Xu Liangying
Encyclopedia
Xu Liangying b 1920, is a Chinese
physicist
, translator and a famous historian
and philosopher of natural science
in China
.
of Taizhou
, Zhejiang Province in 1920. Xu graduated from the Department of Physics of Zhejiang University
in 1942. Xu was a student of Shu Xingbei (aka Hsin Pei Soh, 束星北) and Wang Ganchang (王淦昌).
Xu was an editor
of Chinese Science Bulletin (科学通报), a quite popular science magazine
in China. Xu was treated unfairly during Mao
's Anti-Rightist Movement
which started in 1957, and he was sent back to his hometown to "Laogai
". After Deng
's political reform, Xu reobtained his normal citizenship, and went back to work in Beijing
.
Xu was a longtime researcher
at the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Institute for the History of Natural Science (中国科学院自然科学史研究所).
, the philosophy of science
(especially of physics
), and the relations between science and human society. Xu's The Collected Works of Albert Einstein (《爱因斯坦文集》) currently is the most comprehensive Chinese translational version of Albert Einstein
's work.
, from the American Physical Society
(APS) in 2008.
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
physicist
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, translator and a famous historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and philosopher of natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
in China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
.
Biography
Xu was born in LinhaiLinhai
Linhai is a city in Taizhou prefecture, Zhejiang Province situated on the banks of the Lin River in Eastern China. Its wall attracts many tourists...
of Taizhou
Taizhou, Zhejiang
Taizhou is a prefecture-level city in middle eastern Zhejiang province, People's Republic of China...
, Zhejiang Province in 1920. Xu graduated from the Department of Physics of Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University
Zhejiang University , sometimes referred to as Zheda, is a national university in China. Founded in 1897, Zhejiang University is one of China's oldest institutions of higher education...
in 1942. Xu was a student of Shu Xingbei (aka Hsin Pei Soh, 束星北) and Wang Ganchang (王淦昌).
Xu was an editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
of Chinese Science Bulletin (科学通报), a quite popular science magazine
Science Magazine
Science Magazine was a half-hour television show produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1975 to 1979.The show was hosted by geneticist David Suzuki, who previously hosted the daytime youth programme Suzuki On Science...
in China. Xu was treated unfairly during Mao
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong, also transliterated as Mao Tse-tung , and commonly referred to as Chairman Mao , was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, guerrilla warfare strategist, Marxist political philosopher, and leader of the Chinese Revolution...
's Anti-Rightist Movement
Anti-Rightist Movement
The Anti-Rightist Movement of the People's Republic of China in the 1950s and early 1960s consisted of a series of campaigns to purge alleged "rightists" within the Communist Party of China and abroad...
which started in 1957, and he was sent back to his hometown to "Laogai
Laogai
Laogai , the abbreviation for Láodòng Gǎizào , which means "reform through labor," is a slogan of the Chinese criminal justice system and has been used to refer to the use of prison labor and prison farms in the People's Republic of China . It is estimated that in the last fifty years more than...
". After Deng
Deng Xiaoping
Deng Xiaoping was a Chinese politician, statesman, and diplomat. As leader of the Communist Party of China, Deng was a reformer who led China towards a market economy...
's political reform, Xu reobtained his normal citizenship, and went back to work in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
.
Xu was a longtime researcher
Researcher
A researcher is somebody who performs research, the search for knowledge or in general any systematic investigation to establish facts. Researchers can work in academic, industrial, government, or private institutions.-Examples of research institutions:...
at the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chinese Academy of Sciences
The Chinese Academy of Sciences , formerly known as Academia Sinica, is the national academy for the natural sciences of the People's Republic of China. It is an institution of the State Council of China. It is headquartered in Beijing, with institutes all over the People's Republic of China...
Institute for the History of Natural Science (中国科学院自然科学史研究所).
Work
Xu's main interests are in the history of scienceHistory of science
The history of science is the study of the historical development of human understandings of the natural world and the domains of the social sciences....
, the philosophy of science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
(especially of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
), and the relations between science and human society. Xu's The Collected Works of Albert Einstein (《爱因斯坦文集》) currently is the most comprehensive Chinese translational version of Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
's work.
Award
Xu received the second Andrei Sakharov PrizeAndrei Sakharov Prize (APS)
The Andrei Sakharov Prize is a prize that is to be awarded every second year by the American Physical Society since 2006. The recipients are chosen for "outstanding leadership and/or achievements of scientists in upholding human rights"...
, from the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
(APS) in 2008.
External links
- BaiduBaiduBaidu, Inc. , simply known as Baidu and incorporated on January 18, 2000, is a Chinese web services company headquartered in the Baidu Campus in Haidian District, Beijing, People's Republic of China....
.com EncyclopediaEncyclopediaAn encyclopedia is a type of reference work, a compendium holding a summary of information from either all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge....
(in Chinese): Biography of Xu Liangying - 2008 Andrei Sakharov Prize Recipient: Liangying Xu (Chinese Academy of Sciences)
- The New York TimesThe New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
: Einstein’s Man in Beijing: A Rebel With a Cause - APS: APS Honors Chinese Scientist and Human Rights Activist
- China Digital Times: Einstein’s Man in Beijing: A Rebel With a Cause - Dennis Overbye