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Life on the cusp / Weimin Wu, Fermilab ; translated by Harry Tong, Candice Yuxi Wang.
Van Pelt Library QC16.W84 W8413 2016
Available
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Wu, Weimin, 1944- author.
- Standardized Title:
- Feng kou lang jian de sui yue. English
- Language:
- Chinese
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Wu, Weimin, 1944-.
- Wu, Weimin.
- Physicists--China--Biography.
- Physicists.
- China.
- Physicists--United States--Biography.
- United States.
- Chinese Americans--Biography.
- Chinese Americans.
- Genre:
- Biographies.
- Autobiographies.
- Physical Description:
- xlvii, 325 pages ; 24 cm
- Place of Publication:
- Singapore ; Hackensack, NJ : World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., [2016]
- Language Note:
- In English.
- Summary:
- While the first 30 years of new China's scientific development was a self-reliant era marked by the detonations of the atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and the launch of the first artificial satellite, the second 30 years after the reform and opening up was signified by the introduction of the Internet to China. Weimin Wu is a unique legendary figure whose career spanned both periods. He not only contributed to the bomb and satellite projects, but also sent out the email from China to Switzerland in 1986, which was listed as the first event in the history of China's Internet development. The Tiananmen Square Protest in 1989 changed his life's trajectory, leading him to eventually immigrate to the US. His personal emotional life is also remarkable. With his experiences immersed in both Eastern and Western cultures, Wu came to believe in the convergence theory of social development, which provides a refreshing perspective for the readers. The book records the details of his legendary life stories, from taking pictures with the Chinese leader Mao Zedong, to shaking hands with Deng Xiaoping; from being removed from the Institute of High Energy Physics, to the repealing of his Chinese passport. The story line is full of engaging ups and downs, all very engaging. In that turbulent era, Wu's rich emotional experiences and love stories were also a mirror for the Chinese society, with some details comparable to the plots of suspense novels and movies. The book is well illustrated with many pictures with a simple writing style that flows smoothly. The stories were factual and moving, all too realistic. The author sincerely revealed his true self to the reader, and at the same time, faithfully described that period of history, giving the reader a grasp on the true workings of history. His comparison of the Eastern and Western cultures, analysis of science and superstition, and interpretation of religion and arts, and his "convergence" theory of social development, are all unique and insightful. This book faithfully tells his professional and personal life on the cusp, which will take readers on a journey to explore true history by an ordinary person's stories. Book jacket.
- Contents:
- Chapter 1 A Premature Infant 1
- Chapter 2 Wandering Years 9
- Chapter 3 Prime Time 17
- Chapter 4 The Shadow of First Love 35
- Chapter 5 Decade of Calamity 59
- Chapter 6 Pinnacle of Life 87
- Chapter 7 A Turning Point in History 153
- Chapter 8 Immigrating to the United States 179
- Chapter 9 Energy Frontier 201
- Chapter 10 Treasure Island Taiwan 245
- Chapter 11 Convergence of Civilizations 265.
- Notes:
- Translated from the Chinese.
- ISBN:
- 9789814630016
- 9814630012
- 9789814651356
- 9814651354
- OCLC:
- 898051991
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