China Daily (Hong Kong)

A TALENT, A TRUE FRIEND, AND A LOVING FATHER — THE STORY OF A RENOWNED CHINESE SCIENTIST

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“He was extremely talented and knowledgea­ble. Not only a colleague but a true friend too,” Davies added.

During his time in Britain, Huang remained committed to China, and his contacts with his motherland had never been broken. He would always fly to China to attend an academic meeting or seminar related to his field.

According to Sun, it’s not a “random choice” that Huang later chose to go back to China to work, neither was it a “sudden impulse”.

“Danian loved science and technology,” Davies said. “He never said why he wanted to go back but it was very obvious to me. China was funding high quality science projects and he wanted to be part of it.”

“I always expected Danian to excel at anything he wished to do. It does not surprise me at all.” he added.

In 2008, China launched a national recruitmen­t program for global top talent, called the “Thousand Talent” program, as part of its efforts to become an innovation-driven economy. The program encourages overseas Chinese and foreign profession­als to work in China.

Huang became one of the first to participat­e in the program in 2009. He gave up his position in Britain and sold his house and property to work at Jilin University in Changchun.

Upon return, Huang was invited to be the chief scientist of a branch of China’s biggest deep earth exploratio­n program. The program aims to install high-tech cameras on air- craft, ships and satellites that enable them to see through the earth’s crust without digging into it. Investment in his branch of the program has reached more than 300 million yuan ($43.5 million).

Wasting no time, Huang holed up in his office and worked day and night, with only two to three hours of sleep a day, earning him the deserved title of “workaholic”.

“He doesn’t take sleeping very seriously,” Huang’s wife Ren Lijuan once said.

About four months after Huang’s passing, his daughter Huang Xiao told Xinhua that her family was still racked in grief.

“Like most loving fathers, my father hoped I would study well. More importantl­y, he wanted me to grow up to be someone useful to society,” she said.

“My father always wanted to serve his motherland, and wanted to be a person helping others,” she added.

Huang Xiao said she was proud to know that his father’s work was recognized by his homeland, and he was honored as a “sincere patriot and role model” for overseas returnees.

In May, Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Huang’s work and called on the public to learn from the esteemed scientist.

“Now with my father gone, I hope my mother can move on to enjoy the rest of her life while I raise my son well,” Huang Xiao said. “That’s how I can repay my father.”

 ?? PHOTOS PROVIDED BY XINHUA ?? Huang Danian, a geophysici­st who returned to China seven years ago from Britain and contribute­d greatly to deep earth exploratio­n technology.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY XINHUA Huang Danian, a geophysici­st who returned to China seven years ago from Britain and contribute­d greatly to deep earth exploratio­n technology.

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