Peng Shilu
Born(1925-11-18)18 November 1925
Haifeng County, Guangdong, China
Died22 March 2021(2021-03-22) (aged 95)
Alma materMoscow Power Engineering Institute, Beijing Institute of Technology
Known forDesigning China's first generation of nuclear submarines
Developing China's first nuclear power plants
Scientific career
FieldsNuclear submarine design
Nuclear power plant design
InstitutionsChina National Nuclear Corporation
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese彭士禄
Traditional Chinese彭士祿

Peng Shilu (Chinese: 彭士禄; 18 November 1925 – 22 March 2021)[1] was a Chinese nuclear engineer. Hailed as "the father of China's nuclear submarines"[2][3][4] and the "father of China's naval nuclear propulsion",[5] he was the first chief designer of the country's nuclear submarine project, directing his team to build China's first generation of nuclear submarines (Type 091 and Type 092).[2][1][3][5][4] He was also the main designer for China's first nuclear power plants, and was an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He served as deputy minister for China's Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry, and Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power.[2][1][3][6][7][8]

Biography

In 1933, Peng Shilu was jailed at the age of 8 for being the son of Peng Pai. The photo was taken by the Kuomintang authorities when he was arrested.[9]
Peng Shilu, the father of China's nuclear submarines, and his wife Ma Shuying were in Moscow, the Soviet Union, in 1950s.

Peng Shilu was born on 18 November 1925 in Haifeng County, Guangdong province, the son of Peng Pai, a top Chinese Communist revolutionary in the 1920s.[10] His parents were killed by the Kuomintang government when he was less than 4 years old, and he was jailed at the age of 8 for being the son of Peng Pai.[3][9] He was later rescued by his grandmother and sent to Yan'an by Zhou Enlai.[11] In the 1940s he received his early training in Yan'an Institute of Natural Sciences[4] (now Beijing Institute of Technology).

After 1949, he went to the Soviet Union to complete advanced studies in nuclear science at Moscow Power Engineering Institute. When he returned to China, he was appointed to a senior post conducting research on the submarine nuclear reactor.[10] In 1959, the Soviet Union refused to provide assistance for China's planned project of building nuclear-powered submarines, and Mao Zedong proclaimed that China would build its own nuclear submarines "even if it takes 10,000 years". Peng oversaw the entire nuclear submarine project and set about developing a workable nuclear power plant.[4]

In 1968, Peng proposed and led the building of a land-based prototype nuclear power reactor in Sichuan province for China's first nuclear submarine. This reactor was completed in April 1970 and successfully passed a test in July after Peng reported to the Central Special Commission led by Premier Zhou Enlai.[10][12][11] In 1973, Peng was appointed vice president of China Ship Research and Design Institute (Wuhan-based 719 Research Institute, the Nuclear Submarine Institute), and afterwards became deputy minister of the Ministry of Shipbuilding Industry.[2][4][8]

China's first nuclear submarine (SSN), the Long March I of class 091, was commissioned in 1974,[13] making China the fifth country to own a nuclear submarine after the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.[14] The first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) of class 092 was completed and commissioned in 1981.[15] Both type 091 and 092 submarines were equipped with the nuclear reactors and propulsion systems created by Peng and his team.[5] In 1979, Peng was appointed the first chief designer of China's nuclear submarine project, while Huang Weilu (黄纬禄), Zhao Renkai (赵仁恺), and Huang Xuhua were appointed deputies.[16]

In 1983, Peng shifted from military to civilian application of nuclear power plants when he was appointed deputy minister for the Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power, and was also appointed general engineer in the Ministry of Nuclear Industry.[4][11] He led his team to build the Daya Bay and Qinshan Nuclear Power Plants.[11][8]

Shilu died on 22 March 2021, at the age of 95.[17]

Awards and honors

Peng received the National Science Conference Award in 1978, the top prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Awards in 1985, the Science and Technology Progress Award from Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation in 1996, and the Top Scientific Achievement Award from Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation in 2017.[1][6][7] Once he received the prize money of the Top Scientific Achievement Award from Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation, he donated all of it as a fund to award young people making significant innovative achievements in the field of nuclear power.[18]

In 1988 he received the honorary title of "Outstanding Contribution to National Defense Science and Technology" from the Commission for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.[1]

In 2020, he won the 13th Guanghua Engineering Scientific and Technological Achievement Award for "his outstanding contributions to China's nuclear submarine to achieve a historic breakthrough from nothing, and the determination of technical route of the first nuclear power plant." Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award is the highest award in China's engineering field, and initiated and managed by the Chinese Academy of Engineering.[19][20]

In March 2021, soon after his death, he was hailed as "the father of China's nuclear submarines" by media including the top China's official media.[21][22][23][24][25]

On May 26, 2021, he was posthumously honored the title "Role Model of the Era" by the top Publicity Department of China, for his contributions to the design of the country's first-generation nuclear submarine in the 1950s, his leading the charge in the establishment of two major nuclear power plants in China, and his great attributes of hard work, sacrifice, and the pursuit of innovation.[26][27]

On March 3, 2022, he was honored as a "Touching China's Figure of the Year 2021" and hailed as "the father of China's nuclear submarines" by the top China's official media China Central Television.[28][29]

