It was chilly, windy and snowy on 7th December 2001. What a rare snowfall; which Beijing hasn't seen for years!
But, a conference room in the Beijing Friendship Hotel, which is located in the Haidian District, was full of spring-like warmth and vitality. The Department of High-tech Development and Industrialization at the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), along with the Automation Group of the 863 Programme, was holding a meeting to recruit members to the general technology team of a manned submersible capable of diving to a depth of 7,000 metres. This team represents the head of the entire special project, like a frontier command post responsible for organizing the scheduling research and development plans, progress, and overall technical coordination, among other activities. Only by selecting and recruiting a qualified general technology team and deciding on a viable operational plan can various "battlefields" enable the necessary tasks to be carried out accordingly.
Representatives from the National Oceanic Administration, the General Office of the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association (COMRA), the 702 Institute of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC), the 701 Institute of the CSIC, the CAS Institute of Acoustics, the CAS Shenyang Institute of Automation and other relevant institutions across China gathered together. As the moderator of the meeting, Feng Jichun, the Director of the Department of High-tech Development and Industrialization in the MOST made passionate opening remarks: "As the saying goes, that a fall of seasonable snow promises a fruitful year, the snowy day is a promising sign. Today, we are bringing together a range of talents from across China so that you can demonstrate your strength and competitiveness to each other, allowing the judges to make sound decisions in the recruitment process..."
This is a brand-new form of organization. In the past, the development of new equipment was often the focus of individual research institutes' work, albeit with limited capability and not designed for users. But, the MOST was determined to disrupt the system and set up an institution to lead and steer this project. The general technology team came into being as a result. Liu Feng, the Assistant Director and Divisional Chief for Project Management, pioneered the COMRA's efforts in the development of marine equipment.
After the presentation made by several contestants, Feng Jichun announced: "Let's give the floor to Liu Feng from the COMRA office to present the report."
Liu Feng bounced up, walked up to the podium, bowed to the audience and then said in a loud, clear voice: "Dear judges and leaders, good morning! My presentation is divided into three parts: my personal profile, my understanding of the major projects on the 863 Programme and preliminary ideas for participating in the general technology team of the major projects. I will also show slides to better elaborate my ideas." As he spoke, he projected a PowerPoint presentation on the screen, providing detailed and useful information.
As the Chief Director of Project Management with the COMRA, he has participated in the organization of relevant plans to coordinate and facilitate projects involving offshore exploration, technological development, environmental research and shipbuilding. He has been a member of the general technology team for an independently developed 6,000-metre underwater robot, a key project in the 863 Programme, with responsibility for formulating technical requirements in the deep-sea environment in order to link the on-board equipment with the robot. More importantly, he has directed experts to study and propose a demonstration report on deep-sea manned submersible needs.
In the end, clearing his throat and raising his voice, he said: "As a member of the general technology team, I would like to share my initial ideas. Firstly, the situation is so urgent that we have to take quick actions. The whole world is rushing to grab resources from the blue oceans and we cannot simply stand by. The nodule mining areas have been divided up. The International Seabed Authority is stipulating provisions on sea-floor sulphides and cobalt-rich seabed crusts, but we lack the means to conduct a detailed investigation. Secondly, we are well conditioned to accelerate development. On the basis of China's deep-sea carrier, further progress can be made. With clear user demands and owners' support in place, the basic principle of the COMRA is 'to continuously conduct deep-sea exploration, develop deep-sea technology, and timely establish the deep-sea industry'. The COMRA requires practical manned deep-sea carriers to be developed during the 10th Five-year Plan period. It is fair to say that everything is ready except the determination to start it off. If I am successfully recruited, I will definitely, under the effective leadership of the higher authorities, work closely with colleagues from various scientific research institutions in a joint effort to accomplish this task, despite of all kinds of difficulties. We are committed to contributing to China's deep-sea submersible undertakings and development of the oceans. This is the end of my presentation. Thank you all!"
Loud applause broke out immediately after he finished his presentation.
The experts and scholars attending the meeting were very impressed with Liu's report and very satisfied that he offered concrete ideas, a conceptual framework, meaningful examples and confidence. He was fully prepared and equipped with both the knowledge of the ins and outs of developing a 7,000-metre manned submersible and a high degree of responsibility and initiative in devoting himself to China's deep-ocean development cause. A tense assessment kicked off once all the candidates had finished their presentation. The exciting debate continued even into dinner.
