Complete Works of Gao E. 2

Author: Gao Shiqi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-10-01
Features: The major feature of the reprinted Complete Works of Gao Shiqi is the addition of nearly 200,000 words of memoirs, personally written by Gao Shiqi during his later years in the hospital. These memoirs reveal his extraordinary life and inner journey to the public. Gao Shiqi was a pioneer and founder of China's science popularization movement and a great disabled figure in human history, enjoying high reputation both domestically and internationally. Despite being completely paralyzed, he wrote millions of words of science popularization works. In honor of his contributions, the International Astronomical Union named asteroid No. 3704 "Gao Shiqi" in 1999. Gao Shiqi was a renowned scientist, science popularizer, and educator in China. He was also a great disseminator of scientific thought and a pioneer and founder of China's science popularization movement. Over nearly 60 years of paralysis, he overcame immense pain and unimaginable difficulties, writing millions of words of science popularization works. From 1991 to 1994, Anhui Children's Publishing House published the Complete Works of Gao Shiqi in four volumes. The publication of the Complete Works sparked huge social and received numerous highest honors, enriching our scientific and cultural treasury. However, due to various reasons, only 500 sets were published at the time. These 500 sets were snapped up during the Complete Works news conference and are now treasured by people from all walks of life. Since then, many libraries and universities have been unable to purchase copies and have called for a reedition. On the occasion of the centenary of Gao Shiqi's birth, we have decided to reprint the Complete Works. This reprinted edition is divided into five volumes: Volume I contains science popularization works created before 1949, Volume II contains science popularization works after 1949, Volume III includes poems written throughout Gao Shiqi's life, Volume IV features his papers and speeches, and Volume V contains his late-life handwritten memoirs, messages, congratulations, and dedications. The major feature of this reprinted Complete Works is the addition of nearly 200,000 words of Gao Shiqi's memoirs. This is a special memoir, personally written by the late Gao Shiqi during his hospitalization. It provides a complete account of some lesser-known years, events, and stories in his life, from his birth to the founding of the People's Republic of China. Thus, it offers a vivid and complete image of Gao Shiqi and his life journey. With plain and sincere language, he reveals his extraordinary life and inner thoughts. From this memoir, one can clearly see that Gao Shiqi's life was filled with hardship and tragedy, yet he navigated this external journey with an indomitable spirit of humor and optimism. In the memoirs, Gao Shiqi provides a complete and truthful account of his life, earnestly analyzing his inner world. This is his to posterity. Later, the of Beijing Hospital and the demolition of the South Building caused dust to flood his room, leading to severe aspiration pneumonia. From then on, he was confined to bed. Three years later, he left this world, leaving behind those he deeply loved. From Gao Shiqi's memoirs, we clearly sense why he was called the "pioneer and founder of China's science popularization movement" and why he said "handing science to the people" without reservation. He did not randomly earn the honor of having asteroid No. 3704 named after him, nor did he become a national law in his honor. Gao Shiqi's memoirs are free of artistic embellishment or, and they resemble a vivid and moving film script. They present a truly humanized Gao Shiqi, whose is rare indeed. In fact, the compilation of Gao Shiqi's memoirs underwent a long process. Over a decade, it was repeatedly revised, edited, and identified. The memoirs were scattered across more than 20 notebooks, with dates, places, and events crossing and overlapping in an unordered manner. It was extremely difficult to find the connection between one paragraph and the next. Moreover, the handwriting was blurred and disorganized, as it was written by a trembling hand. Many names, places, historical events, and even English letters and specialized terms had to be repeatedly verified. Due to his involvement in the daily work of the Gao Shiqi Foundation and numerous social activities, the memoirs remained unpublished until now. This is the first time they are fully released to the public. The reedition of the Complete Works of Gao Shiqi has significant social meaning and contemporary relevance. In 2002, a female member of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference proposed the concept of "green science popularization." What is "green science popularization"? She believed that society generally views "academia writing science popularization as essentially 'science without popularization,' and thus, scientists should propose topics, content, and frameworks, while writers should handle the creation and." In reality, this issue was already addressed in Gao Shiqi's science popularization works decades ago. Gao Shiqi organically blended science and literature, achieving