【Haichuan. Pioneers of the Chemical Industry】11 Li Shouheng – The founder of China’s first department of chemical engineering

The graduation photo from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University back then; there were quite a few girls studying chemical engineering

The Zhejiang Chemical Industry Research Institute (abbreviated as “ZJCIRI”) was formerly known as the Zhejiang Chemical Testing Institute. It was established in January 1950 on the campus of Zhejiang University, founded by Li Shouheng, a pioneer in chemical engineering education in China and a founder of chemical engineering. Zhejiang Chemical Research Institute is an important research and development platform for Sinochem Blue Sky. It is the largest research and development institution in Zhejiang Province at present, and it serves as the base for China’s only **Engineering Technology Research Center for Ozone-Depleting Substances (ODS) Alternatives** as well as the Zhejiang branch of the **Southern Pesticide Development Center**. At the same time, Zhejiang Chemical Research Institute is also the host institution for the Yangtze River Delta Silicone Research Center, the Zhejiang Fluorine Chemical Engineering Technology Research Center, as well as the Zhejiang Chemical Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Station that has obtained **lab certification. There is a postdoctoral research station approved by the **Human Resources Department**. Zhejiang Chemical Research Institute has had over 40 individuals receive special allowances from the State Council; it currently has 319 research talents in various fields, including 21 doctors and 115 masters ； There are 6 professors-level senior engineers and 47 senior engineers; in addition, there are 22 talents of various types, including those under Zhejiang Province’s “151” program, Hangzhou City’s “131” program, and Sinochem experts.

