He made nine calculations for one value, and his life is the history of the development of China's nuclear weapons｜Time Letter

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Original Scientist Letters

There is a scientist whose life can be seen through the entire process of China's nuclear weapons research and development. After graduating from university, he devoted himself to the research and development of my country's nuclear weapons and devoted his life to the development of my country's atomic bomb, hydrogen bomb and neutron bomb. He is an expert in fluid mechanics and explosion mechanics - Zhu Jianshi.

Source: China Science Daily

In the autumn of 1958, Zhu Jianshi, who had just graduated from the Department of Mathematics and Mechanics, was assigned to the Beijing No. 9 Institute. However, at that time he knew nothing about the atomic bomb. Here he followed Deng Jiaxian to learn the solid design theory of the atomic bomb.

After the Soviet Union withdrew its experts, the Party Central Committee decided to take the path of independent research and development and develop its own "defense bomb". However, independent research and development first required a lot of calculations. Due to lack of experience and difficult conditions, the famous "nine calculations" in the history of my country's nuclear weapons development took place.

At that time, Zhu Jianshi led everyone to work in three shifts, relying only on hand-cranked computers, slide rules, and abacus to perform complex data calculations. Because an important calculation result was inconsistent with the value given by Soviet experts, everyone repeatedly verified it nine times, which took more than half a year, and the manuscript paper piled up into sacks.

In March 1963, Zhu Jianshi was sent to the 221 Factory in Jinyintan, Qinghai, where he was responsible for participating in large-scale explosion tests and improving the theoretical design plan to make the explosion wave shape generated by the experiment close to the ideal explosion wave shape.

Zhu Jianshi (first from left) and his colleagues walking in the desert of the nuclear test base Source | Old Scientist Academic Growth Data Collection Project

In July 1964, Zhu Jianshi rushed to Xinjiang and participated in the entire process from the initial theoretical design of the atomic bomb to sending the atomic bomb test device to the test tower. On October 16, China's first atomic bomb was successfully detonated in Lop Nur. Zhu Jianshi had completely become a nuclear weapons expert.

Zhu Jianshi took a photo in Lop Nor when he participated in the nuclear test. Source: Old Scientist Academic Growth Data Collection Project

Afterwards, from the atomic bomb to the hydrogen bomb and then to more advanced nuclear weapons, Zhu Jianshi and scientific researchers faced challenges head-on, overcame a large number of difficulties, solved many theoretical and practical problems, and witnessed the milestone leaps of my country's nuclear weapons.

On July 1, 1981, Zhu Jianshi spoke on behalf of the new party members at the party oath ceremony at the Beijing No. 9 Institute. He expressed his attitude of "remembering the party oath for life and letting it inspire and spur myself forever". He reviewed the glorious history of the party, expressed the challenges of the new Long March and his determination to "be ready to fight for the party and the people all his life."

Source of the original manuscript of the Party membership oath | Old scientists' academic growth data collection project

Zhu Jianshi always put national interests first and devoted his life to the country's nuclear weapons cause. In addition, Zhu Jianshi also trained a large number of outstanding talents for the country based on the demand for talents in future nuclear weapons development.

In 2005, Zhu Jianshi (first from right) gave a speech at the opening ceremony and degree awarding ceremony of the Graduate School of the Institute of High Energy Physics Source | Academic Growth Data Collection Project for Senior Scientists

Zhu Jianshi

(1936-2011)

Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

Expert in fluid mechanics and explosion mechanics

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Academic growth data collection project for senior scientists

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