Chen Huanxuan: A lifetime of love is deep in grass and trees

When he entered Harvard University at the age of 23, he had the idea of studying Chinese plants because China's plant resources had been collected by foreigners in large numbers, model specimens stored in various specimens in Europe and the United States, and the original literature was scattered in various publications published in various countries Chinese
the day he volunteered on his own, what he did was an unrepentant practice of the original heart.July 12, 1890, Mr Chan was born into an official home in Hong Kong. His father, Chen Yan, was a talented Guangdong newman who founded one of Hong Kong's first Chinese-language newspapers, the Hua-Word Daily, and his mother, a Cuban-Spanish. As a child, Chen returned to Tangshan with his parents, moved to Shanghai at the age of 7, moved to Guangzhou at the age of 15, and was later brought to the United States by his father's friends to study.
chen Huanxuan could have chosen another life, but a Chinese heart did not allow him to stay out of the way. In 1913, Chen was admitted to the Department of Forests at Harvard University and two years later to the Department of Trees at Harvard University. In 1919, Chen Huanxuan, who had just received a master's degree in forest studies from Harvard University, returned from the United States and went to Hainan Island alone with simple collection equipment to collect plant specimens, becoming the first botanist to collect specimens on the southern islands of the motherland.
, we went out to collect specimens in poor condition, " he said. Wu
, a researcher at the South China Plant Research Institute, recalled in an interview with China Science Daily. Wu De neighbors have gone to Yunnan to collect specimens, even if climbing 3000 meters of mountains, the body is only simple warm clothing, not even raincoats and rain shoes. "The conditions on Hainan Island are tougher than in Yunnan." Wu said.
the one-year-old mission was put on hold because of Chen Huanxuan's health. He was first stung by a poisoned bee, then infected with falty malaria, and had to travel to Shanghai for treatment.
despite his weakness, Chen still carries collected specimens and stores them at the Shanghai Merchants Bureau terminal. Unfortunately, these hard-earned specimens were destroyed by a sudden fire.
he was not discouraged. In the summer of 1922, Chen Huanxuan, who had been teaching at the National Southeast University for one year, and Qian Chongxuan and Qin Renchang jointly organized the Plant Survey Team in western Hubei Province, starting from Yichang, and picking nearly a thousand specimens from Xingshan and the eastern side of the Shennon frame to Padong. This is the first slightly larger team organized by Chinese botanists themselves. However, the specimens experienced the same experience as previous specimens, which were destroyed by a fire at the "word room" of the University of Southeast, where they were stored.
Chen Huanxuan, who has been hit continuously, embarked on a journey in 1927 to collect specimens in northern Guangdong, Guangzhou, Dinghushan, Hong Kong, Guangxi, Guizhou and other places, while he contacted scholars and specimen museums in Britain, the United States, Germany, France and other countries to establish a specimen exchange relationship, in exchange for more than 30,000 foreign specimens.1928, when Chen Huanxuan taught at The Agricultural College of Zhongshan University, he established the first plant specimen museum of a certain size in the south of China based on specimens collected with colleagues, plus exchanged specimens. At the beginning of the establishment of the specimen museum, Chen Huanxuan put forward the idea of trying to make it comparable to the world famous plant specimen museum.
in order to achieve this goal, Chen Huanxuan personally set out a strict set of scientific management methods. Each specimen number of the specimen museum has 3 sets of cards, according to different needs arranged and stored separately, if the collection of specimens by domestic and foreign books published articles cited, that is, with a specific label attached to the specimen, in the specimen envelope also attached to the original records of the plant, important monographs and other literature.
" Chen Huanxuan every time the purchase of plant monographs will buy two books, one is cut according to the entry, placed in the specimen cabinet, convenient for us to consult; Wu De-neighbor said.
In 1954, the Institute of Plant Research of Zhongshan University and the Institute of Economic Plants of Guangxi University were accepted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and changed their name to the South China Plant Research Institute and the Guangxi Branch of the South China Plant Research Institute, respectively.
, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said that by 1954, the classification foundation of the South China Plant Research Institute was the first in the country at that time, which was largely inextricable to the pioneering contribution made by academician Chen Huanxuan in the construction of the specimen museum. Today, the Specimens Collection of the South China Botanical Garden has reached one million, one of the three major plant specimens in China (Beijing, Kunming, Guangzhou).
