Looking at news reports, when Xue Qikun, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, won the 2023 National Science and Technology Award, her sister Xue Aixiang was watering the land and doing farm work in her hometown in rural Shandong. The background of the video footage of the media interview with Xue Qikun's mother, Sun Yunhua, shows that it is also a rural house. It shows that his relatives have been living in the countryside for a long time.
As a great scientist, his relatives still live in remote villages and even work in the fields. There are two important issues behind this phenomenon that deserve our in-depth consideration.
First, this phenomenon shows that Academician Xue Qikun is a top talent who has really come out of the countryside step by step. His success exemplifies the great value of Chinese education, especially higher education.
Born in a rural family in Mengyin County, Linyi City, Shandong Province, he was admitted to the Department of Optics of Shandong University in 1980 due to his diligence and studiousness. At that time, it was not easy to get into university, and his path to study was not all smooth sailing. He was admitted to graduate school 3 times and studied for a PhD for 7 years, during which he experienced countless setbacks and failures, but he never gave up.
On his way to study, he had no backer, no care, all on his own, firm faith, tenacious perseverance, and great patience, and became the youngest academician of the country and the youngest winner of the highest national science and technology award.
This fully illustrates the superiority and fairness of China's education system, which can provide equal opportunities for students to receive education, regardless of their background, as long as they have talent and hard work, they are likely to change their destiny through education. With a good education, you are likely to achieve what you deserve in the academic and scientific fields.
Just imagine, if there is no college entrance examination system, Academician Xue Qikun is likely to still live in the countryside, so China's scientific and technological circles will inevitably lose a top talent.
His luck and success will surely inspire more people, especially students in rural areas, to study hard and pursue their dreams, and also make us still full of confidence in the future of Chinese education. This is also a powerful response to some one-sided criticism of the college entrance examination system and the denial of China's education system.
Second, this phenomenon shows that Xue Qikun has a good family style and family education, which is an important foundation for his extraordinary career.
From the descriptions of his family and fellow villagers, it is clear that although his family lived a difficult life, they always firmly supported him in his education. His mother, Sun Yunhua, recalled the hardships that once supported him in his studies, saying, "No matter how poor he is, he must be able to go to university." Now, after learning that her son won the award, she told in the most simple and sincere words: "Qikun must continue to work hard in the future and continue to contribute to the country." ”
This kind of emphasis on education and trust in children, as well as the natural expression of extremely simple family and country feelings, is undoubtedly a kind of inheritance of good family style and family education.
The people in the Yimeng Mountains once "sent the last bowl of rice to be used as military rations, the last foot of cloth to be used as military uniforms, the last old cotton jacket to be covered on a stretcher, and the last to be sent to the battlefield with their own flesh and blood", selflessly dedicating themselves to supporting the cause of China's revolution and liberation. In the era of construction and development, the Yimeng masses "save money and spend money", vigorously promote their children to grow into talents, go to the forefront of science and technology, compete on the world stage, and serve the motherland, which is also moving.
On the road to Academician Xue Qikun's continuous success and fame, from the media interviews with his family and the information about him, we can feel that his family is accustomed to living in the countryside, still living as before, living with a pure heart, not having too many expectations for the material and living environment, and not "adding chaos" and "trouble" to him. Therefore, it also gave him continuous support for steady and far-reaching development and dedication to the scientific research of the motherland without hesitation, which is a very rare kind of strength support.
Imagine, if there is no such good family style support, a group of relatives with the idea of "one person attains the Tao, the chicken and the dog ascend to heaven", not only will his scientific road not go far, but it is likely that in order to pursue some material so-called "glorious ancestors", it is likely to lead to "gutter overturning" in the end. There are indeed many such examples, some people who are great in science and technology, but blindly pursue fame and fortune and fall into mediocrity, and some go to the opposite side of society, and finally fall into disrepute and become negative examples, which is embarrassing.
Of course, Academician Xue Qikun has not forgotten his roots. After winning the award, he said frankly: "I want to be worthy of the support of the country and the people." Although he is busy with work and only goes home once a year, he still cares about the development of his hometown and the growth of his students, and encourages them to read good books for the prosperity of the motherland. Influenced by him, his hometown has successively produced 1 academician, 8 doctors, and 15 graduate students.
This time, Academician Xue Qikun won a national bonus of 8 million yuan. It is estimated that some public opinion has seen some of the situation and may have other ideas.
Recently, CCTV reporter Wang Ning asked in an exclusive interview with Academician Li Deren, "How to spend the 8 million bonus awarded by the state?" "Same. On May 6, 2017, in CCTV's "Let's Talk" program, the host Sa Beining also asked Academician Xue Qikun a similar question.
At that time, when Sa Beining asked Academician Xue Qikun how he would use the million-dollar prize money of the "Future Science Prize", Academician Xue Qikun bluntly replied "improve life". He wants to use part of this incentive money for students and partners to "improve their lives".
As a scientist who came out of the countryside, Academician Xue Qikun and his relatives are not very well off in terms of economic conditions, and he is engaged in relatively pure scientific research.
Moreover, for a person like Academician Xue Qikun, who thinks of the source and repays his kindness, we sincerely hope that he will not be "morally kidnapped" and make full use of this bonus to "improve his life" and give back to his relatives and his scientific research team. In particular, we will give more material and spiritual rewards to my sisters and mothers who are still living in the countryside, and share more joy and harvest.
I also hope that more people will have more understanding, tolerance and respect for scientists such as Xue Qikun, scientific research workers who are still on the road, and innovative entrepreneurs who are committed to the happiness of our lives and the prosperity of our country.
They should be the hot spots at the top of the times, the stars to chase, and the role models to struggle!
Xie Xiaowen: Strategic scholar. He mainly commented on current politics, business, railways, and culture. WeChat public account: zgmjply (commentator Xie Xiaowen)