour deeply moved Ci Yungui and remained unforgettable for the rest of his life. The sense of ownership, the selfless work ethic, the joyful atmosphere, and the spirit of unity and friendship among the cadres and workers in the Northeast, which had been liberated first, had a profound impact on his thinking. During the trip, unable to contain his excitement, he immediately wrote to his wife, planning to leave Tsinghua University and throw himself into this revolutionary tide, to go wherever his work was most needed. (p. 78)
- First, he felt that he had not participated in the great revolutionary struggles of the past, so now he should take part in the great new construction, which would leave him with fond memories for the future and a clear conscience before his descendants (this was, in essence, a form of individual heroism). (p. 80)
- During that period, the Party Central Committee launched the “Campaign to Suppress Counter-revolutionaries” and the “Three-Anti Campaign” nationwide. As arranged by the department leadership, Ci Yungui, a non-Party member, devoted great effort to leading and organizing these two campaigns for the entire department, showing great enthusiasm. He truthfully reported his personal history and social connections to the organization, exposed two individuals suspected of past counter-revolutionary activities, and participated in the “tiger-hunting team” (to criticize a leader guilty of corruption, waste, and bureaucratism) despite being ill, writing an article for the blackboard newspaper. During the campaigns, he felt that some comrades went too far in their methods. In criticism sessions, they would press hard without solid evidence, and many accusations were inconsistent with the facts. Some even took the opportunity to retaliate, showing “leftist” tendencies. Ci Yungui was a man who sought truth from facts and spoke his mind directly. He raised these thoughts and suggestions at meetings, hoping for corrections. To his surprise, the leaders and comrades present criticized him harshly, believing his ideological level was not high and his political consciousness was low, calling him “full of bookishness.” For this, he was ordered to write a self-criticism. He made two self-criticisms within his group while ill, and two more at a general meeting of all personnel in the training department before the matter was considered closed. (p. 84)
- At that time, not having joined the army, I truly did not understand the importance of organization and discipline. I only demanded democracy and vulgarly abused criticism, displaying an extreme attitude of no organization and no discipline, which had a negative impact on the organization and the masses. All this shows how shallow, unstable, and baseless my earlier progressive performance and understanding were before I came to the academy. But over the past few years, with the patient education from my superiors and continuous study, and under the influence of various movements, I feel that I have made significant progress both in understanding and in action. Many of my past absurd ideas and habits have been fundamentally corrected and overcome through subjective effort and objective influence. (p. 85)
- My pursuit of making valuable scientific and technological creations and inventions to contribute to humanity, in order to feel that my life was not lived in vain, I now realize is nothing more than the expectation and illusion of individual heroism. Compared to the great cause of communism, it is truly insignificant. Therefore, I am further willing to unconditionally dedicate myself to this glorious and great cause. I firmly believe that communism will certainly be realized. (p. 108)
- It was against this backdrop that the development of the electronic digital computer for torpedo boat command was initiated. In April 1958, the Party Committee of the Department of Naval Engineering decided to establish the “Type 331” (meaning Department 3, Section 3, Task 1, later renamed “901” after the new 9th specialty was created) electronic digital computer development group, with Liu Kejun and Hu Shouren as leaders, to organize the research and development of this machine. This work was led by the deputy head of the department, Ci Yungui. (p. 121)
- Zhang Maya, a member of the development team who was born in the Soviet Union and was the daughter of the revolutionary martyr Shen Zemin (brother of the famous writer Mao Dun), heard this and said firmly to everyone, “Don’t listen to the Soviet experts. We must be steadfast. We are not stupid. If we are going to build a computer, we will build our own.” When Ci Yungui mentioned this to the academy’s vice president, Liu Juying, Liu also shook his head and said, “These Soviet big brothers, they neither understand our officers and soldiers nor do they hesitate to jump to conclusions.” (p. 122)
