【Pioneer of HaiChuan Chemical Industry】Li Su – One of the leaders in the chemical industry sector, and the first president of Beijing University of Chemical Technology

Biographical Overview Edit Li Su, originally named Zhang Baoqing. Born in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, in 1914. Families have large sizes, and their children have different ways to pursue education. Li Su was greatly influenced by his mother, as well as his two uncles. His eldest uncle, Li Fangmo, was a renowned high school teacher in Yangzhou, while his second uncle, Li Fangxun, was a professor at Jinling University in Nanjing. At the age of 7, Li Su did not follow his family’s tradition of studying the Four Books and Five Classics as well as the teachings of Confucius and Mencius; instead, he attended Yangzhou Shuangzhongci Primary School, and later was admitted to the affiliated primary school of Jiangsu Provincial No. 5 Normal School. In 1927, he was in the first grade of junior high at the private Yangzhou Middle School. Due to his hard work and excellent grades, he was admitted to the renowned Yangzhou Provincial School in Jiangsu Province. “When news of the September 18th Incident reached Yangzhou Middle School, all the students in the school went on strike, and Li Su was one of the main organizers. After graduating from high school in 1932, Li Su, under the guidance of his second uncle Li Fangxun, applied to and was admitted to the Department of Chemistry at Jinling University in Nanjing. Li Su focused on organic chemistry in college and achieved excellent grades. During the third and fourth grades, he studied while working as a teaching assistant, responsible for overseeing experiments conducted by students in the laboratory. He also found time to work as a tutor and a chemistry teacher in middle schools, completing his undergraduate studies on a part-time basis and earning a Bachelor of Science degree. After graduating from university, Li Su was admitted as a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at the Institute of Science of Nanjing Jinling University, where she pursued a master’s degree in theoretical organic chemistry. During his time at school, Li Su was a progressive young man with strong anti-imperialist and anti-feudal ideals; he served as the president of the Science College student union, actively organized students to participate in the December 9th Movement, and led various progressive activities such as the Salvation Society. After the July 7th Incident in 1937, Jinling University moved inland to Sichuan. Li Su completed only one year of graduate studies before, driven by the nationwide mobilization for resistance against Japan and the effort to save the nation, he joined the Applied Chemistry Research Institute of the Ordnance Department. Later, he worked at the No. 23 Armory in Luzhou, Sichuan, where he was involved in research on poison gases and chemical warfare defenses. While working, he was also engaged in activities to save the nation; in February 1939 he joined the Chinese*, and served as a secretary in the Publicity Department of the Central County Party Committee in Luzhou County, Sichuan, as well as a publicity officer for the central branch, and as the secretary of the Jiang’an County Party Committee in Sichuan. 　　In early 1940, Yan’an, the revolutionary base area, was establishing its first university of science and engineering—the Yan’an Academy of Natural Sciences—and was in urgent need of higher education professionals. Recommended by the Chongqing Office of the 18th Army Group, Li Su went to Yan’an in June 1940 and began working in the Academy of Natural Sciences, holding various positions such as director of the university department, head of the Department of Natural Education, head of the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, as well as lecturer and professor. After the victory in the War of Resistance against Japan in 1945, the Academy of Natural Sciences was moved to Zhangjiakou in Hebei, and Li Su was assigned to the Yan’an Military Industry Bureau to work on research and production. In April 1946, he was transferred to the Jin-Cha-Ji base area to serve as deputy manager of Xuanhua Jianguo Smelting Company. In October, he was responsible for establishing Plant 7 for armaments production and Plant 4 for chemical production; he served as the plant manager and organized the production of ** and **. In November 1947, after Shijiazhuang in Hebei Province was liberated, Li Su followed the army into the city to take charge of the coking plant; he served as its manager and organized efforts to produce coking products. On January 15, 1949, Tianjin was liberated. That day, Li Su entered the city with the liberating forces and served as the representative of the command responsible for taking over the chemical industry in North China, organizing several chemical plants in the Tianjin area to resume production. 　　