After a rigorous, scientific, open and fair selection process, which took into account the overall situation and all specific factors, the judging panel finalized the list of the general technology team members: Liu Feng (Assistant Director, Divisional Chief for Project Management, professor-level senior engineer of the COMRA), Xu Qinan (researcher at the 702 Institute, CSIC), Wan Zhengquan (Deputy Director and researcher at the 702 Institute, CSIC, who was later replaced by Cui Weicheng, Director and researcher at the 702 Institute), Wu Chongjian (Director and researcher at the 701 Institute, CSIC), Zhang Aiqun (researcher at the Shenyang Institute of Automation, CAS), and Zhu Weiqing (researcher at the Institute of Acoustics, CAS). Liu Feng was appointed as the commander of the general technology team.
The heavy snow that had been falling all day stopped at night, but the temperature remained extremely low, leaving frozen patches on the unswept roads. Pedestrians were walking cautiously, but still slipped from time to time. It was already after midnight when Liu Feng finally returned home; but, instead of feeling even a trace of weariness, he was immersed in overwhelming excitement. His heart was full of lofty sentiments about embracing the challenges and opportunities...
To carry out this major national project, the State Oceanic Administration and the General Office of the COMRA, and in particular the general technology team led by Liu Feng, spared no effort to set about making the necessary work arrangements. The priority would be to discuss and adopt the Demonstration Report on the Overall Plan for the 7,000-metre Manned Submersible.
In fact, this work started as soon as the proposal to develop a deep-sea manned submersible was made. The 702 Institute of the CSIC had previously submitted a similar report, but it had failed to make its way to implementation. Now, with the COMRA as the client, the project was listed among the major projects of China's 863 Programme. The drafting of this report fell again to the 702 Institute of the CSIC, whose core leaders are Wu Yousheng and Xu Binghan, two academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering who were among the earliest to call for research and development in the area of Chinese manned deep-sea submersibles.
Wu Yousheng was born in 1942. Upon graduation from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Tsinghua University in 1968, he was assigned to work in the structural mechanics laboratory of the China Ship Scientific Research Centre (the predecessor of the 702 Institute). In the early 1980s, when R.E.D. Bishop, a professor from the University College London who was internationally renowned for developing the theory of two-dimensional hydroelasticity, was invited to China to give lectures, he was surprised to find that Wu had high-level research capabilities. When he learned that Wu was about to go to the US for further studies, Bishop recognized his talents so much as to immediately suggest that he should study in the UK instead, as well as offering to deal with all the necessary formalities and cover the costs of studying.
Upon arrival in London in June 1981, Wu Yousheng was determined to achieve academic excellence in such prime conditions. He worked over a dozen hours every day, without taking any leave on Sundays or during holidays. When he finally submitted the first batch of his research results to Professor Bishop, his supervisor felt truly pleased and satisfied. Faced with the weighty doctoral dissertation that represented three years of hard work, Wu was intensely emotional. After pondering for a while, he solemnly wrote on the title page, where foreign students usually acknowledge their loved ones or parents: "This paper is dedicated to my motherland!"
In October 1984, the defence of Wu's doctoral dissertation was in progress at Brunel University, West London.
"I noticed that you wrote on the title page that 'This paper is dedicated to my motherland!', instead of an individual person," asked Professor Reynolds, chairman of the defence committee, in a friendly manner, while looking at the English words on the title page.
"Yes." replied Wu, in a brisk and powerful voice.
"Are you going to stay in the UK? There are excellent research and living conditions here," added Dr. Smith, another member of the defence committee.
"I am grateful for the kindness shown by the university and its professors, but my motherland needs me and there are tons of studies that I am yet to finish in my country," replied Wu in a polite manner.
"Your country will be proud of you!" Perhaps deeply moved by the patriotism of this young student, Professor Reynolds stood up and shook hands with him.
Professor Bishop, his supervisor, felt deeply regretful about Wu's departure, but also deeply empathetic. He wrote a passionate letter to the Director of the 702 Institute. "We are about to lose Wu, but you've won him. You will find his dissertation a masterpiece, fully exhibiting his genius as a leading expert in hydroelasticity and ship mechanics."