- On September 1st (1958), Marshal Peng Dehuai, the Minister of Defense, visited the Harbin Military Engineering Institute for the second time and went directly to the computer development site. He praised their focus on quality and was very satisfied with their method of training personnel by having the capable teach others, saying earnestly, “This is a good method, the master teaching the apprentice.” In his report to the Central Committee, he stated that the Military Engineering Institute, after four or five years of development, was very large in scale, possibly the only one of its kind in the Far East, and he gave high praise to the institute’s research work in new technologies. The report pointed out that “under the call to overthrow slave mentality and bury dogmatism, the institute has fundamentally established a mindset of self-reliance and bold creation” and “has independently carried out research and design of national defense science and technology, successfully designing some new weapons and combat equipment, some of which have reached or surpassed advanced international levels.”On September 16th, Deng Xiaoping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee Secretariat, along with Vice Premier Li Fuchun, All-China Women’s Federation Chairwoman Cai Chang, and Director of the Central Office Yang Shangkun, visited the development site. Deng Xiaoping inquired in detail about the computer’s development, even squatting down to look at the oscilloscope and discuss technical issues with the researchers. When he learned that the average age of these young people was only 25, he said happily, “Excellent! Don’t be superstitious about foreign countries. We Chinese must have this ambition. To scale the heights of science, you need this kind of fighting spirit!” He encouraged everyone not to fear difficulties or failure, saying that even if they failed a hundred times, as long as they succeeded in the end, it would be a victory. (p. 128)
- Although the personnel were divided into two factions, once they entered the laboratory, everyone consciously abided by the common rule: “No factionalism in the lab.” Every night, the lights in Building 10, the department’s laboratory in the military compound, remained brightly lit as they worked overtime late into the night, becoming a beautiful sight at the academy. (p. 207)
- Ci Yungui patiently and meticulously worked to persuade those who were unwilling to move south, repeatedly emphasizing the great significance of the “718” task and mobilizing everyone to subordinate their interests to the overall situation and move with the academy. (p. 225)
- Thanks to Ci Yungui’s reasoned arguments and patient persuasion, the department’s Party committee finally agreed to let all three of them go to Changsha, thus retaining these key researchers who had “problematic” backgrounds. Zhou Diji, former chief engineer of the PLA General Logistics Department’s research institute, recalled: “Because of my landlord family background, the department leadership told me not to go to Changsha. I was very dejected after hearing this news. Soon after, I was notified that I could go. Later, the department Party secretary apologized to me in person, saying they had been too rigid in their assessment of my file. I knew that Professor Ci must have been the one who made it happen.” (p. 226)
- When they entered the workshop for production, because intellectuals were labeled the “Stinking Old Ninth,” their presence in the factory was for “re-education by the working class.” The factory only allowed them to help workers place components on printed circuit boards according to the schematics. They were strictly forbidden from using magnifying glasses to inspect solder joints, under the pretext that “the working class is the leading class and cannot be inspected by intellectuals.” Bringing a magnifying glass into the workshop was not allowed. (p. 236)
- Jin Shiyao: “Therefore, a commander needs to withstand more pressure and must charge to the front in the most difficult times, and moreover, must solve problems. These are the necessary qualities of a commander. Professor Ci often criticized me for not being combative enough. That’s one thing I really couldn’t learn from him.” (p. 240)
- In those years, Zhang Zhenhuan organized the “Project 785” assault like a military campaign. Whenever he came to Changsha, he would go deep among the researchers and workers, investigating and understanding the situation, solving problems on the spot, and throwing himself wholeheartedly into the project. On April 17, 1980, he said at a meeting: “We are working on ‘Project 785’ with a certain spirit. Some people are blowing cold winds, but we must fight for our pride! These past few years, I have been truly anxious and often lost my temper; I wasn’t like this before. I hope everyone will unite, cooperate, and make an all-out effort to win this battle!” (p. 279)
- Under the strong leadership of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission and the National University of Defense Technology Party Committee, the project leadership group, proceeding from user needs and the actual conditions of our country, established the guiding principles for “Project 785,” aiming for a high starting point to track the advanced level of the world’s supercomputers:
- First, to insist on combining independent innovation with the introduction of foreign advanced technology, and to insist on combining learning with original creation. At a time when the spirit of self-reliance was often misinterpreted to mean that every single component had to be developed and produced domestically, making such a decision required courage and insight.
- Second, to insist on combining advancedness with practicality. Taking the current international advanced level as a starting point, actively adopt advanced technologies and import necessary technologies and equipment; proceeding from our country’s actual situation, use proven and mature advanced processes, technologies, and components as much as possible to accelerate the completion of the development task.
- Third, to insist on “quality first, reliability first,” and to implement the “Three Stricts” work style throughout the development process to ensure the machine is stable and reliable.
- Fourth, to insist on giving equal importance to software and hardware, so that both systems achieve an advanced level, realizing the goals of system simplicity, convenient maintenance, and flexible use.