After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the Chemical Industry Administration Bureau under the Ministry of Heavy Industry was established, with Li Su serving as its deputy director; he dedicated himself wholeheartedly to planning the recovery and development of China’s chemical industry. In August 1952, Li Su joined the Chinese delegation to the Soviet Union as a member specializing in chemical engineering. The delegation was headed by Premier Zhou Enlai, with Chen Yun and Li Fuchun serving as deputy heads, in order to discuss specific plans for Soviet assistance in China’s economic development. Subsequently, Li Su made several trips to the Soviet Union for technical negotiations regarding issues such as the product plans, production scale, technical approaches, and site selection for the assistance projects in the three major chemical industry bases of Jilin, Taiyuan, and Lanzhou; he also participated in the organization and implementation of these chemical industry assistance projects within China. After the Ministry of Chemical Industry was established on June 1, 1956, Li Su served as an assistant minister; starting in 1957, he also held the position of head of the Technical Department, responsible for overseeing the work related to chemical industry science and technology. In 1958, Beijing Institute of Chemical Technology was established, with Li Su serving as its first president. In 1959, Li Su was appointed Deputy Minister of the Chemical Industry Ministry, in charge of chemical industry technology and foreign affairs; he did a great deal of work to establish chemical research institutions and promote international scientific and technological cooperation. To support the development of China’s national defense industry’s \"two bombs and one machine\" program, the Ministry of Chemical Industry established a leadership group for new chemical materials in 1959, with Li Su serving as its leader. He mobilized the industry’s top technical experts to carry out focused efforts to address these challenges, achieving remarkable results and receiving praise from the **Science and Technology Commission and the National Defense Science, Technology and Industry Commission. During the \"**Crisis\" period, Li Su was sent to a \"57\" labor camp for \"review.\" After returning to Beijing in 1972, Li Su served as the director of the Petrochemical Science Research Institute under the Ministry of Fuel Chemistry Industry, where he organized efforts to tackle major scientific research projects in the petrochemical industry. In 1978, he was transferred to serve as the deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, assisting the president in overseeing basic research in the field of chemistry. Since 1983, he has served as a technical and economic advisor at Sinopec Corporation, responsible for the strategic planning of the petrochemical industry as well as providing technical advice to large enterprises.

　Li Su was a member of the 5th, 6th, and 7th sessions of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. He served as vice president of the Chinese Chemical Society, vice president of the Chinese Society of Chemical Engineering, vice president of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences, and president of the Chinese Society for Corrosion and Protection. He was also a member of the judging committee for invention awards, a member of the China Invention Association, a senior advisor to the China Association for the Development and Research of Technologies in Old Revolutionary Areas, a member of the organizing committee of the International Chemical Union, an honorary professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology, and deputy director of the editorial board for the Chemistry section of the Encyclopedia of China. 　　Li Su has dedicated 56 years to chemical engineering education, research and development, as well as production and construction work. He has published 9 academic papers on chemistry and chemical engineering, 14 research reports, and over 20 conference presentations and memoirs both domestically and internationally. He has also translated and published an English monograph titled \"Sampling Systems for Process Analyzers\". In 1992, the Ministry of Chemical Industry awarded Li Su a certificate recognizing his outstanding contributions to the establishment and development of the defense chemicals industry.

Cultivating Talented Editors In 1940, the revolutionary stronghold of Yan’an established its first higher university of science and engineering – the Yan’an Academy of Sciences, with Li Fuchun serving as its president. Li Su arrived at the school in June, serving as a lecturer, head of the university department, and head of the natural education section; she taught general chemistry, analytical chemistry, and physical chemistry. Textbooks at that time were quite difficult; in addition to the standard textbooks used in various universities, some English-language textbooks and reference books were also adopted, such as Tan Ming’s \"Chemistry\" and Duff’s \"Physics\". To accommodate the varying levels of students’ foundations and the different difficulties associated with learning, Li Su compiled a large number of teaching materials, taught diligently, and provided guidance and supervision as students conducted experiments. Due to difficulties in obtaining equipment and instruments, as well as the necessary experimental conditions for the laboratory, Li Su personally took charge of planning and establishing them. The curriculum for undergraduate studies was equivalent to that of regular universities in China at that time. To adapt to the wartime conditions, they spent 3 years completing what would normally take 4 years in a regular university, resulting in an even heavier teaching load. Due to her excellent teaching methods, Li Su was awarded the title of professor in 1945. 　　