Yang Zhenning and Wu Jianxiong Biography Author Jiang Caijian: My biography does not need their "recognition"

Author:Scientific network Time:2022.09.24

Text ｜ "China Science Journal" reporter Li Yunhu Hu Minqi

"Tale:

I am very happy today, please come again next year. Zhenning ""

—— On July 24, 2022, Yang Zhenning gave Jiang Caijian's message in the "Centennial Scientific Past: Yang Zhenning Interview".

Jiang Caijian couldn't remember how many times he had met with Yang Zhenning in the past 37 years.

In Beijing in July, a midsummer afternoon, Jiang Caijian once again entered Yang Zhenning's home of Tsinghua Garden.

Jiang Caijian is a senior scientific and cultural person in Taiwan. In 1996 and 2002, he wrote and published two biographies "Wu Jianxiong -First Lady of Physics" "The Beauty of Specifications and Symmetry: Biography of Yang Zhenning" (hereinafter referred to as "Wu Jianxiong Biography" "Biography of Yang Zhenning"), let him rise.

Seeing that Yang Zhenning, who was 100 -year -old, was still healthy, and even asked himself if he wanted to drink some cola.

"We have been talking about 3 hours. It's not about physics and academics!" Jiang Caijian told the reporter of the China Science News, "We are all gossip, and even some gossip."

"We are friends." Jiang Cenjian always emphasized. Although they were interviewers and interviewees, Yang Zhenning was a legend in the scientific community.

And this may also be why Jiang Cenjian can show the perspective of "flating" in the biography of these two scientists. "The authors of the biographies must sit on the same way to write fairly." Jiang Caijian said.

"China Science News": You have written two scientists' biography "Biography of Wu Jianxiong" and "Yang Zhenning Biography", which is very classic, but you have a view before -don't write biography, where does this judgment come from?

Jiang Caijian: I persuaded people not to write biography. I only said this. As far as I am concerned, I found that writing the Chuanji is not as easy as imagination, and the challenge is great.

But writing the book is very meaningful, it is worth doing, this is the second half.

The traditional version of "Yang Zhenning Biography" published in 2002.

Simplified version of "Wu Jianxiong Biography".

"China Science News": In the two biographies, you are the first "Wu Jianxiong Biography". What kind of opportunity will you decide to write a pass to Wu Jianxiong?

Jiang Caijian: Wu Jianxiong had been in Taiwan in 1965. It was very sensational. Everyone said that she was "Mrs. Curie in the East", but I was still in middle school at that time. There was not much impression.

I started scientific and cultural work in 1978. In 1983, Wu Jianxiong came to Taiwan again. At that time, under the arrangement of a friend and physicist Pu Dabang, I first came into contact with Wu Jianxiong and made an exclusive report. At that time, Wu Jianxiong had retired for three years, but she was still very energetic, and I felt her style as a scientist.

It was also from that time that I found that Wu Jianxiong was a scientist worth writing. Her achievements were so outstanding, but because she did not get the Nobel Prize, and many people did not value her.

It was officially began to write a book after 6 years. In these 6 years, I have always had a letter to contact her. Later, she came to Taiwan again, so I proposed to write a biography for her.

"China Science News": What is Wu Jianxiong?

Jiang Caijian: She is an old -fashioned person. She always says not to write me. There are typical modesty and low -key Chinese.

But in contact, I felt that Wu Jianxiong was a person with a strong personality. She had a strong motivation for achievement, not a easily concession. That's why when she was in Columbia University in the United States, they gave her a title -Dragon Lady. Dragon Girl in Western comics means an oriental woman who is a bit magical.

In 2012, I was doing a show on a TV station in Shanghai. I said that Wu Jianxiong was very powerful. Everyone was surprised, and even some unacceptable.

I think this is because we always conform to scientists intentionally or unintentionally, and feel that scientists should be modest and consent, objective and rational. In fact, the more scientists I have ever seen, the more such scientists I have seen. No one will lose human background because of scientific training.