Personal life

Peng's wife, Ma Shuying (马淑英), was his schoolmate in the Soviet Union, and they married in 1958 when they returned to China. They had a son and a daughter.[30]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Peng Shilu". www.cae.cn. Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "Peng Shilu the father of China's nuclear submarine: the pioneer of China' nuclear power industry (中国核潜艇之父彭士禄：中国核动力事业的拓荒牛)". www.mod.gov.cn (in Chinese). Beijing, China: Ministry of National Defense of the People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国国防部. 18 February 2014. Archived from the original on 9 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b c d "The Founding Father of China's Nuclear Submarines and Nuclear Plants: Peng Shilu". Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). Chinese Academy of Engineering.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Sullivan, Lawrence R.; Liu, Nancy Y. (2015). Historical Dictionary of Science and Technology in Modern China. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. pp. 322–3. ISBN 978-0-8108-7855-6.
  5. ^ a b c Erickson, Andrew S & Goldstein, Lyle J (Winter 2007). "China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force — Insights from Chinese Writings" (PDF). Naval War College Review. Newport, Rhode Island, USA: Naval War College. 60 (1): 55–79. ISSN 0028-1484.((cite journal)): CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "Peng Shilu receives top scientific achievement award". CNNC. 25 October 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Peng Shilu received top scientific achievement award from Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation". www.cnnc.com.cn (in Chinese). Beijing, China: CNNC. 26 October 2017.
  8. ^ a b c "First chief designer of China's nuclear submarine dies at 96". eng.chinamil.com.cn. 24 March 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  9. ^ a b Li, Shuya (7 March 2013). "Peng Shilu, the life propelled by nuclear propulsion (彭士禄："核动力"驱动的人生)". www.chinapictorial.com.cn (in Chinese). Beijing. China: China Pictorial. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  10. ^ a b c Lewis, John Wilson; Xue, Litai (1996). China's Strategic Seapower: The Politics of Force Modernization in the Nuclear Age. Stanford University Press. p. 31. ISBN 978-0-8047-2804-1.
  11. ^ a b c d Guo (郭), Xinying (新英). "The "father of China's nuclear submarines" Peng Shilu". People's Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on 28 February 2014.
  12. ^ Ningjun Fu (1998). "Peng Shilu and China's Nuclear Submarine". Yanhuang Chunqiu (1): 23–26.
  13. ^ The Federation of American Scientists & The Natural Resources Defense Council Chinese Nuclear Forces and U.S. Nuclear War Planning p. 86
  14. ^ Yu Xiaoquan and Huang Chao (22 July 2017). "The first submarine: 'Build our own nuclear submarines, even if it would take 10,000 years!'". www.xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Beijing, China: XINHUANET.
  15. ^ "Type 092 Xia Class SSBN". www.globalsecurity.org. Alexandria, VA 22314, USA: Globalsecurity.org.((cite web)): CS1 maint: location (link)
  16. ^ "The achievements of CNNC during the year 2017". www.china5e.com (in Chinese). 中国能源网.
  17. ^ 中国核潜艇首任总设计师彭士禄院士逝世 (in Chinese)
  18. ^ Cheng, Yuezhu (1 June 2021). "Nuclear hero devoted life to helping country". China Daily. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
  19. ^ "第十三届光华工程科技奖揭晓 (The 13th Guanghua Engineering Technology Award announced)". news.sciencenet.cn (in Chinese). 科学网. 中国科学报社. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  20. ^ "中国工程界最高奖获奖人员名单揭晓 (The list of winners of "The Highest Award in China's Engineering Field" announced)". finance.sina.com.cn. Sina Corporation. 8 November 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  21. ^ "中国核潜艇之父彭士禄：愿将此生长报国" [Peng Shilu, the father of China's nuclear submarines: I hope my whole life will serve my motherland forever.]. tv.cctv.com (in Chinese). 23 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  22. ^ "悲恸！"中国核潜艇之父"彭士禄逝世" [Grief! "The father of Chinese nuclear submarines" Peng Shilu passed away.]. finance.sina.com.cn (in Chinese). 22 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  23. ^ "从他们的精神中汲取奋发力量" [Draw strength from their spirit]. www.stdaily.com 中国科技网 (in Chinese). 2 April 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  24. ^ 多维新闻 (22 March 2021). "中国"核潜艇之父"彭士禄去世 终年96岁" ["The father of China's nuclear submarines" Peng Shilu died at the age of 96]. 多维新闻 www.dwnews.com (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  25. ^ "幼年时被追杀的中国"核潜艇之父"彭士禄离世" [The "father of China's nuclear submarines" Peng Shilu, who was hunted down when as a child, passes away.] (Original from Beijing Youth Daily (北京青年报)). m.stnn.cc (in Chinese). Sing Tao News Corporation. 22 March 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  26. ^ "China honors deceased nuclear power expert". Big News Network.com. Big News Network. 26 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  27. ^ Huaxia, ed. (26 May 2021). "China honors deceased nuclear power expert - Xinhua". www.xinhuanet.com. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
  28. ^ "2021 a Chinese figure, the father of China's nuclear submarine, whose name was once the top secret of the state". iNEWS. 9 March 2022.
  29. ^ "感动中国2021年度人物—彭士禄 (Touching China's Figure of the Year 2021 - Peng Shilu)". news.cctv.com (in Chinese). 3 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  30. ^ Yu (余), Xiaoie (晓洁). "Academcian Peng Shilu, The founding father of China's nuclear submarine and power plant". Phoenix News (in Chinese).
Categories