Shu Xingbei (; October 1, 1905 - October 30, 1983), also known as Hsin Pei Soh, was a Chinese physicist and educator.
Life
Early years
Shu was born on 1 October 1905, in
Hanjiang Hanjiang may refer to the following in China:
* Han River (Yangtze River tributary) (), a tributary of the Yangtze, in Shaanxi and Hubei
* Han River (Guangdong) (), mostly in Guangdong, flowing into the South China Sea
* Hanjiang District, Putian ( ...
,
Jiangsu Province
Jiangsu (; ; pinyin: Jiāngsū, alternatively romanized as Kiangsu or Chiangsu) is an eastern coastal province of the People's Republic of China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its ca ...
. In 1924, he entered
Hangchow University
Hangchow University (), also spelled as Zhijiang University and formerly known as Hangchow Christian College, Hangchow College and Hangchow Presbyterian College, is a defunct Protestant missionary university in China, which is one of the pre ...
(aka ''Zhijiang University''
之江大学, now named
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a national public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigious C9 League and is selected into the na ...
) in
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...
,
Zhejiang Province
Zhejiang ( or , ; , also romanized as Chekiang) is an eastern, coastal province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable cities include Ningbo and Wenzhou. Zhejiang is bordered by Jiangs ...
and a year later transferred to the Department of Physics at
Cheeloo University in
Shandong Province
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizatio ...
.
Travel/study in USA & Europe
In 1926, Shu went to study physics in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, where he initially studied at
Baker University in
Baldwin City, Kansas
Baldwin City is a city in Douglas County, Kansas, United States, about south of Lawrence. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 4,826. The city is home to Baker University, the state's oldest four-year university.
History
...
, but later transferred to the
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It cond ...
(UCSF). During this time, Shu was quite active in various social and political activities and communities, and it is said that he even once joined the
Communist Party USA
The Communist Party USA, officially the Communist Party of the United States of America (CPUSA), is a communist party in the United States which was established in 1919 after a split in the Socialist Party of America following the Russian Revo ...
.
In July 1927, Shu left the US and travelled through
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
,
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...
,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
, and
Warsaw
Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is officia ...
, eventually reaching
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
where he principally visited
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Hannover
Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German States of Germany, state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germa ...
and
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
. Shu then went to the
UK, where, in October 1928 he enrolled in the
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
to study mathematics and physics under
E. T. Whittaker and
Charles Galton Darwin
Sir Charles Galton Darwin (19 December 1887 – 31 December 1962) was an English physicist who served as director of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) during the Second World War. He was a son of the mathematician George Howard Darwin an ...
, obtaining his
MSc
MSC may refer to:
Computers
* Message Sequence Chart
* Microelectronics Support Centre of UK Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
* MIDI Show Control
* MSC Malaysia (formerly known as Multimedia Super Corridor)
* USB mass storage device class (USB MSC ...
after one year. Finally, in February 1930 Shu went to the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
, and worked under
Arthur Stanley Eddington, who that August advised him to return to the US to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(MIT).
Shu took this advice, becoming a
teaching assistant
A teaching assistant or teacher's aide (TA) or education assistant (EA) or team teacher (TT) is an individual who assists a teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include ''graduate teaching assistants'' (GTAs), who are graduate school ...
at the MIT Department of Mathematics and obtaining a second MSc under
Dirk Jan Struik.
At Zhejiang University
In September 1931, Shu returned to China, largely due to pressure from his mother to marry his fiancée, Ge Chuhua. Shu's first position was in physics at the
Whampoa Military Academy
The Republic of China Military Academy () is the service academy for the army of the Republic of China, located in Fengshan District, Kaohsiung. Previously known as the the military academy produced commanders who fought in many of China's ...
but in September 1932, invited by the chair (Zhang Shaozhong ) of the Department of Physics of
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University, abbreviated as ZJU or Zheda and formerly romanized as Chekiang University, is a national public research university based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It is a member of the prestigious C9 League and is selected into the na ...
, he began teaching there. In August 1935, Shu became chairperson of the Department of Mathematics of Jinan University, which was at that time located in Shanghai. Shu was also an adjunct lecturer at
Jiaotong University. In April 1936, President
Coching Chu
Coching Chu (; March 7, 1890 – February 7, 1974) was a Chinese geologist and meteorologist.
Born in Shangyu, Zhejiang, Chu went to United States for his college education in 1910. He graduated from the College of Agriculture, University of ...
of Zhejiang University invited him to return to that institution, where, in August 1936, Shu was promoted to the rank of
associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
Overview
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a ...
