Yan Jici (; 23 January 1901 – 2 November 1996), also commonly known as Ny Tsi-ze, was a Chinese physicist and politician who is considered a founder of modern physics in China. He was a founding member of
Academia Sinica in 1948 and of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...
(CAS) in 1955. He served as founding director of the
CAS Institute of Physics and the second president of the
University of Science and Technology of China
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
(1980–1984).
In politics, he was a delegate to seven consecutive
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China.
With 2,9 ...
es (1st to 7th), and served as
Vice Chairperson of the National People's Congress
The Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress () is a political office in China. According to the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, Vice Chairmen are responsible for assisting the Chairman in performin ...
from 1983 to 1993.
Early and education
Yan was born in
Dongyang
() is a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Jinhua in Central Zhejiang Province, China. It covers an area of and administers eleven towns, one township, and six subdistricts. It is part of the Yangtze River Delta Economic Region.
As ...
,
Zhejiang
Zhejiang ( or , ; , Chinese postal romanization, also romanized as Chekiang) is an East China, eastern, coastal Provinces of China, province of the People's Republic of China. Its capital and largest city is Hangzhou, and other notable citie ...
, China on 23 January 1901.
After graduating from the National
Southeast University
Southeast University (SEU, ) is a public research university located in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. It was formed from one of the oldest universities and the first coeducational university in China, and designated as a member of the Double First C ...
in
Nanjing
Nanjing (; , Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Nanking, is the capital of Jiangsu province of the People's Republic of China. It is a sub-provincial city, a megacity, and the second largest city in the East China region. T ...
in 1923,
he went abroad to study at the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
in France. He earned his master's degree in mathematics and physics in 1925, and his Ph.D. in natural science in 1927. His Ph.D. dissertation was on the "deformation and change of optical properties of quartz in an electrical field", with
Charles Fabry
Maurice Paul Auguste Charles Fabry (; 11 June 1867 – 11 December 1945) was a French physicist.
Life
Fabry graduated from the École Polytechnique in Paris and received his doctorate from the University of Paris in 1892, for his work on i ...
as his advisor.
As the first Chinese to earn a doctoral degree in France, he became famous in both France and China.
Career
Republic of China
After returning to China, Yan became Dean of the School of Sciences and Engineering at
Jinan University
Jinan University (JNU, ) is a public research university based in Guangzhou, China. "Jinan" literally means "reaching southward", indicating the university's original mission to disseminate Chinese learning and culture from North to South when ...
(then located in
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...
).
He also taught at
Utopia University
Utopia University, known in Chinese as Datong or Tatung University, was a private university in Shanghai. It was established in March 1912 by a group of former Tsinghua faculty members led by Hu Dunfu, and became one of the most reputable priva ...
in Shanghai and the
National Central University
National Central University (NCU, ; Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ''Kwet-li̍p Chung-yong Thài-ho̍k'', Wade–Giles: ''Kuo2 Li4 Chung Yang Ta4 Hsüeh2'' or ''中大'', ''Chung-ta'') is a public research university with long-standing traditions based in Taiw ...
and Southeast University in Nanjing.
At the end of 1928, he went to Paris again and worked in the lab of
Marie Curie
Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...
for a period. In 1935, he was elected a member of the
Société Française de Physique
The Société Française de Physique (SFP), or the French Physical Society, is the main professional society of French physicists. It was founded in 1873 by Charles Joseph d'Almeida.
History
The French Physical Society is a state-approved non-p ...
together with
Frédéric Joliot-Curie
Jean Frédéric Joliot-Curie (; ; 19 March 1900 – 14 August 1958) was a French physicist and husband of Irène Joliot-Curie, with whom he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 for their discovery of Induced radioactivity. T ...
. On Yan's recommendation,
Qian Sanqiang
Qian Sanqiang (; October 16, 1913 – June 28, 1992), also known as Tsien San-Tsiang, was a Chinese nuclear physicist and among the leading scientists of the Two Bombs, One Satellite program. Due to his central role in the development of China ...
later studied with Joliot-Curie and became one of China's foremost nuclear physicists.
Yan returned to China again in 1930, and soon afterwards became the founding director of the Institute of Physics of the National Peiping Academy in
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
(then called
Peiping).
In 1932, Yan,
Li Shu-hua
Li Shu-hua (, courtesy name: Runzhang 潤章, 23 September 1890 – 5 July 1979) was a Chinese biophysicist and politician. He was an educator, and administrator at Beijing University and a Chinese diplomat. He was the brother of Li Shu-tie ...
,
Ye Qisun and others co-founded the
Chinese Physical Society
The Chinese Physical Society (CPS) a professional society of physicists established in 1932. It is part of the China Association for Science and Technology. Current membership is at around 40,000. CPS has been a member of the International Union ...
.
As such, he is considered a founder of modern physics in China.
Most of Yan's scientific research was conducted during the Peiping years. He published more than 50 papers in international scientific journals,
before his career was interrupted by war.
When the
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945) or War of Resistance (Chinese term) was a military conflict that was primarily waged between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. The war made up the Chinese theater of the wider Pacific Th ...
broke out in 1937 and Peiping came under Japanese attack, Yan organized the arduous relocation of the Institute of Physics to
Kunming in southwest China.
