Wang Qidong (; 27 September 1921 – 29 July 2019) was a Chinese materials scientist, educator, and politician. A pioneer in the field of materials science and engineering in China, his research was focused on high-speed steel and

hydrogen storage Hydrogen storage can be accomplished by several existing methods of holding hydrogen for later use. These include mechanical approaches such as using high pressures and low temperatures, or employing chemical compounds that release H2 upon demand ...

materials. He served as Vice President 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 ...

and Vice Chairman of the Zhejiang People's Congress.

Early life and education

Wang was born on 27 September 1921 in Huangyan, Zhejiang, Republic of China. His father, Wang Jin ( 王琎; 1888–1966), was a renowned chemist who served as chemistry chair and acting president of

. Wang attended Shanghai High School and experienced

Japanese invasion of Shanghai The Battle of Shanghai () was the first of the twenty-two major engagements fought between the National Revolutionary Army (NRA) of the Republic of China (ROC) and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA) of the Empire of Japan at the beginning of the ...

in 1937, during which he suffered a life-threatening disease. After graduating from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of

in 1943, he was hired by the university as a faculty member. In 1947, he was awarded a government scholarship to study in the United States. He earned his master's degree from

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

in 1948, and his Ph.D. from the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is org ...

in 1951, both in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, and ...

Career

After returning to China in 1951, Wang spent his entire career teaching at Zhejiang University. In the 1950s and 1960s, he served as Chair of the Department of Metallurgy and Vice Chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1978, Zhejiang University established China's first Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Wang was appointed its first chair. He concurrently served as Vice President of Zhejiang University from 1978 to 1984. He retired in 2010. Wang was a pioneer in the field of materials science and engineering in China, with research focuses on high-speed steel and

materials. He published almost 400 research papers, of which 280 are included in the

Science Citation Index The Science Citation Index Expanded – previously entitled Science Citation Index – is a citation index originally produced by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) and created by Eugene Garfield. It was officially launched in 1964 and ...

. He held 18 patents and won multiple national and provincial prizes. Wang joined the

China Democratic League The China Democratic League (CDL) is one of the eight legally recognized minor political parties in the People's Republic of China under the Chinese Communist Party's United Front. The CDL was originally founded in 1941 as an umbrella coalition ...

(Minmeng) in 1953. He was a member of the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Central Committee of Minmeng, and served as Chairman of Minmeng's Zhejiang Provincial Committee. He also served as Vice Chairman of the Fifth to Eighth Zhejiang Provincial People's Congress. He was a member of the Standing Committee of the

8th National People's Congress The 8th National People's Congress () was in session from 1993 to 1998. It succeeded the 7th National People's Congress. It held five sessions in this period. Election results Elected state leaders In the 1st Session in 1993, the Congress elected ...

, and a delegate to the

9th National People's Congress The 9th National People's Congress () was in session from 1998 to 2003. It held five plenary sessions in this period. It followed the final session of the 8th National People's Congress. There were 2,979 deputies to this Congress. Election result ...

Personal life

In 1946, Wang married Zhang Sucheng (). Wang died 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 ...

on 29 July 2019, at the age of 97.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wang, Qidong 1921 births 2019 deaths Chinese materials scientists Scientists from Taizhou, Zhejiang Engineers from Zhejiang Zhejiang University alumni Stanford University alumni University of Iowa alumni Academic staff of Zhejiang University Delegates to the 9th National People's Congress Members of the Standing Committee of the 8th National People's Congress People's Republic of China politicians from Zhejiang Educators from Taizhou, Zhejiang People from Huangyan District Chinese expatriates in the United States