Li Shouheng, styled Qiaonian, was born on February 21, 1898, in Yixing County, Jiangsu Province (now Yixing City). In 1910, he entered the Longmen Normal Primary School in Shanghai, and in September 1913, he went to Changzhou Middle School in Jiangsu Province. In 1918, he was admitted to the Department of Agriculture at Nanjing Jinling University. At that time, there was a strong enthusiasm among his classmates for saving the country through science. He believed that during World War I, although China was one of the victorious nations, it still could not escape being divided up by the great powers, and this was because China lagged behind others in terms of science and technology. He went to the United States to study in mid-August 1920. First at the University of Michigan, then transferring to the Department of Chemical Engineering at the renowned and less expensive University of Illinois. In 1923, Li Shouheng obtained a master’s degree and a position as a research assistant, and subsequently pursued further studies under the guidance of Professor S.W. Parr, a world-renowned expert in energy and inventor. In May 1925, Li Shouheng successfully passed his defense with a thesis titled \"The Influence of Pyrite Oxidation on Coal Spontaneous Combustion\" and obtained his doctorate. His paper attracted widespread attention in the international academic community due to its detailed and reliable experimental data as well as original insights. It was published in its entirety in the American journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry and the British magazine Fuel. While studying in the United States, Li Shouheng, Wang Zhen, and Zhuang Changgong initiated the establishment of the \"Chinese Chemical Society for Students in the U.S.\" Li Shouheng, Album of Li Shouheng. In July 1925, after completing his studies, Li Shouheng returned to China and first worked as a professor at Southeast University, where he taught courses in Industrial Chemistry and Organic Chemistry. In early April 1927, Li Shouheng was hired as a professor at the Zhejiang Provincial Public Industrial School (which was reorganized into the Faculty of Engineering of the Third Sun Yat-sen University in August of the same year, and later renamed National Zhejiang University in April of the following year). He taught courses such as Leather Processing, Inorganic Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, and Metallurgy; later, he became the head of the Department of Applied Chemistry. He believes that it is not sufficient for students to focus solely on learning chemical process knowledge in order to meet the needs of societal development; they should also study the common principles underlying chemical production, namely knowledge related to unit operations in chemical engineering, so that they can engage in the design and development of chemical production processes. Therefore, he suggested renaming the Department of Applied Chemistry to the Department of Chemical Engineering, which was quickly approved by the university; he was then appointed as the first head of this new department, the first of its kind in Chinese universities (the department was upgraded to a faculty in 1930 in accordance with the University Organization Law). In 1928, the first batch of bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering were awarded in our country. The emerging field of chemical engineering has begun to develop in China. After 10 years of hard work, the Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University has established an educational system that integrates teaching, research, and practical production. In May 1936, President Zhu Kezhen appointed Li Shouheng as the acting dean of the School of Engineering. After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, Li Shouheng provided strong support to Zhu Kezhen by organizing the faculty, students, and their families from the School of Engineering to move westward; after overcoming numerous difficulties and obstacles, they arrived in Zunyi. In the first half of 1937, Li Shouheng began to supervise graduate students. In August 1941, an Institute of Engineering (Department of Chemical Engineering) was established in Zunyi, with Li Shouheng serving as the head of the department. Amidst the war of resistance against Japan, the Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University trained over 200 undergraduates, which is more than double the number from the previous 10 years, and also produced over 10 graduate students with excellent academic and practical skills. Before and after the War of Resistance against Japan, the largest number of scholarships for studying abroad awarded by Zhejiang University went to students from the Department of Chemical Engineering. Li Shouheng, Album of Li Shouheng. After returning to Hangzhou following the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan, in August 1947, Li Shouheng became the dean of Zhejiang University. Faced with the brutal suppression of the student movement by the Kuomintang reactionaries, who even killed student leader Yu Zisan, Li Shouheng sympathized with and understood the students’ revolutionary demands, and resolutely joined the professors’ protest activities. Hangzhou was liberated on May 3, 1949. In September, Li Shouheng was appointed as an advisor to the Hangzhou business delegation on its visit to North China and the Northeast. After returning to school from the visit, he enthusiastically encouraged students to \"go to the Northeast in large numbers and take on the mission of building the chemical industry there with determination.\" In December of the same year, the East China Military and Political Committee decided to establish the Zhejiang Chemical Research Institute, and Li Shouheng was appointed as its director. Using the Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University as a base, he organized the department and invited some teachers from the Department of Chemistry to participate in the research work at the institute. While serving as the director of the Zhejiang Chemical Testing Institute, Li Shouheng did a great deal of work to formulate the development plan for Zhejiang’s chemical industry, making significant contributions. Later, the Chemical Experiment Institute evolved into the Zhejiang Chemical Research Institute, with Li Shouheng serving as its deputy director until 1965. Li Shouheng, Album of Li Shouheng. In 1950, Li Shouheng served as the dean of the School of Engineering at Zhejiang University. In 1952, he was appointed as the vice president for academic affairs at Zhejiang University by the Ministry of Education of the Central People’s Government. In 1956, he was appointed as the vice president of Zhejiang University by the State Council. During this period, Li Shouheng carried out highly effective work in leading teaching activities. During the anti-rightist campaign in 1957, he was treated unjustly. In 1958, he was transferred to the Provincial Chemical Industry Research Institute as its deputy director. In 1960, Li Shouheng was entrusted by the **Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee to participate in the establishment of Zhejiang University of Chemical Technology and was appointed as its vice president. In 1964, Li Shouheng was appointed as the president of Zhejiang Institute of Chemical Technology. During his tenure in charge of teaching, he laid the foundation for the further development of Zhejiang University of Chemical Technology.