In 1941, after Xu Teli took over as the head of the Academy of Sciences, he called for integrating the university’s teaching activities closely with military production, development in border areas, and agricultural development, so as to combine theory with practice and train scientific and technical professionals capable of working independently. At the same time, the university department was restructured into multiple departments, and Li Su established and served as the head of the Chemistry Department (which was later renamed the Department of Chemical Engineering). He and the teachers conducted in-depth investigations in the industrial areas at the border to explore the resources for producing chemical products, carrying out both teaching and scientific research work. During the War of Resistance against Japan, **was an important and scarce resource. Li Su went deep into the factory to assist in coking operations, and took it as a research topic to use the by-product tar to produce chemicals and further convert them into powerful explosives. He conducted research on the separation of coal tar, and nitrated the separated toluene to develop TNT, a powerful explosive. Under conditions of poor-quality raw materials, medicines, and laboratory equipment, which made scientific research extremely difficult, Li Su, through diligent effort and dozens of experiments, finally succeeded in developing qualified TNT explosives. This scientific achievement, which held great significance for the border areas at that time, was praised by Comrades Chen Yun and Chen Yu, the leaders of the Northwest Finance and Economics Office. At the same time, Li Su led all the teachers in the department to successfully complete their tasks of teaching and supporting production and development in the border areas, achieving excellent results. Teacher Lin Hua developed much-needed daily chemicals, as well as ceramics and glass required for the local industry and healthcare, while teaching ； Teachers Dong Wenli and Zhang Weneru successfully developed various daily chemicals such as soap and alcohol in factories, thereby meeting the living needs of the people in the border areas ； Teacher Hua Shoujun successfully developed securities paper, which played an important role in the issuance of banknotes in the border areas. During the 5 years under Li Su’s coaching and leadership, the Department of Chemical Engineering trained a large number of professionals in chemical engineering and technology to help build revolutionary bases and prepare for the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The vast majority of them became experts and organizers in the fields of science and technology, education, and production, playing a key role in the socialist construction of their homeland. After the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, the chemical industry became an important part of the national economic development, requiring a large number of professionals in chemical technology.

In May 1958, in accordance with the instructions of the **Central Propaganda Department, the Ministry of Chemical Industry established Beijing University of Chemical Technology as a directly affiliated higher education institution. Li Su served as the director of the preparatory committee in charge of the preparations, and later also served as the dean. At that time, there were neither school buildings nor teachers; the timeline was tight and the tasks were heavy. With the support of various parties, Li Su recruited experienced engineering and technical personnel from chemical research and design institutions as well as industrial and mining enterprises to teach at the college ； He also went to Tsinghua University and Beijing Normal University in person to request teachers for support ； It also borrowed the premises allocated by the Office of Government Affairs to the Ministry of Chemical Industry for use as classrooms and student dormitories. Through the efforts of various parties, 600 students were recruited nationwide in July of that year, and 3 departments were established: the Department of Inorganic Chemical Engineering, the Department of Organic Chemical Engineering, and the Department of Chemical Engineering Machinery. There were a total of 12 majors, and classes began officially on September 15th. In his speech at the opening ceremony, Li Su clearly outlined the school’s educational philosophy: it is necessary to pursue frugal management in running the school, as well as comprehensive development in moral, intellectual, and physical aspects ； It is necessary to adhere to the integration of teaching, research, and production. On this basis, Li Su ran the school in a makeshift manner while simultaneously working hard to gather resources and plan for the design of new school buildings. While the planning was in progress, Chen Boda criticized the Ministry of Chemical Industry for building a chemical engineering college building in the urban area, arguing that it was incorrect; he demanded that work stop and that the building be constructed in a remote suburban area using adobe construction methods. Li Su took a great risk by not following orders. With the care and support of Minister of Chemical Industry Peng Tao, the construction of the college building was continued in the Hepingli area of Beijing in accordance with the original design plan. At present, Beijing University of Chemical Technology has 7 departments, 2 institutes, 1 school, 6 offices, and 15 majors ； There are 3,000 undergraduate students, along with over 250 master’s and doctoral students ； Over 200 professors and associate professors. Over the past 30 years, the institute has trained nearly 10,000 professionals in chemical engineering and technology, who are spread across the country; the vast majority of them have become key figures in China’s drive for modernization in these four areas.