Moreover, I think that the power does not damage Wu Jianxiong as a good scientist.

"China Science News": You started writing "Wu Jianxiong Biography" in 1989, published in 1996. After 7 years, what is the process?

Jiang Caijian: I worked at the China Times at the time and decided to write "The Biography of Wu Jianxiong". I went to the chairman Yu Jizhong. Alumni. He supported this incident, not only paying my salary, giving me a year to interview in New York, and giving me a sum of money to spend expenses in New York. So my conditions are very good.

At first I felt that writing biography was simple. It was not to visit myself, visit the periphery, and then write it down. When I operated, I found that there were many difficulties.

"China Science News": What is the first difficulty you encountered?

Jiang Caijian: The first difficulty was that Wu Jianxiong was a scientist who did experiment. The experimental person had strong ability, but not much. The disadvantage of not much is that you ask her a big question. She only talks about three sentences, and I can only write one line.

Yang Zhenning is just the opposite of her and is very talkative. You ask him a small question. He will tell the question very clearly, and his memory is very good. The difficulty of writing biography to Yang Zhenning is that he has too many materials.

In addition, when I started writing in 1989, Wu Jianxiong was 77 years old, and her memory was not particularly good, and she did not leave a lot of notes like Yang Zhenning. Yang Zhenning's notes in Southwest United University were retained! So I often joke, Yang Zhenning knew that he was going to be a celebrity. Speaking of "Biography of Wu Jianxiong", I returned to Taiwan after an interview in New York, but I still have other jobs at hand, and I can't concentrate on writing biography, so I did not write until 1996.

"China Science News": When writing biography, you will have different opinions from scientists and scientists. How do you deal with scientists himself? At this time?

Jiang Caijian: There are two biographies, one is authorized biography, and the Lord will take the initiative to write you, then you may have to listen to him; the other is the author's initiative. In this case, you don't have to listen to him.

"Wu Jianxiong Biography" and "Biography of Yang Zhenning" were written by I took the initiative, and of course I couldn't break the relationship with them. Some things are very sensitive, and I have written the Lord's unhappy meeting. There are also such problems with Wu Jianxiong and Yang Zhenning, but in the end, it has not become the reason why it cannot be written.

Wu Jianxiong was very beautiful when she was young. She grew up from a youthful young girl to a graceful and luxurious scientist. How could she miss her youth love story?

I have interviewed some of her friends, I am lucky, and I got some information in this area, but some people told her. Once she was very upset and sent me an email, the meaning of why you wanted to find this story, which involved her privacy.

I wrote to tell her, just like you did an experiment, I was trying. Later, she didn't say anything.

I interviewed some people when she was chasing her when she was at the University of California, Berkeley, and her classmates were chasing her, and she was a "fan". I also interviewed a scientist Robert Wilson (Robert Wilson). I went to his house. His wife said that Robert used to like Miss Wu before, and Miss Wu ignored him.

Wu Jianxiong studied at the University of California.

However, I made a mistake in "Biography of Wu Jianxiong". I got a picture of three people. Wu Jianxiong stood in the middle. There were two men on both sides. Tell me that it was her boyfriend Stanley Frankel.

After getting this photo, I did not give it to Wu Jianxiong or ask her to verify. I am worried that she would not allow me to publish, and even more afraid that she confiscated this photo. I asked her in the interview whether she recognized Stanley Frankel, and she glared at me fiercely.

After the book came out, I learned that the person in the photo was not Stanley Frankel. I think Wu Jianxiong said that after seeing the biography, he must have said that Jiang Cajian has not found that the person is not Stanley Frankel.

Wu Jianxiong and friends are together.

"China Science News": So isn't it all the facts and judgments in the biography have been approved and recognized by the Lord?

Jiang Caijian: After these two biography came out, many people said that my biography was recognized by Wu Jianxiong and Yang Zhenning, and regarded this as praise for the biography, but I was very unacceptable to the word "recognition". My biography does not need their recognition.