a harmonious and perfect unity in art. He not only used personification and other simple, accessible language to explain profound and mysterious science in a way that even farmers and children could understand but also taught future science popularizers that science popularization is not an isolated endeavor but should be combined with the development of science and technology, literature, art, poetry, psychology, and fairy tales, and that experts in these fields should be consulted. Therefore, the publication of this book serves not only as an excellent textbook for science popularization education for the general public and young people but also as a model and example for scientists and academicians to engage in science popularization. It demonstrates how scientists, academicians, and the general public can better create science popularization works that are easy to understand, engaging, and enjoyable. The reason why Gao Shiqi's works have become timeless classics and an enduring legacy is not accidental but the inevitable result of his extensive engagement with science, culture, philosophy, religion, and literature. He was not only a model of the integration of science and literature but also a model of the integration of science and social sciences. He was a model of the integration of natural sciences and social sciences, and also a model of the integration of science and philosophy. He poured everything he experienced and learned into his science popularization and science literature works, including folk customs from his childhood days, which he transformed into Yanhuaguguxi. He turned the myths and fairy tales he encountered into specific plots and characters in his works, such as The Three Immortals and The Island of Many Legs. He incorporated traditional Chinese culture, the Four Books and Five Classics into his works, even naming the opening of The Autobiography of a Mushroom "My Name." He included the Taoist deity Laozi and the three major deities, as well as the myths from The Investiture of the Gods, in his works. He also incorporated Christianity, Buddhism, and even Adam and Eve from Christianity as the opening of one of his articles. Buddhist thought, philosophy, and spirit are also subtly reflected in the content of his works. Western science, medicine, literature, art, and history, from the spread of the Black Death in the Middle Ages to the second World War, are all presented in his vast works. He even predicted the coming of Japan's bacteriological warfare and its prevention measures. He described the state of national emergency mobilization and incorporated the essence of Marxist thought into his works, mercilessly critiquing society. He even included Engels' Dialectics of Nature in his long science poem The Symphony of the Sky, creating a famous chapter that integrated science, culture, literature, philosophy, and politics, once again predicting the development of the times and the victory of the people. Gao Shiqi dedicated everything he explored, experienced, and learned to his scientific creation, using it as a tool to hand science to the people. His goal was clear, his direction was steadfast, and his aspirations were realistic and great. In this sense, Gao Shiqi was a true master—a master who integrated ancient and modern, Chinese and foreign science, culture, and philosophy. Therefore, I consider the criticisms, ridicule, and mockery of some people toward Gao Shiqi's works in 2002 to be extremely absurd and laughable. But this absurdity and laughability are based on their failure to truly understand Gao Shiqi's life experiences, thoughts, and profound knowledge. Gao Shiqi was proficient in English and deeply versed in German, French, Russian, and also knew Latin. In his youth, he once said, "In reality, my English writing skills were better than my Chinese." At the time, he had no confidence in his Chinese writing skills (see Dai Botao's memoirs). He thoroughly read the literary works of Western countries and was familiar with the works of famous poets and writers such as Shakespeare, Shelley, Byron, Stendhal, and Goethe. Thus, he could effortlessly quote maxims, philosophies, and anecdotes from Western classics. The reedition of the Complete Works of Gao Shiqi, especially the compilation of his memoirs, was made possible with the great support and help of his life-long friends. Notably, Comrade Ye Yonglie provided invaluable materials, such as the 5,000-word Childhood memoirs dictated by Gao Shiqi and recorded by Bai Hua in 1947, as well as the Biography of the Ancestors of Gao Shiqi's family, Dai Botao's An Unfortunate Scientist—Gao Shiqi, and the relevant materials from Pu Manting's newly published Research Materials on Gao Shiqi, including the Biography of Gao Shiqi, the Chronology of Gao Shiqi's Life and Literary and Science Popularization Activities. In addition, many young friends came to contribute to the editing and publishing of the Complete Works during their holidays. This included staff from the China Aviation Press who gave up their national holiday rest to work overtime. It can be said that the reedition of the Complete Works of Gao Shiqi was the result of countless hours of effort and dedication in the days leading up to the centenary of his birth.