Events by year: In April 1927, the Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University was established, becoming China’s first department of its kind； The first dean was Li Shouheng, a pioneer in chemical engineering education in our country. In 1928, the first class of students majoring in chemical engineering from Zhejiang University graduated, becoming China’s first batch of graduates in chemical engineering. Affected by the War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression in 1937, Zhejiang University embarked on an 8-year-long \"Cultural and Military Long March\" that began in September of that year; it passed through Jiande in Zhejiang, Taihe in Jiangxi, Yishan in Guangxi, and Zunyi in Guizhou, before finally reaching Meitan in Guizhou. Over a period of two and a half years, the Department of Chemical Engineering, along with the rest of the university, grew gradually through very difficult times. In 1941, with the approval of the **Ministry of Education** of the Republic of China at that time, the Chemical Engineering Department of Zhejiang University established a Chemical Engineering Research Institute, which became the first such institute in a Chinese university ； Graduate students were officially admitted; these students were the first in China to be admitted as graduate students in the field of chemical engineering. Li Shouheng became the first supervisor in China to guide graduate students in chemical engineering. In 1951, Li Shouheng, the first head of the department, served as the university’s dean of academic affairs and vice president, while Zhou Qingxiang became the second head of the department. In 1952, there was a nationwide reorganization of university departments; Zhejiang University retained four engineering departments, with little change in the Department of Chemical Engineering ； In the same year, the Fuel Chemistry Engineering major was established. In 1953, the major in chemical engineering machinery was established. In 1956, the major in chemical automation was established. In 1958, 1. The major in plastic engineering was established ； A new Department of Chemistry was established, and the teaching and research groups for applied chemistry and general chemistry within the former Department of Chemical Engineering were incorporated into the Department of Chemistry. 2. The Silicate specialty was established. 3. Add national defense content to majors such as chemical combustion and chemistry. In 1961, Zhou Qingxiang became the vice president, while Zhou Chunhui served as the third head of the department. In 1962, the field of inorganic materials engineering was restructured into the chemical engineering major. The Department of Cryogenics was established in 1970, began admitting students in 1974, and in 1978 it became part of the Department of Energy, along with the Internal Combustion engine program in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Thermal Energy program in the Department of Electrical Engineering. January 1978: **The first batch of students admitted after the resumption of the college entrance examination following the end of the martial law era were those from the 1977 class. At that time, the Department of Chemical Engineering offered six majors: chemical engineering, petrochemical engineering, polymer chemistry, silicate engineering, chemical engineering machinery, and chemical engineering automation. 2. In August, the silicate specialty was separated from the Department of Chemical Engineering and, together with specialties such as metallography and heat treatment from the former Department of Mechanical Engineering, as well as semiconductors from the Department of Radio Engineering, formed the new Department of Materials Science and Engineering. 3. In the same year, it resumed admitting master’s students in fields such as chemical engineering, chemical machinery, and chemical automation, becoming one of the first departments in China to have the authority to confer master’s degrees in chemical engineering ； The first group of master’s supervisors consisted of over 20 professors and associate professors. In January 1980, the fields of chemical engineering, chemical process automation, and chemical engineering machinery were approved by the Ministry of Education as among the first institutions in China to be authorized to confer doctoral degrees. The first doctoral supervisors included Hou Yujun, Zhou Chunhui, Wang Rendong, and others. 2. Zhou Chunhui served as vice president, while Pan Zuren became the fourth head of the department. In 1984, Wu Pingdong became the fifth head of the department. In 1986, the majors in environmental chemical engineering and biochemical engineering were established. In 1987, 1. The fields of chemical engineering and chemical process automation became among the first **key disciplines in China. 2. The **Joint Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering** was established, with the Polymerization Reaction Engineering Laboratory being one of its four sub-labs. The laboratory passed the **evaluation in 1991 and was officially opened to the public. 3. Approve the establishment of the Zhejiang University Key Laboratory of Industrial Automation. January 1988: Wu Pingdong became the vice president, while Wu Zhaoli served as the sixth head of the department. 2. Sinopec Corporation invested 13.99 million yuan in the construction of the Petrochemical Building. 3. The journal \"Journal of Chemical Engineering in Universities\", jointly established by 8 chemical engineering departments across the country, was officially launched, with its editorial office located in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University. In 1990, the **Planning Commission approved the establishment of a laboratory specializing in \"chemical engineering using secondary resources\" within the Department of Chemical Engineering**. On March 1, 1992, Zhejiang University established the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering; the Teaching and Research Section for Polymer Chemistry within the Department of Chemical Engineering became one of the three teaching and research sections established at that time ； At the same time, the Chemical Automation Teaching and Research Section in the Department of Chemical Engineering was reorganized into an Industrial Control Research Institute, while graduate and undergraduate teaching remained under the jurisdiction of the Department of Chemical Engineering. 2. Professor Lu Dewei served as the seventh head of the department. In 1993, the biochemical engineering discipline was approved as an institution with the authority to confer doctoral degrees, becoming the second such institution in China in this field. In 1995, Sun Youxian was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering

