Zhang Xinyi

Zhang Xinyi (1897-1992), who presided over the construction of our country's first earth dam and reservoir, founded the first soil and water conservation station, advocated soil and water conservation and rational and sustainable use of land in the northwest Loess Plateau, and introduced excellent crops such as sweet cloves, white melons, and acacia, and cultivated talents. He has made outstanding contributions.

Zhang Xinyi, formerly known as Zhang Jizhong (C.C. Chang has always been used externally, which is the abbreviation of Jizhong), was born on January 17, 1897 in Fuhe Village, Yongjing County, Gansu Province. When he was a teenager, his family was poor. He started his education at the age of 7 and studied in private schools for 3 years. From the age of 10, he helped his mother farm at home. At the age of 13, he entered the Primary School Affiliated to Lanzhou Normal University and transferred to Gaolan Primary School the following year. After class, he followed a primary school teacher and a progressive young man who came to Lanzhou to live in church. Learn English.

In 1914, he was admitted to Lanzhou Middle School. While he was in his first year, it happened that Beijing Tsinghua School (then a preparatory school for studying in the United States run by the Gengzi Compensation and now the predecessor of Tsinghua University) was selecting public-funded students in Gansu. Zhang Xinyi relied on the advantage of learning English for several months to be selected and came to Beijing on foot after more than a month of arduous journey. During the re-examination, he could not be admitted because he failed English and exceeded the prescribed entry age. Later, he argued for reasons and explained that he had come to Beijing on foot. The examiner was moved and allowed to try for half a year before talking. Half a year later, I passed the English exam before becoming a formal student.

During his eight years in Tsinghua School (1914-1922), in addition to completing various homework and laying a solid foundation in English, in order to explore the purpose and path of life, he also studied the theories, ethics and morals of the various schools of thought in China, Buddhism and Christianity, and accepted Wang Yangming's theory of knowing and doing and the national view of national reconciliation. This almost became the basic principle of his life since then.

When the May 4th Movement broke out, he was deeply concerned about the corruption of the Beiyang government. He participated in the movement with his classmates and was detained by the reactionary military and police for more than 10 days. Later, he participated more actively in various social activities and took the reform of current affairs as his own responsibility. He and Gao Shiqi (who later became a famous science writer) taught at the "School Service Night School" and also served as the principal for one year to help with literacy. He and Liang Shiqiu, Pan Guangdan and other four people formed the "Thick and Thin Society" - which means that they are "thick-skinned by nature and thin-skinned". They are not good people. When others have unreasonable words and deeds, they immediately criticize and oppose hypocrisy and politeness. In 1921, the student union of the school organized the "Student Court". He served as the first prosecutor and presided over justice.

While at Tsinghua School, he developed the habit of physical exercise and persisted until he was 80 years old. Hard training since he was a teenager enabled him to withstand tuberculosis, typhoid fever and three gastrointestinal cancer surgeries after the age of 80, and lived to the age of 95.