"Biography of Wu Jianxiong" and "Biography of Yang Zhenning" are my biography. I am equal to the host Wu Jianxiong and Yang Zhenning. In this way, my two biography has more objective evaluation of the historical value of the Lord.

Yang Zhenning once mentioned a view that many biographies in the country were not well written because scientists and scientific writers were inequality. Scientific writers did not have a position and attitude.

In 1992, Yang Zhenning (left) and Jiang Caijian were in Taiyuan, Shanxi.

"China Science News": You have been emphasizing not to "perfectly" scientists, why?

Jiang Caijian: I think China has always been perfecting science and perfect scientists. This has a historical source. Because there is no science in our culture, and there is no science, no steadfast and profitable artillery has given us a painful history, and it has caused us to have inferiority, and then lose confidence in our culture. At the same time, the attitude towards science is unquestionable.

Now we need to regain value positioning science and traditional Chinese culture. This is something we have not completed since the May 4th Movement. Now we can do, should do it, and have conditions.

One of the performances of perfecting science is to perfect scientists, but in fact scientists are not perfect. The biography of Newton written in the 19th century wrote Newton like God. But the later biography was very clear. Newton was not like this. He was smart, hard, and talented, but he was also a school hegemony. He suppressed others and had a strong desire to power.

We know that scientists are such incomplete people. Science is a temporary and effective understanding of nature and the universe, so science is of course not perfect.

"China Science News": What role can scientist biography play during the period?

Jiang Caijian: The biography of scientists is part of the history of science. In the history of science, there are not only the achievements of scientists, but also people. Talking about the history of science is to talk about how scientific knowledge is produced. It must be affected by the culture and social atmosphere at the time. At the same time, it is also related to the personality and interest of scientists themselves.

Therefore, writing the book is very meaningful and worth doing. But we also need to think about what kind of biography should be written, not the biography of the 19th century that perfect scientists, but the authenticity of the biography of scientists. "China Science News": When it comes to truth and objective, ordinary people need to understand the work of scientists. How do you accurately describe and evaluate their scientific achievements when writing biography?

Jiang Caijian: My process is like "crossing the river with stones" like reform and opening up.

How to choose a point of view? If he did one thing, 9 people said he did well, and 1 person said it was bad. How did you judge? How can the opinions of 9 people balance the opinions of 1 person?

In "The Biography of Wu Jianxiong", I thought of a way, that is, every comment, every opinion, there is an appendix after the book, which provides a source, indicating that I visited it, or it seemed to be found in the book. Essence This is a way to do news, "there must be a sign of words."

I think this may also be why Yang Zhenning said in "The Biography of Wu Jianxiong" and said, "Open a new era for such biography."

"China Science News": How do you evaluate these two biography yourself?

Jiang Caijian: I think "Yang Zhenning Biography" is better than "Biography of Wu Jianxiong", because I have more experience and have a bigger boldness.

Although it is not easy to write a biography, I actually got a lot of writing. In my writing, I have contacted a lot of scientists, and I know this group better. Many interesting things happened.

For example, in the process of writing Wu Jianxiong's biography, I met many Western scientists with her during the same period. 90%of male scientists would ask me to have a meal, and I went to visit Yang Zhenning's male scientists and friends. No one invited me to ask me. Have a meal.

There are very subtle psychological factors. Perhaps for Wu Jianxiong, Western scientists are with a protection or appreciation attitude, and Yang Zhenning is more like a Competitor for them.

Jiang Caijian

The senior scientific and cultural workers in Taiwan, China, were the publisher and editor -in -chief of the Chinese Times scientific science, the publisher and editor -in -chief of the "Intelligence Communication Review", and concurrently associate professor at the Journalism Research Institute of Taiwan University.

(The picture of this article is provided by Jiang Caijian)

"China Science News" (2022-09-23 No. 4 Edition Culture)

Edit | Fangyuan

Capture | Guo Gang