More than half of the equipment, books, and documents were lost. To aid the war effort, he shifted the institute's focus to optics research and production, as optical equipment was much needed in military communication and medical instruments. Under his leadership and aided by
Qian Linzhao
Qian Linzhao (; 28 August 1906 – 26 July 1999), also known as Tsien Ling-Chao, was a Chinese optical physicist and historian. He was a founding member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and served as Vice President of the University of Science ...
, the institute manufactured hundreds of high-powered
microscopes
A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisib ...
,
crystal oscillators
A crystal oscillator is an electronic oscillator circuit that uses a piezoelectric crystal as a frequency-selective element. The oscillator frequency is often used to keep track of time, as in quartz wristwatches, to provide a stable clock ...
, military
rangefinders
A rangefinder (also rangefinding telemeter, depending on the context) is a device used to measure distances to remote objects. Originally optical devices used in surveying, they soon found applications in other fields, such as photography an ...
and
telescopes
A telescope is a device used to observe distant objects by their emission, absorption, or reflection of electromagnetic radiation. Originally meaning only an optical instrument using lenses, curved mirrors, or a combination of both to observe ...
, and other equipment.
After the end of the war, he was awarded the Third Class Star Medal by the
Republic of China government in 1946.
In 1948, he was elected a founding member of
Academia Sinica and Chairman of the
Chinese Physical Society
The Chinese Physical Society (CPS) a professional society of physicists established in 1932. It is part of the China Association for Science and Technology. Current membership is at around 40,000. CPS has been a member of the International Union ...
.
People's Republic of China
After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Yan was instrumental in the establishment of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); ), known by Academia Sinica in English until the 1980s, is the national academy of the People's Republic of China for natural sciences. It has historical origins in the Academia Sinica during the Republi ...
(CAS). He was Founding Director of the
CAS Institute of Physics, Vice President of the CAS and President of its Northeast China Branch. He also served as Editor-in-Chief of two major journals ''
Science Bulletin'' and ''Science in China'' (中国科学). In 1955, he was elected a founding member of the CAS.
Yan was a member of the founding committee of the
University of Science and Technology of China
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
(USTC), and was appointed Vice President of the university in 1961. After the death of
Guo Moruo
Guo Moruo (; November 16, 1892 – June 12, 1978), courtesy name Dingtang (), was a Chinese author, poet, historian, archaeologist, and government official.
Biography
Family history
Guo Moruo, originally named Guo Kaizhen, was born on November ...
, he served as the second President of USTC from 1980 to 1984, and President Emeritus afterwards.
Yan was a delegate to the 1st to 7th
National People's Congress
The National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China (NPC; ), or simply the National People's Congress, is constitutionally the supreme state authority and the national legislature of the People's Republic of China.
With 2,9 ...
, serving from 1954 to 1993.
From 1983, he served as
Vice Chairman
The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the group ...
of the
6th and
7th Congress for ten years. He was also Honorary Chairman of the
Jiusan Society.
Family
Yan was married to Zhang Zongying (张宗英), the daughter of the prominent educator Zhang Heling (张鹤龄).
She was one of the first female students at Southeast University.
They were engaged in 1923 and married in 1927.
Yan and his wife had eight children: seventh sons and a daughter. The third, seventh (the only daughter), and eighth died in infancy, and the five surviving sons all became academics. The eldest son, Yan Youguang (严又光), was the main designer of China's first digital computer. The second son, Yan Shuangguang (严双光), was an aircraft designer who was beaten to death during the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goa ...
. The fourth, Yan Siguang (严四光), was a distinguished researcher at the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) is a Chinese research institute and think tank. The institution is the premier comprehensive national academic research organization in the People's Republic of China for the study in the fields of ...
. The fifth, Yan Wuguang (严武光), is a professor at the CAS
Institute of High Energy Physics
The Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IHEP) () is the largest and most comprehensive fundamental research center of high-energy physics in China. It is located in Shijingshan District, Beijing and administered ...
. The sixth,
Yan Luguang
Yan Luguang (; born 6 July 1935) is a Chinese electrical engineer. He is a research professor and former Director of the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and served as President of Ningbo University ...
, is an academician of the CAS and former President of
Ningbo University
Ningbo University (NBU; ) is located in Jiangbei District, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China. It is a provincially governed key university in Zhejiang Province. It is a Chinese state Double First Class University Plan university, identified by the Mini ...
.
The Yan family has been called the "little academy of science".
Death and legacy
Yan died in Beijing on 2 November 1996, aged 95.
In 1998, the fortieth anniversary of the establishment of the USTC, the university erected a bronze statue of him on its west campus.
In 2012, Chinese scientists named a newly discovered
minor planet
According to the International Astronomical Union (IAU), a minor planet is an astronomical object in direct orbit around the Sun that is exclusively classified as neither a planet nor a comet. Before 2006, the IAU officially used the term ''mino ...
as
10611 Yanjici in his memory.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yan, Jici
1901 births
1996 deaths
Academic journal editors
Chinese expatriates in France
Educators from Jinhua
Jinan University faculty
Members of Academia Sinica
Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Members of the Jiusan Society
National Central University faculty
People from Dongyang
Presidents of the University of Science and Technology of China
Scientists from Jinhua
Southeast University alumni
Southeast University faculty
University of Paris alumni
Utopia University faculty
Vice Chairpersons of the National People's Congress