, then in 1937,
professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
. At Zhejiang University, he collaborated closely with
Kan-Chang Wang
Wang Ganchang (; May 28, 1907 – December 10, 1998) was a Chinese nuclear physicist. He was one of the founding fathers of Chinese nuclear physics, cosmic rays and particle physics. Wang was also a leader in the fields of detonation physi ...
. During this period, some famous students of his include:
Cheng Kaijia
Cheng Kaijia (; 3 August 1918 – 17 November 2018), also known as Kai Chia Cheng, was a Chinese nuclear engineer and Nuclear physics, nuclear physicist. He was a pioneer and key figure in Chinese nuclear weapon development. He is known as one o ...
,
Xu Liangying
Xu Liangying (; 3 May 1920 – 28 January 2013) was a Chinese physicist, translator and a historian and philosopher of natural science.
Biography
Xu was born in Linhai of Taizhou, Zhejiang on May 3 of 1920. Xu graduated from the Department of Ph ...
,
Hu Jimin
Hu Jimin (traditional Chinese: 胡濟民; simplified Chinese: 胡济民; 1919–1998) was a Chinese nuclear physicist, plasma physicist and educator.
Life and career
Hu was born on 26 January 1919 in Rugao, Nantong, Jiangsu Province. In 193 ...
, and Zhou Zhicheng (). Most notably, one of his students,
Tsung-Dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee (; born November 24, 1926) is a Chinese-American physicist, known for his work on parity violation, the Lee–Yang theorem, particle physics, relativistic heavy ion (RHIC) physics, nontopological solitons, and soliton star ...
went on to win the 1957 Nobel Prize for Physics for his work on the violation of parity conservation in weak interactions; Lee (together with
Chen-Ning Yang) was awarded the price for the theory. Another student of his was
Chien-Shiung Wu
)
, spouse =
, residence =
, nationality = ChineseAmerican
, field = Physics
, work_institutions = Institute of Physics, Academia SinicaUniversity of California at BerkeleySmith CollegePrinceton UniversityColumbia UniversityZhejiang Unive ...
, who received recognition for the experimental verification of the parity violation. She received in 1978 the Wolf Prize in physics.
From 1949 to 1979
In 1952, Shu was transferred to the Department of Physics at Shandong University in Jinan, Shandong Province, then in 1954 to its Department of Oceanography.
In 1956, classified as a leader of anti-revolutionary forces, Shu was purged. In June 1958, during the
Anti-Rightist Movement, Shu was denounced as an ultra-rightist and an anti-revolutionary. Under the program of "reform through labor" (
laogai), he was sent to work on the construction of the Yuezikou Reservoir () in Qingdao. In 1960, Shu was transferred to the Qingdao Medical College as a teacher, although he was also obliged to clean toilets in the college and to wash lab equipment.
On 11 September 1974, Shu partially regained his normal life. In 1978, Shu was transferred to the Chinese
State Oceanic Administration
The State Oceanic Administration (SOA; ) was an administrative agency subordinate to the Ministry of Land and Resources, responsible for the supervision and management of sea area in the People's Republic of China and coastal environmental prot ...
where he became a professor and senior researcher for oceanic dynamics at its First Research Institute of Oceanography (). In the 1970s, Shu did successful calculations for the
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
test of the
Dongfeng V intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) is a ballistic missile with a range greater than , primarily designed for nuclear weapons delivery (delivering one or more thermonuclear warheads). Conventional, chemical, and biological weapons c ...
. In 1979, when the Oceanic Physics Branch () of the Chinese Society of Oceanography () was established in
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
, Shu was elected its honorary
director-general
A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals''
) or general director is a senior executive officer, often the chief executive officer, within a government ...
.
In December 1979, the Chinese government completely removed Shu's classification as a rightist and anti-revolutionary, restoring his reputation.
From 1979 to his death
In August 1981, Shu was elected honorary director-general of the
Shandong
Shandong ( , ; ; alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region.
Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history since the beginning of Chinese civilizati ...
Society of Physics () and, in that same year, he was named honorary director of the
Qingdao
Qingdao (, also spelled Tsingtao; , Mandarin: ) is a major city in eastern Shandong Province. The city's name in Chinese characters literally means " azure island". Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, it is a major nodal city of the One Belt ...
Society of Physics (). Shu Xingbei died on 30 October 1985, at the age of 77.