On returning to China, Wu bought six of the most-advanced acceleration sensors with the ￡120 he had managed to scrimp and scrape as presents for the 702 Institute. Later, under his leadership, a globally renowned Chinese hydro-elasticity research team was finally formed. Wu was appointed Director of the 702 Institute in 1992 and elected to the first group of academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1994. He rewarded his success and reputation with more efforts. The lamp that shone in his study during many sleepless nights was a special view of the shore of the beautiful Taihu Lake.
Xu Binghan is a scientist as brilliant as Wu. Xu is nine years older than his colleague. After graduating from Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1955, he was selected to attend the Leningrad Shipbuilding Institute of the Soviet Union for postgraduate studies and teaching and research work on shipbuilding mechanics. He easily adapted to the new environment and learned quickly, like a fish swimming eagerly in the sea of knowledge. Xu often said: "The poverty in my childhood tempered my will to work hard and strive for progress. And the years abroad honed my ability to live and work independently."
One night in the early spring of 1961, Leningrad Radio Evening News reported that Chinese student Xu Binghan had successfully defended his thesis and been awarded a vice doctoral degree. Professors and classmates congratulated him and asked him to continue his career with them. When Xu looked around the room where he had studied for four and a half years, a Chinese sailboat model on the table touched a nerve and reminded him of the glory and humiliation in China's maritime history. He choked up with emotion: "Yes! Ship and shipbuilding! Let us build an indestructible wall at sea!"
Upon returning to China, Xu was assigned to the Seventh Institute of the Ministry of National Defence, engaging in hydromechanics and structural mechanics research. Despite the ups and downs of the times, his aspiration to serve the country remained the same. Later, in his capacity as director of the structural research office at the 702 Institute, he pioneered several major experiments in the history of submersible development. The research project led by him has been awarded the national second prize once and the third prize on two occasions. In 1997, the 64-year-old Xu was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
With China's growing awareness in maritime development and the establishment of the COMRA, China was granted the status of pioneer investor by the UN, only the fifth country in the world to fulfil an exploration mission of 300,000 square kilometres of the ocean floor. Sound progress was made with the CV-01 autonomous undersea vehicle, on which Xu Qinan was involved. Marine experts represented by Wu Yousheng and Xu Binghan in the 702 Institute immediately pooled talents and laid out detailed plans. Under the coordination and organization of Jin Jiancai and Liu Feng from the COMRA, the Demonstration Report on the Overall Plan the 7,000-metre Manned Submersible, which was precise, science-based and feasible, was compiled. It is fair to say that this report represented the embryo of the Jiaolong submersible, a future national treasure, as well as a "war plan" worthy of being preserved in the National Archives.
The 7,000-metre manned submersible consists of the manned submersible itself and a mothership support system.
The submersible consists of submersible overall performance integration, a hydrodynamic system, a vehicle structure system, a weight regulatory system, an emergency safety system, a power-source system, a hydraulic system, an operating system, a control system, a communication and positioning system, an observation system and a life-support system, among others, which were developed by the 702 Institute and the 701 Institute of the CSIC, the CAS Institute of Acoustics and the CAS Shenyang Institute of Automation.
The mothership support system for the 7,000-metre manned submersible was the responsibility of the user (COMRA).
In addition, the report also demonstrated the technical characteristics of its counterparts developed in the US, Japan, France and other countries, as well as the international market for buoyancy materials, optical instruments, processing technology and other factors. It pointed out that, drawing on the valuable experience of the international deep-diving scientific community and consistent with the principle of demand-driven development and the combination of technological innovation and indigenous development, the leapfrog development of China's deep-sea submersible technology could be initiated at a high starting point, reflecting the confidence and ability to develop manned submersibles that could meet users' needs by 2005.
On 23rd December 2001, the Demonstration Report on the Overall Plan the 7,000-metre Manned Submersible was approved by the review meeting organized by the Department of High-tech Development and Industrialization in the MOST and a special team for major projects of the 863 Programme. This was equivalent to the issuance of a birth certificate for China's large-scale deep-sea manned submersibles, indicating the beginning of a well-planed competition in this area.
(selected from Jiaolong's Sea Explorations by Xu Chen, published by China Intercontinental Press in 2019)
