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The Making of an Intellectual Hero: Chinese Narratives of Qian Xuesen

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2011

Ning Wang
Ning Wang
Affiliation:
Brock University. Email: nwang@brocku.ca
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Abstract

Between 1991 and 2001, Qian Xuesen, China's leading missile expert, was given an array of honourable titles by the state, followed by eulogistic narratives by the media and his biographers. This article analyses three forms of Chinese narratives about Qian: commendations from the state, stories told by his biographers, and Qian's self-presentation. It aims to show that although the CCP showered Qian with compliments seemingly because of his contributions to China's national defence and space programmes, the real reasons were Qian's political fidelity and the Party's aim to build a role model for intellectuals to emulate. The article demonstrates that Maoist practices of “hero construction” and using history for the present persist in the post-Mao period with some variations, and that the writings of “unofficial history” are heavily influenced by official history.

Type
Articles
Information
The China Quarterly , Volume 206 , June 2011 , pp. 352 - 371
Copyright
Copyright © The China Quarterly 2011

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References

1 Among the scholarship that deal with these changes, see esp. Goldman, Merle, Sowing the Seeds of Democracy in China: Political Reform in the Deng Xiaoping Era (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1994)Google Scholar; Cheek, Timothy, “The new Chinese intellectual: globalized, disoriented, reoriented,” in Jensen, Lionel and Weston, Timothy (eds.), China's Transformations: The Stories beyond the Headlines (Lanham, MD; Rowman & Littlefield, 2007)Google Scholar; and Fewsmith, Joseph, China Since Tiananmen: from Deng Xiaoping to Hu Jintao (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008)CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

2 Renmin ribao (People's Daily), 17 October 1991, p. 1.

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7 Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, p. 157.

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11 In 1957, Qian's Gongcheng kongzhi lun (Treaties on Engineering and Control System) was granted the First Class Natural Science Award by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and in 1985 he received, together with other scientists, a National Science and Technology Development Special Award for his contributions to ballistic missile technology. See Wang Shouyun, A Biography of Qian Xuesen, pp. 775, 781.

12 See People's Daily, 17 October 1991, p.1, for Jiang's speech; see 17–21 October 1991 issues for praise by other top leaders.

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18 For instance, Jiang Zemin recognized in 1991 that “Comrade Qian Xuesen, with his profound knowledge and great ardour for the cause of people, played a very important role in organizing and leading the research and development of rocket, missile and spacecraft of new China.” People's Daily, 17 October 1991, p. 1.

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21 That the scientists were unwilling to follow the Party line is well noted. In February 1989, for instance, dozens of scientists initiated a petition to the CCP leadership calling for the release of “all young people who have been sentenced to prison or labour reform for ideological reasons.” Miller, Science and Dissent in Post-Mao China, pp. 232–33. The scientists who participated in the Tiananmen protest turned out to be more popular with their colleagues. Cong Cao, China's Scientific Elite, pp. 193–94.

22 See Xuesen, Qian, “Jichu kexue yanjiu yinggai jieshou Makesi zhuyi zhexue de zhidao” (“Research in the basic sciences should accept the guidance of Marxist philosophy”), Zhexue yanjiu, No 10 (1989), pp. 3–8Google Scholar.

23 The citation issued by the PRC State Council specified that in addition to his deep love of the Communist Party, Qian “persistently studies Marxism, Leninism and Mao Zedong Thought and conducts his scientific activities under the guidance of Marxist philosophy.” People's Daily, 17 October 1991, p.1.

24 See Fewsmith, China Since Tiananmen, pp. 10, 159–61.

25 See both Li Peng's speech on 7 August 1989 (People's Daily, 8 August 1989, p. 1), and Jiang Zemin's speech at the bestowing ceremony (People's Daily, 17 October 1991, p. 1).

26 http://www.house.gov/coxreport/chapfs/ch4.html; People's Daily, 16 July 1999, p. 2.

27 For instance, in his speech on the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the PRC Jiang Zemin announced that “it is impossible to build socialism without knowledge and intellectuals” and that the Party's intellectual policy would not change because of the “political disturbance” in 1989. People's Daily, 30 September 1989.

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33 See e.g. the coverage that appeared in People's Daily, 19–22 October 1991.

34 Chang, Thread of the Silkworm, pp. 243–45; Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, pp. 156, 203–04.

35 Chang, Thread of the Silkworm, pp. 243–45, 257, 260; two of my interviewees in CAS, Xing and Tang (interviewed on 13–14 May 2008, Beijing), criticized Qian's endorsement of ESP as supporting the “practice of superstition”; one called him “the greatest pseudo-scientist in China.”

36 Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, p. 197; Qian Yonggang, interview, Beijing, 12 May 2008.

37 Among five versions of Qian's biography Tu has published so far, the most comprehensive is Renmin kexuejia Qian Xuesen (People's Scientist Qian Xuesen) (Shanghai: Jiaotong daxue chubanshe, 2003)Google Scholar.