" Chen Huanxuan also paid special attention to the application of botany, in his and Bingzhi and other biologists, the initiative in 1956 set up China's first nature reserves, protected areas divided into core areas, buffer zones and experimental areas of the management pattern has been used to this day. In the 1960s, while studying plants, he proposed that Chinese botanists should strengthen the study of the utilization of plant resources. This research-based focus on plant conservation and sustainable use is very forward-looking and strategic. Ren Hai, director of the South China Botanical Garden, told China Science Daily. As early as 1930, Chen Huanxuan put forward a resource protection strategy, put forward a public heating, water supply system, forest resources protection to reduce waste and other initiatives.
, Chen founded the most valuable professional library in South China. According to 1937 statistics, the collection of Chinese and Western books reached more than 4000, Chinese and Western regular magazines more than 50 kinds. Many valuable Western botany documents are in collection, such as Linnai's "Plant Species" published in 1753, as well as important journals of European and American plant taxonomy and important documents such as Chinese ancient agricultural books, Fangzhi and herbs. These classic works of plant taxonomy provide great convenience for later people to carry out botanical research and write botany.
, Chen Huanxuan has not only made great achievements in academic research, but also supported and generously supported the study of agriculture, forint and plants. At the beginning of the establishment of the Institute of Agriculture, Forage and Plant Research of Sun Yat-sen University, due to lack of funds, he tried his best to get 1000 yuan a year from the Chinese Cultural Education Foundation for the ocean subsidy, the foundation paid him 4000 milli-oceans per year (guangdong, Guangxi and other places used to pass the currency) salary all donated to the Institute as equipment fees.
, Chen Huanxuan also laid the foundation for the international status and influence of botany research in China. In the spring of 1958, Huang Guancheng, a researcher at the
South China Plant Research Institute, accompanied Chen Huanxuan to the Soviet Union for three months, and Chen Huanxuan identified a number of undecided specimens of Changke, Shell Doo, Bitter Moss, and Shanjuko plants for the specimen museum there.
" foreign scholars admire his profound knowledge of botany. Huang said in an interview. in order to make Chinese botany successors, Chen Huanxuan continues to help newcomers achieve academic success. Wu De neighbor so far unforgettable, that year in the Institute as a "little word generation" of their own how to chen Huanxuan's help, completed the orchid banana science and new species of identification.
1962, while writing "Hainan Botany" Jiang, Wu Dejie found two specimens he had never seen before: one from Xinyi, Guangdong Province, and one from Baoting, Hainan. After careful study, it was determined that they are China's new distribution of orchid banana, and is two new species, respectively, orchid banana and Hainan orchid banana, of which orchid banana has now been designated as the country's third-level protection of endangered species.
when Wu De's neighbor reported to Chen Huanxuan with the specimen, Chen Huanxuan also invited Wang Fa, a professor at the Beijing Plant Institute, help him identify him. After confirming the error, Wu De neighbor is very excited, ready to publish the relevant papers immediately. But Chen Huanxuan stopped him: "The orchid banana section of the world only a few species, since you have identified the Guangdong specimen as a new species, indicating that you have some understanding of the world's species, it is better to write a monograph paper, by the way to discuss the location of the section."
in order to help Wu De neighbor to get samples from abroad for comparison, Chen Huanxuan immediately wrote to Sun Hongfan, an overseas Chinese in Indonesia, asking him to collect specimens for the section.
" later, Chen helped write to ask for some foreign exchange, sent to Sun Hongfan, as a collection of funds. I received a foreign specimen of the orchid genus shortly afterwards, which helped me a lot to write my thesis. Wu De-neighbor recalled.
at the 30th Anniversary Conference of the Chinese Botany Society held in 1963, Chen Huanxuan presented a report entitled "Research on Plants in Orchid Plants" at the meeting. This discovery is of great significance to the study of the tropical relatives of Chinese plant systems and has received the attention of colleagues. Chen also personally helped him revise the English abstract, which was published in the 1964 Journal of Plant Classification.
