Soviet Aid and the Construction of the Lanzhou Cyclotron

Abstract

The transmission of science and technology from the Soviet Union to People’s Republic of China in the mid-twentieth century is an important research area of contemporary history of science and technology. This paper takes the construction of the cyclotron in Lanzhou, China as the case to discuss the characteristics of technology transfer from the Soviet Union to China. The review of extensive archives reveals that the construction of cyclotron took place in the framework of China’s nuclear weapons development. Although the transmission of science and technology from the Soviet Union to China fit into the one-way transmission-reception model in general, both the Chinese demand and the Soviet response had key influences on the transmission. In the early cyclotron construction, the Chinese side relied on the Soviets, and the mode of the cooperation between Soviet and Chinese engineers can be described as one of expert-student. In the early 1960s, the relationship between China and the Soviet Union broke down. The Soviet engineers were required to withdraw with the technical data, which created conflicts in the roles played by the Soviet engineers, most of whom chose to set the sense of professional responsibility as their highest priority. After the departure of the Soviet experts, Chinese physicists played the leading role in the project, using scientific knowledge they had, relying on the technical materials left by Soviet experts, and cooperating fully with local engineers, thus completing the cyclotron. This case can provide us with valuable clues for the understanding of transnational history of science and technology. The seemingly one-way transmission-reception model is actually influenced by the needs of both sides. While the transnational flow of knowledge is inevitably affected by political factors from both sides, the process is far more complex than it appears.