On this day, 72 years ago, on October 15, 1953 (September 8, 1953, the lunar calendar), Wu Yunchu, the "King of MSG", passed away. Wu Yunchu (left) of Tianyuan Electrochemical Factory is a chemical expert, a famous chemical industrialist, and the founder of my country's chlor-alkali industry. The first monosodium glutamate factory, chlor-alkali factory, acid-resistant pottery factory and a factory for the production of synthetic ammonia and nitric acid were established in my country. He strongly supports the activities of the society and subsidizes outstanding students from the cold to go to college and cultivate them into senior scientific and technological talents. He made outstanding contributions to the rise and development of my country's chemical industry. Wu Yunchu, also known as Baoyuan, was born on September 29, 1891 in Jiading County, Jiangsu Province (now Shanghai City). He entered school at the age of 10, and later entered Shanghai Guang Dialect School to study foreign languages for one year. He dropped out of school due to family poverty and returned to Jiading No. 1 Primary School to work as an English teacher to support his family. At the age of 15, he was admitted to the Shanghai Military Engineering School of the Ministry of the Army to study chemistry part-time. He became a talented student appreciated by German teacher Du Bo because of his hard work. He graduated as the factory director in 1911. After one year of internship at the Shanghai Manufacturing Bureau, he returned to the school as a teaching assistant and did some laboratory work in the Shanghai laboratory run by Du Bo. In 1913, he was recommended by Du Bo to serve as a chemist at Hanyang Iron Factory. The trial production of silicon bricks and manganese bricks in the factory was successful and he was promoted to the director of the brick factory. Soon, Hanyang Arsenal hired him as the director of the physical and chemical class and the pharmaceutical (explosives) class. During the First World War, there was a shortage of chemical raw materials, so Xiechang Match Factory established a potassium chlorate company in Hankou and hired Wu Yunchu as an engineer and director to produce potassium chlorate by electrolysis using waste from the arsenal. Production of synthetic ammonia and nitric acid In 1920, Wu Yunchu returned to Shanghai and co-organized the Chichang New Cowhide Rubber Factory with others, serving as the director. During this period, the "Wei Zi" dumped by Japanese merchants in Shanghai attracted his attention, and he successfully developed MSG, and later built the Shanghai Tianchu MSG Factory. In order to make the hydrochloric acid needed for monosodium glutamate self-sufficient, Tianyuan Electrochemical Plant was built in 1930. The factory is the first chlor-alkali factory in my country to produce basic chemical raw materials such as hydrochloric acid, caustic soda and bleaching powder. In 1932, Wu Yunchu learned that DuPont's synthetic ammonia pilot plant in the United States was closed and there was a set of equipment for sale, so he bought the equipment and built the Tianli Nitrogen Plant. Tianli Factory uses hydrogen vented from the electrolysis workshop of Tianyuan Factory to produce synthetic ammonia, and part of the synthetic ammonia is then produced into nitric acid. This is the first factory in my country to produce synthetic ammonia and nitric acid. In order to make the acid-resistant ceramics needed by Tianchu and Tianyuan self-sufficient, Wu Yunchu built the Tiansheng Pottery Factory in 1934, producing a variety of acid-resistant pottery pipes, porcelain plates, ceramic valves and blowers, creating a precedent in the domestic acid-resistant ceramic industry. So far, four light and heavy chemical companies, Tianchu, Tianyuan, Tiansheng and Tianli, have formed their own systems and powerful "Tian" chemical groups, writing a brilliant chapter in the history of my country's chemical industry. In order to avoid the intensification of conflicts between Tianli Nitrogen Plant and Yongli Company's Nanjing No. 2 Plant, which was under construction at the same time, Wu Yunchu and Fan Xudong frankly negotiated through a letter and delineated their respective business scopes: Yongli is north of the Yangtze River, and Tianli is south of the Yangtze River, thus forming the so-called "South Wu and North Fan" pattern. Achievements of Anti-Japanese War Wu Yunchu loved the motherland and actively resisted Japan. As early as 1932, he began to organize the production of military gas masks to support the War of Resistance. After 1937, in order to preserve national industries, Wu Yunchu actively organized inward migration. In 1939, he built Hong Kong Tianchu MSG Factory, Chongqing Tianyuan Chemical Factory and Chongqing Tianchu MSG Factory. In 1943, he built Tianyuan Electrochemical Factory Yibin Branch. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Wu Yunchu returned to Shanghai, took back the Tianyuan and Tianli factories, and accepted a small chlor-alkali factory built in Pudong during the Japanese invaders 'occupation of Shanghai as compensation for the severe damage to Tianyuan. At the end of 1945, this small factory resumed production and became the Pudong factory of Tianyuan Electrochemical Plant. In May 1947, Tianyuan resumed production, and in 1949, it returned to the level of 10 tons of caustic soda per day. Wu Yunchu believed in saving the country through industry. In 1937, he was entrusted by the Nanjing National Government Resources Committee to inspect Britain and Germany, and signed a contract with German businessmen to purchase a complete set of equipment and technology for artificial oil; in 1942, he and Chongqing National Government personnel went to Xinjiang for an inspection to prepare for the construction of Tianshan Electrochemical Plant; He also formulated the "Wartime and Post-War Expansion Plan of Tianyuan Electrochemical Plant Co., Ltd.", which divided the country into six districts, each with its own weight, formed an electrolytic salt chemical industrial network, and built salt mills, carbon refiner factories, asbestos factories, etc. to meet the needs of the chlor-alkali industry. Wu Yunchu's efforts failed to achieve results due to various reasons, but they reflected his ambition and great talent to save the country through industry. During his stay in Chongqing, Wu Yunchu had many interactions with Zhou Enlai and other Communists as a "national political commissar". In 1945, when Mao Zedong went to Chongqing for negotiations, he was going to invite people from the business community to have a discussion. When celebrities were needed to come forward, Wu Yunchu stepped forward and signed and sent the invitation together with Wang Ruofei. Afterwards, Wang Ruofei and Deng Yingchao made a special trip to his apartment to thank him for this and presented him with a Yan 'an blanket, a bag of millet and a bag of red dates. Wang Ruofei said: The development of China's economic construction requires industrialists like Mr. Wu to revitalize industry. All of the above left a deep impression on Wu Yunchu. Wu Yunchu went abroad at the end of 1948. When Shanghai was liberated, he was in the United States and was very pleased to hear that everything was normal at Tianyuan and other factories in Shanghai. Soon, he received a letter from Qian Changzhao inviting him to return to China, and he was very happy. In October 1949, Wu Yunchu arrived in Beijing and was cordially received by Premier Zhou and hosted a casual banquet. As soon as they met, Premier Zhou said: "The MSG King is back, welcome! Welcome!" Premier Zhou also said: "China's chemical industry will have great development. I hope Mr. Wu can continue to work hard for the chemical industry." Wu Yunchu was greatly encouraged. In November of that year, he returned to Shanghai and was warmly welcomed by all employees of Tianyuan Electrochemical Plant. Since then, he has served as a member of the East China Military and Political Committee, a member of the Shanghai City People's Government, a deputy chairman of the Supervisory Committee of the Shanghai City Federation of Industry and Commerce, a member of the Central Committee of China Democratic National Construction Association and deputy chairman of the Shanghai Branch, and a chairman of the Chemical Raw Materials Industry Association. He worked closely with Communists and actively worked to develop my country's chemical industry. In 1952, the People's Government appointed him to visit the Soviet Union. After returning to China, he planned to invite him to work in Beijing to further develop his talents. Unfortunately, his wife Wu Daiyi passed away, which made Wu Yunchu very sad. Coupled with overwork, he became ill and was admitted to the hospital. On October 15, 1953, Wu Yunchu died of illness in Shanghai at the age of 62.