even more impressive to Wu's neighbors, Chen Huanxuan took advantage of his Latin language to teach Latin in plants in southern China. "At that time Latin was a compulsory language for plant taxonomy, but there were not many people in the country." Wu de neighbor said. Chen Huanxuan also hand-made Latin cards to help people remember. Qiming, a researcher at the South China Botanical Garden, said that second-generation botanists such as Chen Fenghuai and Jiang Ying had grown up under Chen Huanhuan's training. "I listened to my tutor, Mr. Chen, that their teachers and students had formed a group, and that they would talk to Him as soon as they were free, and often invited guests. Since becoming an expert in botany himself, Mr. Chen has always had great respect for his mentors. "
" "Good teacher" "Yiyou" is the evaluation of Many people to Chen Huanxuan, he is rigorous in his study, excellence in learning style, dedication to the cause of science and the spirit of truth-seeking and love of the Party, love the socialist motherland of the lofty ideas, is always worthy of future generations to learn. autumn of 1919, Chen Huanxuan went to Hainan Island alone, becoming the first person to collect plant specimens here. Chen Huanhui (middle) at the Leningrad Botanical Garden. 1958, Chen Huanxuan (second from left) communicates with Soviet scientists. of Chen Huanxuan at the South China Botanical Garden, July , 1890, was born in Hong Kong and was originally from Guangdong New Association.
, 1909, went to the United States to study.
1913, he was admitted to the Department of Forests at Harvard University.
entered the tree department of Harvard University in 1915.
1919, he graduated from Harvard University's Department of Trees with a master's degree in forest science and received an honors scholarship with his thesis. In the same year, he was appointed by Harvard University to collect specimens in Wujishan, Hainan Island, becoming the first botanist to collect specimens on the southern islands of the motherland.
1920, he served as a professor in the Department of Forology, School of Agriculture, Jinling University, Nanjing.
1921, he was transferred to the National Southeast University as a professor (until 1927).
. In the summer of 1922, with Qian Chongxuan and Qin Renchang, three people organized a plant survey team in western Hubei, starting from Yichang, through Xingshan, the eastern side of the Shennon frame to Padong, picked nearly a thousand specimens, which is the first slightly larger survey team organized by Chinese botanists themselves.
1924, went to the United States to identify specimens for 1 year.
1928, he taught at the School of Agriculture of Zhongshan University and established the first plant specimen museum of a certain size in southern China.
1933, he co-founded the Chinese Botany Society with Qian Chongxuan and Hu Xian and was elected as an academic commentator and editor of the Chinese Botany Journal in the same year.
1935, he went to Ganzhou to establish the Institute of Economic Plants of Guangxi University, and served as its director, and also served as a professor and dean of the Department of Forests of Guangxi University.
1954, he served as a researcher, director and director of the South China Plant Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and director of the Guangxi Branch.
1955, he was elected as a member (member) of the XuanXuan School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
1957, the construction of the South China Botanical Garden and Dinghu Mountain Tree Garden for the South China Plant Research Institute began.
1959, he was appointed deputy editor of The Chinese Botany and moved to Beijing to preside over the compilation of this great book on Chinese plant taxonomy.
died in Guangzhou on January 18, 1971. "Don't forget the first heart" is the most responsible sentence to hear now. In that era of poverty and white, Chen Huanxuan has been fully committed to the interpretation of these four words.
Chen Huanxuan named his son a "national servant". Chen Guo servant in an interview recalled: "The word national servant, take the meaning of loyalty to the country." "And Chen Huanxuan himself has been practicing this sentence. During the Anti-Japanese War, in order to protect the school specimens and library materials, Chen Huanxuan first transported them to relatives in Hong Kong home, and later decided that "only things die I also die with the dead, things do not dare to go first" determination, broke through the obstacles, specimens and materials from the Japanese under the clutches of the removal and transfer back home. Mr. Wu De's neighbor, who was interviewed by
, is 86 years old, but he has always stressed that when he entered the South China Botanical Garden, he was a "small" character compared with chen Huanxuan, who was already the director, and that some of his colleagues who had worked and fought with him, some old and infirm, others had passed away.
at the 70th anniversary of the founding of New China, looking back at the history of the past before the founding of New China, as if to see those white-haired old scientists. They spared no effort to lay a solid foundation for every discipline in New China; they never cared about personal losses, but their hearts were filled with the interests of the motherland.
As future generations, we not only inherit their clothes, continue to develop the discipline system, so that those disciplines that have been hard to establish to grow and develop, but also through the older generation of scientists to tell, remember this history.
Remember that a few years ago, in an interview about oral history, a teacher said that fewer and fewer people have personally walked through history, but those living experiences should not be forgotten, so it is particularly important to organize and record oral history. What the old people say is not only the history that should not be forgotten, but also the characters who deserve to be remembered.
wheel of time never stops, it leaves ruts or deep or shallow, some are constantly lifted, and some disappear into the long river of history. Let those who, like Chen Huanxuan, contribute to the cause of the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are constantly mentioned and praised, become a model for future generations to learn, and become an eternal spiritual monument that inspires us to never forget our first heart.