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 | Wednesday, April 12, 2000, updated at 16:35(GMT+8) | ||||||||||||
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Yang Chen Ning Bullish About China's Technology Progress"Taking a look back at the 100 years' history in China, I'm proud to find that China has made tremendous progress in its technology", said Yang Chen Ning, the noted Chinese-American physicist in his speech on "China's Culture and Science" in Kunming on April 11."In 1900, nobody in China knew about infinitesimal calculus, whereas in western universities it was already a curriculum course for a freshman. However, in 1999, China has successfully launched and retrieved 'Shenshou' experimental manned spacecraft," said Yang Chen Ning, "I'm very optimistic about China's technology development in the next century". Professor Yang listed several events worth to be remembered in China's technological development in the last 100 years: 1905, China began selecting students to study in western countries by abolishing the imperial examinations system. 1925, some universities began to set up arithmetic or mathematics departments. 1938, the level in teaching of the Southwest United University had already reached the world advanced level of that time. 1964, China succeeded in making the atomic bomb of its own. Yang said, every one must admit it's a miracle in the world technology history. When New China was founded in 1949, only few people knew nuclear physics, and the relevant fields also found short of talented intellectuals, but it only took China 14 years to blast off an atomic bomb. 1970, China made a successful launching of a man-made satellite. 1999, "Shenzhou" experimental manned spacecraft was successfully launched and retrieved. Yang Chen Ning said that China has only used 100 years in its technology development to have basically covered the history of 700 years in western countries. Moreover, China underwent many disturbances and difficulties in the last 100 years, and modern technology was started almost from scratch. Looking into the future I'm more sanguine about China's technology development in the next century, he said. Yang said, "China has already possessed the three fundamental elements in what is needed for technology development: First, the talented intellectuals from among whom many excellent youth have already cropped up thanks to the enhancing of quality in education. Secondly, determination, it is a common desire that the government and the masses of people are paying more attention to technology. And Thirdly, better economic conditions, through 20 years' reform and opening up, China's economy has taken a turn for the better, and it has certainly more strength to increase its input for technology development."
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