Personal life
Shu Xingbei married Ge Chuhua () in 1931. The couple had seven children: Shu Yuexin (), Shu Huxin (), Shu Xiaoxin (), Shu Qingxin (), Shu Yixin (), Shu Runxin () and Shu Meixin ().
Selected publications
*
Soh, Hsin P., ''A new law of planetary distances and orbital velocities'', ''
Popular Astronomy
Amateur astronomy is a hobby where participants enjoy observing or imaging celestial objects in the sky using the unaided eye, binoculars, or telescopes. Even though scientific research may not be their primary goal, some amateur astronomers m ...
'', Vol. 35, p. 327
* .
* .
*
Hsin P. Soh; ''Theory of gravitation and electromagnetism'', 1934, 国立浙江大学科学报告 (Science reports,
University of Chekiang), 1(1):135-142
*
Hsin Pei Soh; ''Relativity transformations connecting two systems in arbitrary acceleration''. ''
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
'', 1946, 58:99-100
*
Hsin Pei Soh, Mu-Hsien Wang & Su-Chin Kiang;
Relative Nature of Electromagnetic Radiation'; ''Nature'' 157, 809-809 (15 June 1946) , .
Books
* ''Selected Academic Works of Shu Xingbei'' (); Ocean Press; ; 2007.
* ''Special Relativity'' (textbook) (); Qingdao Press; ; 1995.
References
Memorial essays
*
许良英,
我所了解的束星北先生,《科学时报》,2005年12月23日 (
Xu Liangying
Xu Liangying (; 3 May 1920 – 28 January 2013) was a Chinese physicist, translator and a historian and philosopher of natural science.
Biography
Xu was born in Linhai of Taizhou, Zhejiang on May 3 of 1920. Xu graduated from the Department of Ph ...
: ''Mr. Shu Xingbei as I Know''; ''Chinese Science Bulletin''; 23rd Dec, 2005)
*
李政道,
怀念束星北先生,《中国海洋报》,2007年9月25日. (
Tsung-Dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee (; born November 24, 1926) is a Chinese-American physicist, known for his work on parity violation, the Lee–Yang theorem, particle physics, relativistic heavy ion (RHIC) physics, nontopological solitons, and soliton star ...
: The Memorial of Shu Xingbei; ''China Ocean News''; 25th Sep, 2007)
*
李政道,
启蒙恩师束星北,《中国海洋报》,2007年10月12日. (
Tsung-Dao Lee
Tsung-Dao Lee (; born November 24, 1926) is a Chinese-American physicist, known for his work on parity violation, the Lee–Yang theorem, particle physics, relativistic heavy ion (RHIC) physics, nontopological solitons, and soliton star ...
: ''(My) Enlightenment Mentor Shu Xingbei''; ''China Ocean News''; 12th Oct, 2007)
*
王淦昌,
束星北的一生是伟大的,《中国海洋报》,2007年9月25日. (
Wang Ganchang
Wang Ganchang (; May 28, 1907 – December 10, 1998) was a Chinese nuclear physicist. He was one of the founding fathers of Chinese nuclear physics, cosmic rays and particle physics. Wang was also a leader in the fields of detonation physic ...
: ''The Great Life of Shu Xingbei''; ''China Ocean News''; 25th Sep, 2007)
*
程开甲,
真理面前百折不曲,《中国海洋报》,2007年9月25日. (
Cheng Kaijia
Cheng Kaijia (; 3 August 1918 – 17 November 2018), also known as Kai Chia Cheng, was a Chinese nuclear engineer and Nuclear physics, nuclear physicist. He was a pioneer and key figure in Chinese nuclear weapon development. He is known as one o ...
: ''Never Bend-over Facing Truth''; ''China Ocean News''; 25th Sep, 2007)
External links
100 Anniversary Commemoration Celebration of Shu Xingbei Held Yesterday(in English, 2007-09-29)
Shu Xingbei's Former Residence(in English,
Sina.com
Sina Corporation (, "new wave") is a Chinese technology company. Sina operates four major business lines: Sina Weibo, Sina Mobile, Sina Online, and Sinanet. Sina has over 100 million registered users worldwide. Sina was recognized by '' South ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shu, Xingbei
Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
Educators from Yangzhou
Physicists from Jiangsu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni
Zhejiang University alumni
Academic staff of Zhejiang University
1905 births
1983 deaths
Academic staff of the Republic of China Military Academy
Academic staff of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Academic staff of Shandong University
Victims of the Cultural Revolution
Scientists from Yangzhou
Victims of the Anti-Rightist Campaign
Republic of China science writers
Writers from Yangzhou