In the early days of the People’s Republic of China, chemical research capabilities were very weak. In 1949, there was only one chemical industry research institution nationwide: the Beijing Chemical Industry Comprehensive Research Institute and the Zhejiang Province Chemical Industry Research Institute, with a very small number of researchers. In order to pool chemical research efforts and create a strong research force, in July 1953, the two aforementioned chemical research institutions were moved to Shenyang, where they were merged with the research laboratories established by the Chemical Industry Bureau of the Northeastern Ministry of Industry to form the Shenyang Comprehensive Chemical Research Institute. In line with the needs of production development, the institute accelerated the development and strengthening of its scientific and technical capabilities as well as its equipment. By the end of 1955, the institute had over 2,000 employees, including more than 400 scientific and technical personnel. The areas of research conducted expanded from dyes and their intermediates to fields such as mineral processing, phosphate fertilizers, potash fertilizers, inorganic salts, organic synthesis, synthetic resins, pesticides, and coatings, making it the most powerful comprehensive research institution in China’s chemical industry sector. After the establishment of the Ministry of Chemical Industry in 1956, Li Su served as an assistant minister, and later as vice minister, overseeing the leadership of chemical industry research and development for a considerable period of time. He attached great importance to the development of chemical research institutions, made efforts to attract scientific and technical talents and strengthen the research team, organized research projects in key areas, carried out applied basic theoretical research in conjunction with production development, and promoted technological advancement within the enterprise. In order to fully implement the \"Twelve-Year Plan for Scientific and Technological Development\" for 1956–1967 and establish a complete chemical research system, Li Su was tasked with organizing efforts for investigation and research, proposing a plan for its establishment, and taking charge of its implementation. The organic synthesis and synthetic resin research laboratories of the Shenyang Chemical Industry Comprehensive Research Institute were successively moved to Beijing, where the Beijing Chemical Industry Research Institute was established to carry out scientific research in the field of petrochemicals ； The inorganic salts and coatings research laboratory was moved to Tianjin, where the Tianjin Institute of Chemical Engineering was established to carry out scientific research in the fields of mineral processing, pigments, and coatings ； The laboratories for chemical mineral processing and chemical fertilizers were moved to Shanghai, where the Shanghai Institute of Chemical Engineering was established to carry out research on mineral processing as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers ； The research laboratory for dyes and pesticides that remained was reorganized to form the Shenyang Institute of Chemical Technology. With the development of production and construction in the chemical industry, after 1958, he took charge of merging the Tianjin Rubber Industry Research Institute with the Beijing Rubber Industry Design Institute to establish the Beijing Rubber Industry Research and Design Institute. At the same time, an Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry was set up in Beijing, and the Shanghai Pharmaceutical Industry Research Institute was reorganized into the Shanghai Institute of Pharmaceutical Industry. In the early 1960s, he was again in charge of establishing several specialized research institutes in the fields of chemical engineering machinery, synthetic fibers, and carbon black industry ； Specialized chemical research institutes were established in several large-scale chemical industry bases in Lanzhou, Jilin, Nanjing, Jinxi, and Sichuan. In the establishment of these research institutions, Li Su carried out a great deal of organizational management and coordination work – from planning and formulating establishment plans, to selecting locations for the institutions and carrying out infrastructure construction; from arranging leadership teams to staffing research personnel; from determining the range of specialties to procuring instruments and equipment.

He also went to the grassroots level to address issues related to the construction of research institutions, as well as the working and living conditions of researchers. After 10 years of effort, a comprehensive research system in the field of chemical engineering and a strong research team have finally been established. According to statistics from 1966, the Ministry of the Chemical Industry had 27 directly affiliated research institutes, with over 14,000 employees and more than 4,000 researchers, representing increases of 7 times and 10 times respectively compared to 1955. 　　During this period, the vast number of scientists and researchers in the field of chemical engineering demonstrated a spirit of self-reliance and determination; they overcame numerous difficulties and worked on major research projects, achieving a great deal of scientific progress. New processes, technologies, equipment, and products were developed, such as wet-process phosphoric acid dihydrate, catalysts for syngas purification, organic phosphorus pesticides, polyvinyl chloride and polytetrafluoroethylene plastics, synthetic rubber, dyes, pharmaceuticals, rubber products, and chemical reagents. During the organization of these research efforts, Li Su always adhered to the principle of close collaboration, uniting technical resources from various fields to work together closely. This approach contributed to the full implementation of China’s 12-year science and technology development plan as well as to the advancement of the chemical industry’s scientific and technological progress. 　　In 1972, the Ministry of Fuel Chemistry decided to establish the Petrochemical Science Research Institute to oversee research in petroleum refining and chemical engineering, with Li Su appointed as its director. Over the six years until 1978, the institute organized focused efforts on major scientific and technological projects in the petrochemical sector, achieving numerous results, absorbing a great deal of imported technology, and advancing the development of the petrochemical industry.

