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'Western Development Be Based on Agricultural Expansion': Missile Expert
On the eve of the "World Environmental Day", we had an interview with Comrade Qian Xuesen, his original views about the development of the western region enlightened us all of a sudden.
The vast expanse of the Gobi Desert in the western region has not only seen the rise of mushroom cloud that made the Chinese nation feel proud and elated, but has also left behind scientists' deep thought about the long-term development of our nation. On the eve of the "World Environmental Day", we called on Comrade Qian Xuesen, a scientist who has made outstanding contribution to the country, many of his original views are sufficient to make people become enlightened all of a sudden.
Qian said, "In the past when I was engaged in the experiments of 'two bombs and one satellite' (A-bomb and H-bomb and man-made earth satellite), I often went to northwest regions (including Gansu, Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia), so I am quite familiar with the situation regarding the natural conditions, ecological environment, economic development and people's livelihood there. As far as I know, the post-liberation western region had gone through two major constructions: one was in the 1950s when the 156 projects were built with Soviet assistance, some of the major projects were constructed in the west and northwest China; the second was construction in the remote regions away from the coastal areas between the 60s-70s. The level and dynamic of the two major constructions were quite impressive whether in terms of the input of funds, the content of science and technology and the galaxy of talents. Although these construction efforts boosted the development of the western region, they, however, had not fundamentally changed the backward state of the western region. In my opinion, the reason for this was these constructions had not been combined with the economic base of the western region, i.e., with the development of agriculture. As a result, a small number of industrial projects had developed, the vast rural areas and the people at large remained in a state of poverty and backwardness. Therefore, I feel although western development is comprehensive and on a full scale, it still needs to be based on agricultural development. Only by doing so is it possible to fundamentally change the state of poverty and backwardness in the western region, as well as its ecological environment".
Regarding the question of how can the agriculture of the northwestern region be helped out of its predicament, Qian Xuesen said that the northwest region is a vast stretch of Gobi Desert, covering around 1.6 billion hectares of land, about the size of the area of China's farmland. The Gobi Desert is arid and short of rain, but on the other hand, it has abundance of sunshine. This constitutes both favorable and unfavorable conditions for agricultural development in the northwestern region. The problem is that in the past we paid too much attention to the unfavorable conditions and so laid emphasis on "control" by planting trees to guard against and block the advance of sand. And that was right and successful, but we did this in a somewhat passive way. For example, we failed to, from the positive aspect, utilize and develop the favorable conditions offered by the abundance of sunshine.
As early as August 20, 1984, Qian Xuesen published the article titled "Creating a knowledge-intensive industry of an agricultural type-agriculture, forestry, and grass, sea and sand industry". Publication of this article broke through the concept about traditional agriculture, broadened people's horizon and laid the theoretical foundation for the sand industry for which veteran Qian has striven after diligently for 16 years. On September 27, 1994, in response to Qian's advocacy, the Chinese Science and Technology Development Fund for Promoting Sand Industry was founded, the fund was used to support the work of theoretical study of sand industry, bolster up the entity of sand industry and train professionals.
As to the question about "what is sand industry", Qian explained sand industry is to engage in agricultural production on the barren Gobi Desert, make full use of the sunshine, temperature difference and other favorable conditions on the Gobi Desert, popularize the use of water-saving technology and engage in knowledge-intensive modernized agriculture. These are something fully possible. Israel's natural conditions are even harsher than those in China's northwestern region, but they have developed modernized agriculture on the desert and its economic benefits are considerable. Zhangye Prefecture, Gansu Province of China, began to develop the sand industry on a trial basis in 1994, the local people created in practice the sand industry technological line known as "making more use of light, economizing on the use of water, and adopting new technology to ensure high efficiency", they have achieved enormous success in this respect, they have become more than self-sufficiency in grain, their vegetables and fruits are transported eastward for sales and are exported and given a fillip to the development of a group of processing enterprises.. In the western development, we must first change our ossified way of thinking about desert in the western region, and we should see the favorable conditions for developing agriculture on the desert. Therefore, efforts should be devoted not only to "control", but more importantly, to "development"., "control" be contained in development, this is the guiding thought of proposing the development of sand industry. If the wealth of experiences and practices of Zhangye Prefecture are spread to the whole of the northwestern region, then its prospect will be very promising.
In the face of the historical opportunity for the large-scale development of the western region, elderly Qian said with emotion that "in implementing the strategy for the large-scale development of the western region in the 21st century, our starting-point should naturally be high. Therefore, when I proposed the need to develop agriculture, forestry and the sand and grass industries, I emphasized the knowledge-intensive industry, it is necessary to put modern science and technology, including bio-technology and information technology, into use. Moreover, at the very outset we should go in for industrialization and bring production, processing and marketing into coordinated operation, and pay attention to comprehensive utilization. This high-tech industrialized agriculture has actually been integrated with processing industry, economic and trade business, service and other aspects of the tertiary industry, therefore, we can ensure that factory management is applied to agricultural production. Small towns developed therefrom have enormously reduced the gap between industry and agriculture and between town and countryside. This is, of course, a long-term, arduous task which may need the efforts of several generations to accomplish. But the practice of the 'two bombs and one satellite' convinces me that under the staunch leadership of the Communist Party of China and relying on the broad masses of the people, including scientists and engineering and technical personnel, we will certainly be able to overcome various difficulties and build west China into a prosperous homeland with the spirit and experience we have gained in the development of 'two bombs and one satellite'."
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