January 1997: Hou Yujun was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. 2. The Department of Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University underwent significant structural adjustments, with the establishment of the School of Chemical Engineering. This school included departments for Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, Environmental Science and Engineering, and Chemical Engineering Machinery. The teaching and research section for polymer chemistry was transferred from the Department of Polymer Science and Engineering back to the School of Chemical Engineering. Meanwhile, the Industrial Control Research Institute and the Chemical Instrumentation Research Institute, which were part of the Department of Chemical Engineering, were combined to form a new department for Control Science and Engineering. 3. The first dean of the School of Chemical Engineering was Liang Shude, who was then the Party secretary of Zhejiang University; Wang Dahuai served as the executive dean. The four newly established departments were headed by Li Bogeng, Yao Shanjing, Wang Dahuai, and Tong Shuiguang, who served as department heads or deputy department heads in charge of the work there. May 1, 1998: The former Zhejiang University, Hangzhou University, Zhejiang Medical University, and Zhejiang Agricultural University merged to form the new Zhejiang University. 2. In the same year, the **Ministry of Education issued a new plan for adjusting undergraduate programs, and the Department of Chemical Engineering made corresponding adjustments by establishing four undergraduate majors: Chemical Engineering and Technology, Bioengineering, Pharmaceutical Engineering, and Process Equipment and Control. 3. The Degree Office of the State Council has also issued a new framework for graduate program disciplines; the first-level discipline in the field of chemical engineering is named “Chemical Engineering and Technology,” with five second-level disciplines under it: Chemical Engineering, Chemical Technology, Biochemical Engineering, Industrial Catalysis, and Applied Chemistry ； Chemical engineering machinery is a secondary discipline within the primary discipline of “Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics”. In January 1999, Zhejiang University carried out adjustments to its departments. The former School of Chemical Engineering, the Department of Materials Science, and the Department of Polymer Science were merged to form the School of Materials and Chemical Engineering at Zhejiang University. All organizational structures of the School of Chemical Engineering were abolished; the former Departments of Chemical Engineering, Biochemical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering Machinery were reorganized into the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. The Department of Environmental Science and Engineering from the former School of Chemical Engineering, together with other departments, formed the new School of Environment and Resources. 2. The new Department of Chemical Engineering comprises 6 research institutes: Chemical Engineering, Combined Chemical Reaction Engineering, Polymer Engineering, Bioengineering, Pharmaceutical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering Machinery. Li Bogeng serves as the executive deputy dean of the School of Materials and Chemical Engineering and the 9th head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. The Department of Chemical Engineering has been granted the authority to confer doctoral degrees in the first-level discipline of Chemical Engineering and Technology; the three second-level disciplines of Chemical Process Engineering, Industrial Catalysis, and Applied Chemistry have automatically become new doctoral programs. 3. Li Bogeng was selected for the **“Hundred, Thousand, and Ten Thousand Talents Program.”** January 2001: The fields of chemical engineering and chemical process machinery were designated as new **key disciplines; among them, chemical process machinery was the only **key discipline of its kind in China at that time. 2. Yao Shanjing served as the 10th head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. 3. Li Bogeng was awarded funding from the **Outstanding Young Scientists Fund** and was appointed as a Distinguished Professor under the Changjiang Scholars Program by the Ministry of Education. In 2002, a doctoral program in “Chemical Process Information Engineering” was established independently within the primary discipline of Chemical Engineering and Technology, while a doctoral program in “Power Equipment and Information Engineering” was set up independently within the primary discipline of Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics. These programs were recognized by the Ministry of Education, and doctoral and master’s students began to be admitted to them. 2. “Chemical Engineering and Macromolecular Science” was listed as a key discipline project under Zhejiang University’s ’10th Five-Year Plan’ and ’211 Project’. In January 2005, “Resource Conversion and Macromolecular Chemistry” was designated as a scientific and technological innovation platform under Zhejiang University’s ’985 Project’. Zhu Shiping, a Changjiang Professor appointed by the Ministry of Education, a Research Chair in Canada, and professor at McMaster University, was appointed as the lead scientist of this platform. 2. Polymer Chemistry (by Li Bogeng et al.) has been approved as a **high-quality course**. 3. Li Bogeng was appointed as the chairman of the Teaching Guidance Committee for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering in Zhejiang Province’s higher education institutions. In 2006, Li Bogeng was elected president of the Zhejiang Chemical Engineering Society. In 2007, the fields of chemical engineering and chemical process machinery were approved as key disciplines, while biochemical engineering became a discipline under focused development. January 2008: Shen Youqing was awarded funding from the **Outstanding Young Scientists Fund. 2. Yao Shanjing and Shen Youqing have been appointed as “Qiushi Distinguished” professors at Zhejiang University.

Many such outstanding people have emerged from your hometown; that’s the atmosphere there, right?

So many titles, great man!