38 Wenhua, Wang, Qian Xuesen shilu (The Veritable Records of Qian Xuesen) (Chengdu: Sichuan wenyi chubanshe, 2002), pp. 7–12Google Scholar; Shuying, Qi, Qian Xuesen (Shijiazhuang: Hebei jiaoyu chubanshe,1999), pp. 2–11Google Scholar; Shihong, Hu, Qian Xuesen (Beijing: Zhongguo qingnian chubanshe, 1997), pp. 15–16Google Scholar.

39 Wang Wenhua, The Veritable Records, p. 8; Qi Shuying, Qian Xuesen, pp. 24–26, 63; Hu Shihong, Qian Xuesen, pp. 55–64.

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42 See Wang Shouyun, A Biography of Qian Xuesen, pp. 768, 774, 781; Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, pp. 7, 15, 16, 21.

43 Qi Shuying, Qian Xuesen, pp. 88–89; Wang Wenhua, The Veritable Records, p. 8. When interviewed on 12 May 2008, Qian Yonggang said that he had never heard such stories from his father.

44 With regard to their descriptions about Qian's experiences in the US, I don't exclude the possibility that these authors have consulted Yang, Wen, Qian Xuesen zai Meiguo (Qian Xuesen in the US) (Beijing: Renmin chubanshe, 1984)Google Scholar, but there is no footnote indicating this.

45 Comparing Wang Shouyun, A Biography of Qian Xuesen, pp. 769, 770, 773, 775, with Hu Shihong, Qian Xuesen, pp. 26, 48, 61, 88, Qi Shuying, Qian Xuesen, pp. 134, 135, 142, 159, 209, and Wang Wenhua, The Veritable Records, pp. 25, 34, 77, 110, one can clearly see this massive borrowing.

46 Wang Shouyun, A Biography of Qian Xuesen, p. 775.

47 Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, pp. 45–48.

48 See Hu Shihong, Qian Xuesen, pp. 88–89; Wang Wenhua, The Veritable Records, p. 110, and Qi Shuying, Qian Xuesen, p. 209.

49 Wang Shouyun, A Biography of Qian Xuesen, p. 768; Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, p. 6; and Yuanji, Tu, “Qian Xuesen,” in yanjiuhui, Zhonggong dangshi (ed.), Zhonggong dangshi renwu zhuan (Biographies of Important Figures in CCP History) (Beijing: Zhongyang wenxian chubanshe, 2002), Vol. 76, p. 71Google Scholar.

50 Qi Shuying, Qian Xuesen, pp. 26–27.

51 For instance, Tu Yuanji many times expressed his admiration for Qian's highly organized mind, personality and moral virtues (simplicity, generosity and modesty). See his People's Scientist, pp. 153, 198–99, 203–04.

52 Qi Shuying's biographical works of Qian were published with slightly different titles by Huashan wenyi chubanshe (1997), Hebei jiaoyu chubanshe (1999), Hebei shao'er chubanshe (2001), and Jiefangjun chubanshe (2001); Hu Shihong's works on PLA general Zhang Aiping were published with Zuojia chubanshe (1998), Shanghai wenyi chubanshe (2000) and Renmin chubanshe (2006). A large portion of Wang Wenhua's The Veritable Records of Qian Xuesen was reworked and published under the title Qian Xuesen de Qinggan shijie (The Inner World of Qian Xuesen) by Sichuan renmin chubanshe (2002), and Qian Xuesen jingcai rensheng (Brilliant Life of Qian Xuesen) by Hubei renmin chubanshe (2009).

53 For instance, with three publications on Qian, Qi Shuying was granted the Excellent Biographical Literature Award in 1998, National Excellent Book Award in 2004 and Chinese Communist Youth League Patriotic Reading Award in 2008 (Qi Shuying, telephone interview, 6 June 2008).

54 Yuanji, Tu, “Zuowei Gongchandangyuan de Qian Xuesen” (“Qian Xuesen: as a Communist Party member”), in Min, Pan (ed.), Qian Xuesen yanjiu (Qian Xuesen Study) (Shanghai: Shanghai jiaotong daxue chubanshe, 2006), pp. 33–34Google Scholar.

55 Chang, Thread of the Silkworm, p. 209; Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, pp. 1–2.

56 Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, pp. 156, 203–04.

57 Wang Shouyun, A Biography of Qian Xuesen, p. 799.

58 Ibid. p. 774. However, Qian's self-portrayal was contested by Iris Chang. Chang argued that when he returned to China “Tsien (Qian) himself changed or fabricated the narrative of the situation,” as in 1949 “he made the decision to become a US citizen.” Chang, Thread of the Silkworm, pp. xii, 151.

59 Guangming ribao (Guangming Daily), 2 November 1955; Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, p. 140.

60 Wang Shouyun, A Biography of Qian Xuesen, p. 799; “Tsien revisited,” Caltech News, Vol. 36, No. 1 (2002), p. 7Google Scholar.

61 “Tsien revisited,” pp. 10, 12.

62 People's Daily, 8 August 1989, p. 1, 19 October 1991, pp. 1, 3.

63 Tu Yuanji, People's Scientist, p. 151.

64 Ibid. p. 152; People's Daily, 24 June 2002, p. 4.