【Pioneer of HaiChuan Chemical Industry】Ge Fuxiang: A pioneer in China’s chemical industry, founder of the Chinese Chemical Society

In 1942, Ge Fuxiang was commissioned by the Central Industrial Research Institute to investigate natural resources such as natural salt lakes in Otog Banner, Ikzhao League, Ningxia (now part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region). The Lida Alkali Company, established with his help, solved the problem of alkali supply during the war. In August 1942, the Xinglong Company’s chemical plant, headed by Ma Shihan as manager and Yuan Shufan (Shao Yi) as plant director, began construction of a sulfuric acid plant using the lead chamber method, an ammonium chloride plant, and a phosphorus production plant; Ge Fuxiang served as the chief engineer at that time. Thereafter, Ge Fuxiang took charge of establishing the Lanzhou workstation of the Central Industrial Research Institute at Cuiyingmen in Lanzhou. In 1944, the station was transformed into an institute, with Ge Fuxiang serving as its director. In 1945, the location was moved to Langu Piping (later renamed Lan Gong Ping).

Ge Fuxiang organized the staff in the institute to plant trees and build buildings, transforming the research institute into a large-scale chemical testing facility with over 500 employees, equipped with laboratories for analysis, brewing, leather processing, painting, and other areas, as well as a number of experimental factories. He also established welfare cooperatives and employee clubs to create a favorable environment for industrial research and development. At the same time, scientific and technical personnel were organized to assist Ningxia, Qinghai, Xinjiang, Suiyuan (now the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region), Lanzhou, and Linxia in establishing factories for caustic soda, sugar, brewing, wool processing, soap, sulfuric acid, chemicals, and other industries ； It also completed field investigations in areas such as the Tarim Basin, making significant contributions to the development of the chemical industry in the northwest.

Ge Fuxiang placed great emphasis on recruiting and nurturing talent; he sent people to study in the United States, promoted a positive academic atmosphere, subscribed to numerous foreign magazines and materials within the institution, maintained a system of scientific and technical lectures, and educated scientific and technical personnel to avoid drugs, gambling, and prostitution. No organizations such as the Kuomintang or the Three Principles Youth League were allowed to exist within the institution, with everyone focusing solely on research in science and technology. By the time Lanzhou was liberated, there were 174 engineering and technical personnel in the institution holding technical titles at or above that of assistant engineer. After the liberation, these individuals took up positions in various ministries, research institutions, provinces, and cities, becoming an important force in the development of the domestic economy.

In March 1943, the Gansu Branch of the Chinese Chemical Society was established; Ge Fuxiang served as vice president and president among other positions until 1949. He actively participated in the activities of the Chinese Chemical Society and its Gansu branch, making contributions to the development of the chemical industry in the Northwest and to the advancement of chemistry in China.

In 1951, Guo Fuxiang came to Lanzhou from Chongqing and became a professor in the Department of Chemistry at Lanzhou University. Ge Fuxiang made pioneering contributions to the research in inorganic chemistry at Lanzhou University. Scientific research in this field at Lanzhou University began in the early 1950s, with research in inorganic chemistry led by Ge Fuxiang. According to Pan Xinfu’s recollection, when he first entered university, the strongest field in the Department of Chemistry at Lanzhou University was analytical chemistry, followed by inorganic chemistry, and then physical chemistry and organic chemistry. It is under the leadership of Ge Fuxiang that Lanzhou University has developed a strong strength in inorganic chemistry, and it holds considerable influence within China. According to Hu Zhide’s recollection, Ge Fuxiang taught courses such as inorganic chemistry and process chemistry. He was one of the seven members of the Resources Committee during the Kuomintang era, and later participated in the establishment of the Chinese Chemical Society. ”

Not long after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the exploration and utilization of salt lake resources in the Qaidam Basin received attention from the Party and the government; scientific research on salt lakes began to develop rapidly, and the secrets hidden within these salt lakes were gradually uncovered. In 1951, Ge Fuxiang submitted a letter to the State Council, suggesting that **more attention should be paid to the scientific research and development of the salt lake resources in the Qaidam Basin. Li Fuchun, then Vice Premier of the State Council, forwarded Ge Fuxiang’s suggestion to the Chinese Academy of Sciences for consideration. In 1955, the Institute of Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed the establishment of a physical and chemical analysis team led by Professor Liu Dagang; in 1956, physical and chemical studies were conducted on the Chaka Salt Lake in Qinghai. In the same year, during the cooperation talks between the academies of sciences of China and the Soviet Union, the “Scientific Survey of Salt Lakes in the Qaidam Basin” was included as one of the cooperation projects. With the development of socialist construction and science and technology, the investigation and research of salt lake resource systems have been put on the agenda. Items 9 and 27 of the \"Twelve-Year Major Science and Technology Development Plan\" formulated in 1956 already included research on the utilization of salt lake deposits. From 1958 to 1960, the academies of sciences of China and the Soviet Union collaborated on a research project titled “Exploration and Utilization of Salt Lake Resources in the Qaidam Basin”. This important work undoubtedly reflects Professor Guo Fuxiang’s contributions.

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The Department of Chemistry at Lanzhou University traces its origins to the Department of Chemistry established at the National Lanzhou University in 1946. After more than 70 years of hard work and relentless pursuit, it has developed into a teaching and research team with a comprehensive range of disciplines, strong capabilities, and a high standard of professionalism. It is renowned both domestically and internationally for cultivating high-quality talents and producing cutting-edge research results. Today, it has evolved into the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Lanzhou University, as well as a key laboratory in the field of functional organic molecular chemistry.

　After the full-scale War of Resistance against Japan broke out, areas along the southeast coast as well as North and Central China fell one after another. The Kuomintang moved a large number of enterprises to interior areas. In order to secure the strategic rear area, the Kuomintang adopted the slogan of \"waging war of resistance while building the nation\" and paid some attention to the western regions. Taking this opportunity, Gansu’s industrial and mining enterprises saw significant development compared to the pre-war period. The Kuomintang established a number of modern industrial and mining enterprises in the rear areas, and Gansu was one of the key regions to which funds and technical expertise were allocated. The level of industrialization has improved significantly. During the War of Resistance against Japan, the Kuomintang established 85 large-scale industrial and mining enterprises in the rear areas; 10 of these were located in Gansu, accounting for 11.76%, which made it the highest proportion in the Northwest region. In addition, the Central Economic Department has established the Lanzhou Station of the Central Industrial Research Institute in Lanzhou, which provides technical guidance and support for industrial development in the northwest region, playing a positive role in promoting the growth and improvement of industry in Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai. Xinglong Industrial Company, jointly established by Gansu Province, Gansu Provincial Bank, and the Bank of Communications, owns industrial enterprises in areas such as papermaking, chemicals, printing, construction, and ceramics; in terms of funding and scale, it is second only to the enterprises under the central government mentioned above. Private capital was also quite active during this period. The famous family of ethnic capitalists, the Rong Desheng family, moved the Fuxin Flour Factory No. 5 in Wuhan to Tianshui. This is the largest factory to be relocated to Gansu during the war, and it is also the largest wholly-owned enterprise in Gansu. Liu Hongsheng, the match king of Shanghai, and the Finance Ministry’s Fuxing Company established the Northwest Wool Washing Factory in Lanzhou, which was the only wool washing factory in China. Liu Hongsheng also jointly invested with ** from Gansu Province and ** from Qinghai Province to establish the Northwest Wool Textile Factory in Lanzhou. These two wool processing and textile enterprises, together with the aforementioned wool textile factories and a number of smaller wool textile factories, have made Lanzhou one of the emerging centers for the wool textile industry in the rear area.