　During China’s First Five-Year Plan period, given the international circumstances at the time, **the Central Committee and the State Council decided to adhere to the principle of self-reliance and to boost the development of advanced science and technology in defense. Comrade Nie Rongzhen took charge of planning and deploying the development tasks for the \"two bombs and one engine,\" namely atomic bombs, missiles, and high-performance military aircraft. The Science and Technology Commission, the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, and the State Office for National Defense Industry jointly organized scientific and technological resources from various fields to carry out focused efforts on these projects. 　　In the summer of 1958, Li Su realized that to advance China’s cutting-edge science and technology, it was necessary to accelerate the research and development of new chemical materials. He therefore went to relevant chemical research institutions, enterprises, and universities in the Northeast, North China, and East China regions to investigate the conditions and technical capabilities available for developing such materials, and he prepared a report based on those findings. According to Li Su’s investigation report, on August 12, 1958, the Party leadership group of the Chemical Industry Ministry submitted a report titled \"Request for the Development of Advanced Science and Technology\" to * and the Central Committee, in which it was clearly stated that: \"The chemical industry is an essential and important component for the development of advanced science and technology.\" Whether cutting-edge science and technology can develop depends to a large extent on the availability of special materials and substances such as those resistant to high and low temperatures, wear and corrosion, as well as high-energy fuels and ultra-pure materials” ； “In light of this, we intend to make haste to prepare for the development of cutting-edge science and technology over the next one or two years” ； “Comrade Li Su is designated to be responsible for the organizational leadership of this task.” On May 30, 1959, Peng Tao and Li Su, who were the ministers in charge of the chemical industry, wrote to Antong, the secretary-general of the National Defense Science and Technology Commission, in their personal capacity, offering suggestions regarding the development of new chemical materials. The main points of these suggestions were as follows: (1) Modern weapons require higher standards for materials compared to those used during World War II; therefore, it is not sufficient to rely solely on steel. It is necessary to develop a wide range of high-quality raw materials in order to meet the needs of new technologies in the defense industry, and to ensure that such technological advancements are based on domestic industrial capabilities. (II) In modern science and technology, non-metallic materials have become extremely important, just like metallic materials; therefore, appropriate attention must be paid to and development of the production of non-metallic materials is necessary. Comrade Nie Rongzhen attached great importance to Peng Tao and Li Su’s opinions. In the report submitted to the Central Committee in December 1959, titled \"Request for Specific Arrangements for the Research, Development, and Production of New Materials in 1960,\" he clearly stated: \"We must be determined to use three years, by 1962, to rely on our own efforts and essentially overcome all problems related to cutting-edge technologies and the materials needed for the national economy.\" In these materials, the chemical processing workload is heavy; if progress is not accelerated, it may become a weak link. ”On December 20, 1959, the Central Committee approved Comrade Nie Rongzhen’s report, and in its directives it placed great emphasis on and provided strong support for the development of new chemical materials. In 1960, the Party leadership group of the Ministry of Chemical Industry further clarified in the \"Decision on Strengthening Work in Advanced Chemical Technologies\" that Comrade Li Su, the vice minister of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, would be specifically responsible for overseeing leadership work related to advanced chemical technologies. With great enthusiasm, Li Su dedicated himself to researching foreign technological developments, and by taking into account the current situation of China’s chemical industry, he organized the formulation of development plans for new chemical materials. He organized experts to conduct evaluations on major technical challenges and offered his own insights and opinions on key decisions. Throughout this process, Li Su dedicated himself wholeheartedly, taking charge of important initiatives to advance the development of new chemical materials.