- Fifth, to insist on combining research, design, and production, and to vigorously promote technical innovation to overcome technical and technological difficulties. Supercomputers involve great technical difficulty, complex systems, wide collaboration, tight schedules, and high requirements.
- Nie Rongzhen: “Yesterday, I saw a Japanese friend commenting on the prospects of China’s Four Modernizations. He said: Judging from the success of the Chinese in developing the atomic and hydrogen bombs, as long as it is strategically necessary for them, they will throw all their efforts into a certain sector, and then they can achieve anything.” (p. 303)
- Although our country did not connect to the Internet for the first time until April 1994, in the mid-1980s, our military, especially the high-tech units, had already begun exploring the establishment of computer regional networks. (p. 326)
- In 1960, Sino-Soviet relations deteriorated, and the Soviet Union withdrew all its experts from China. The Soviet experts working at the Harbin Military Engineering Institute were also completely withdrawn by the end of August. In light of this, in early 1961, the academy underwent restructuring and reorganization. Its mission shifted from primarily training technical personnel for the maintenance and repair of conventional weapons to training personnel for the research and design of cutting-edge technologies urgently needed by the military. To address the severe shortage of teachers due to this change in mission and situation, and with the approval of the Central Military Commission, the Military Engineering Institute increased its efforts to “pluck green shoots” from among the students. It successively selected 346 senior students from the academy, who, after a short period of study and practical training, were assigned to teaching and research positions. It also selected 833 graduates from the first to the eighth classes to supplement the ranks of teachers and cadres. (p. 344)
- Li Weihua, one of Ci Yungui’s doctoral students and currently a member of the Standing Committee of the Xiamen Municipal Party Committee and Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, recalled: “Professor Ci was extremely strict with his students. He insisted that his name not be included on the students’ initial publications to prevent them from ‘gaining an advantage’ through his fame. Shortly after I started my PhD, the ’89 turmoil’ occurred. He demanded that students pay less attention to social affairs and concentrate on their research. On the eve of June 4th, I happened to be in Beijing, and many people were marching on the streets. He required the students to stay in their hotels and not go out. He was very familiar with the forefront of his discipline and often gave students materials in English. He focused on teaching students according to their aptitude and implementing personalized training. He particularly emphasized the spirit of sacrifice and dedication, often stressing that academic work and scientific research must be done in a down-to-earth manner. The experts he recommended were all practical, hands-on types. I got married right after finishing my master’s degree, and when I brought Professor Ci wedding candy, he criticized me. He said that scientific research is very arduous and that everyone involved, including family members, must have a spirit of sacrifice and dedication. He even said he was prepared to talk to my wife to emphasize this requirement.” (pp. 356-357)
- During the “Cultural Revolution,” Ci Yungui was labeled a “reactionary bourgeois academic authority” and was criticized multiple times. He was twice imprisoned in a “cowshed,” and during his second confinement, he was subjected to inhuman torture and nearly persecuted to death. After the reform and opening-up, he visited the United States several times. When he was in San Francisco, he stayed at the home of Luo Bingsheng, a former classmate from Southwest Associated University and a professor at an American university, yet he never mentioned a word about his own sufferings. More than a decade later, when his third son, Ci Xiangrong, went to the United States to study, he told Professor Luo about his father’s ordeal. After hearing the story, Professor Luo said with great emotion: “It’s unimaginable that China’s top scientist suffered such appalling persecution, and I don’t know why he still worked so desperately afterward. He visited the United States many times and stayed here with me, yet he never mentioned a word of this past…” (p. 366)
- In October 1968, Ci Linlin actively responded to Chairman Mao’s call for “educated youth to go up to the mountains and down to the countryside,” preparing to go to the Great Northern Wilderness in Heilongjiang Production and Construction Corps. Before he left, his father, for the first time ever, came to the train station to see him off and said to him emotionally: “Our family has been farming for generations. When your great-grandfather passed away, he still had yellow mud on his feet. It was only in my generation that I gritted my teeth and got an education. Now you are going to be a farmer again. No matter what, no matter how hard or tiring it gets in the countryside, don’t forget to study. Whatever you do, you can’t do it without knowledge. You can’t rely solely on impulse. To make a contribution to the country and the people, you need knowledge…” Ci Linlin was a Red Guard at the time, and his head was very “hot.” He felt he was responding to Chairman Mao’s great call to join the revolution and that his father’s thinking was old-fashioned and out of step with the times. After several years of trials and tribulations in the countryside, he gradually came to understand the weight of his father’s teachings. (pp. 370-371)