Abstract
Abstract. From the perspective of the social history of science and transnational history, this paper reviewed the development of the Institute of Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IGCAS), rather than focusing on its scientific achievements. Before the 1950s, the discipline of geophysics in China, except for the branch of meteorology, had a very weak foundation, and few researchers were engaged in it. The systematic development of geophysics began with the establishment of IGCAS. In this paper, the early development of IGCAS was researched thoroughly. At first, we briefly reviewed the establishment process for IGCAS. After being promoted by the desire of scientists to develop big geophysics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) integrated scattered academic forces, which included geomagnetism and geophysical exploration, to establish the IGCAS. The IGCAS was based on the Institute of Meteorology of Academia Sinica in the Republic of China era. After that, we summarized work done by IGCAS in the development of geophysics from the 1950s to 1966, the year in which the Cultural Revolution began. We focused on policy support, adjustment of organizational structure, and scientific capacity building, when China was facing an isolated international diplomatic environment, continuous domestic political movements, and an austere social economy. Then, to bolster the development of geophysics in China, the slogan of “Missions Drive Disciplines”, which was instilled and implemented by the Chinese scientific community, was introduced briefly. The scientific development of the IGCAS and typical examples in several branches of geophysics, which included atmospheric science, seismology, space physics, and other fields, were systematically summarized and benchmarked to the international academic level. We then summarized the basic research on geophysics carried out by the institute in economic construction and national defense. Finally, the experience and lessons in the development of this institute and its effect on geophysics in China were explored.
Highlights
After the Second Sino–Japanese War (1937–1945) and the long-term civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party (1945–1949), China’s national economy became very weak, and its scientific and technological foundation was on an awkward footing
After returning to China to work, they brought back expertise from different fields. With their talent and scientific research, they laid the foundation for the discipline of Chinese geophysics, and their scientific achievements raised the international reputation of Chinese geophysics
When in Germany, he assiduously studied dynamic meteorology and high-altitude meteorology under the guidance of Heinrich Von Ficker, learned ocean dynamics from Albert Defant (1884–1974), and obtained his doctorate in 1938. He later returned to China, where he became the director of the Institute of Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), for 16 years (1950–1966)
Summary
After the Second Sino–Japanese War (1937–1945) and the long-term civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party (1945–1949), China’s national economy became very weak, and its scientific and technological foundation was on an awkward footing. Our focus in this paper was based on original archives, the memoirs of scientists, and secondary sources in order to explore the development of geophysics in China Compared with their western counterparts, in the first 20 years of socialist PRC, Chinese geophysicists did not achieve many world-class results due to complex historical reasons that included the Cold War, the neglect of basic science, and eagerness for rapid success in economic development. Jeou-jang Jaw and geomagnetic scientist Zongqi Chen actively integrated the scientific and technological strength of geophysics in China after the Second Sino–Japanese War. because the Chinese nationalist government did not attach importance to science, work could only be launched on a small scale. Overall, during the period of the Chinese nationalist government, a modicum of academic strength was accumulated in the fields of geophysics, which included meteorology, seismology, geomagnetism, and physical prospecting, and a national academic society was established.
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