Heavy water is an important chemical for the development of the nuclear energy industry, and at that time foreign countries imposed a ban on the export of this product to China. In order to be able to produce heavy water independently, in 1961, Li Su, after consulting with relevant experts, decided to conduct experimental research on four methods for producing heavy water. First, efforts were focused on overcoming the water electrolysis exchange method, which was well-established internationally and relatively easy to implement in China; at the same time, research into liquid hydrogen distillation methods and new processes using deuterium-containing compounds was accelerated. After several years of effort, several methods were successfully developed one after another. Unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine is a liquid high-energy propellant widely used internationally, and it is also an important type of propellant in China’s aerospace industry. It is used not only in medium-range missiles but also in long-range missiles and for launching artificial satellites. After pilot and pilot-scale tests, the first production workshop was built in 1968 to supply products. 　　From 1958 to 1966, under the leadership of Li Su and through eight years of hard work, dozens of organizations across the country, including research institutes, universities, manufacturing enterprises, and design departments, as well as over 2,000 engineering and technical personnel who were directly involved in the work, worked together to achieve numerous achievements in the field of chemical engineering. These achievements included high-energy propellants, heavy water, special synthetic materials, special rubber products, ultra-pure substances and special reagents, special coatings, special photographic materials, rare gases, and various special chemical products. In total, there were 13 categories and 3,950 different types and specifications of such products, accounting for 90% of the new chemical materials needed by industries such as nuclear energy, missiles, new types of aircraft, and the radio industry at that time. At the same time, in the critical battles carried out across the country, the vast number of scientific and technical workers, workers, and cadres from various relevant departments worked hard, collaborated together, and made concerted efforts to complete the task of developing and producing the two bombs, one missile, and one satellite in a timely manner. On October 26, 1964, China successfully detonated its first atomic bomb ； On October 27, 1966, a missile designed and manufactured in China was successfully launched. It has strongly promoted the modernization of China’s national defense and greatly boosted the morale of the Chinese people.

Improving the level of science and technology 　After 1978, Li Su was transferred to serve as the deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, where he assisted the president in overseeing basic chemical research and the development of high-tech technologies. He emphasized that basic research is an essential approach for people to understand the objective world, explore natural laws, provide a scientific basis and theoretical foundation for transforming the objective world, and cultivate talent. Strengthening basic theoretical research in China is highly necessary, whether considering China’s socio-economic conditions or the current state of scientific development in the country. Li Su stated at the meetings of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference that a country that does not prioritize basic theoretical research will see its scientific and technological development, as well as its socioeconomic progress driven by science and technology as the primary driving force, severely restricted. Li Su actively offered suggestions regarding the high-tech plans for the long-term development of science and technology, which were formulated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the **Science and Technology Commission. He made every effort to advocate for fundamental research in new fields of catalysis ； Fundamental research in chemical reaction engineering ； Research on naturally occurring organic compounds with physiological activity ； Simulation of biological nitrogen fixation, photosynthesis, and their chemical simulation studies ； Applications of laser chemistry and research on new organic reactions and syntheses. After ensuring that these important basic research projects were included in the science and technology plans, Li Su offered suggestions for their organization and implementation, and actively brought together experts and scholars in chemistry from the Chinese Academy of Sciences to carry out research on fundamental chemical theories, doing everything possible to promote and accelerate the development of high-tech in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering in China. Li Su has participated in numerous international academic conferences for exchanges. In December 1984, he gave a presentation at the Pacific Chemical Conference held in Hawaii, United States ； A report was presented at the World Intellectual Property Organization conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in August 1989. His reports have all received positive reviews.

In the reports and speeches at many conferences, Li Su put forward numerous valuable suggestions to promote the development of high-tech technologies. It has been repeatedly stated that the chemical industry is at the core of modern materials science; by drawing on the achievements of three fundamental technologies—biology, new materials, and information and microelectronics—it not only enhances production efficiency, market opportunities, and the competitiveness of its products, but also enables the development of new products and technologies to meet the rapidly growing market demands. Biotechnology can transform traditional chemical manufacturing processes; it enables the creation of many efficient and simple processes, as well as the development of a range of potential new products and new raw material intermediates. The application of information technology in the chemical industry may ultimately enable \"unmanned operation\" of chemical processes as well as optimized management. The use of new materials enables modern production to take place under extreme conditions such as ultra-high temperature, ultra-high pressure, ultra-high vacuum, ultra-high strength, ultra-low temperature, ultra-high purity, superconductivity, and severe corrosion. He asserted that the development of high technology will surely have a profound impact on the growth of the chemical industry. At the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and in other social forums, he has also actively called for closer integration of basic theoretical research with the technological upgrading of traditional industries. 　　For decades, Li Su has dedicated himself silently to the development of science and technology in China’s chemical industry. He is diligent and eager to learn, leads a simple life, and is approachable. In academia, he advocates for diverse viewpoints, while at work he is humble and cautious yet proactive. Although he is now approaching eighty, he remains full of ambition and continues to contribute his efforts to advancing China’s scientific and technological development.