Chapter 395 Study Room Conversation
"Mr. Zhang, it has been thirty years since we last met. I still owe you a large sum of money, but unfortunately I still can't pay it back now. Can you give me some time and I will pay you back slowly in the future?"
"Come to think of it, I also owed money to Mr. Zhang. When I was in France, a friend who worked and studied with me fell ill and had no money for treatment, so I quickly went to the Chinese Students Center near the Sorbonne University. As a result, the center gave me money without saying a word!"
"The money was originally intended to help young students. As long as they can learn something, I'll be satisfied. There's no need to talk about paying the money back, right?" Zhang Xingjiu accompanied them into the yard.
"You don't have to return his money, but you can't return mine. I borrowed it from you, Mr. Zhang, in my personal name, so I have to return it. I will definitely find a way to pay it back." Zhang Xingjiu didn't care much about it, but he always kept it in mind.
I went to the living room first and met Zhang Xingjiu's family. They praised the brothers Zhang Guosheng and Zhang Guowei. "Guosheng won the Nobel Prize and is already a world-famous scientist. Guowei helped us a lot in Hong Kong back then and has been helping us through various channels since then. This time, so many democratic figures, patriotic overseas Chinese, and cultural celebrities can come to Beijing for a meeting, and it is also inseparable from Guowei's help."
"You forgot one thing. Over the years, the business of United Bank in Hong Kong has been getting better and better. Guowei has also made great efforts. From the earliest site selection to the opening of the business, Guowei has been helping us from the beginning to the end."
"These are what I should do. My father taught us since childhood to work hard for the rise of China. I am just doing a small part now." Even a carefree person like Zhang Guowei became serious when he saw them. There was no way around it; their aura was too strong.
After chatting for a while, feeling that they had important matters to discuss, Zhang Xingjiu invited them to the study. Apart from him, only Zhang Guoqiang was there to keep them company.
As soon as he sat down, the man asked, "Mr. Zhang, you have experienced the changes of the times from the late Qing Dynasty to the Republic of China and then to the present. You must have many ideas on how to build a brand new country. We are here to ask you for advice today. I hope you can give us some advice."
These words brought Zhang Xingjiu back to distant memories. "Mr. Yixian also said something similar to me back then. Unfortunately, most of his ideas were not realized. Fortunately, you have inherited his legacy and finally put China on the right path."
They also recalled the past with Mr. Yixian, and they were all quite emotional for a moment, "Mr. Yixian overthrew the feudal system that had lasted for thousands of years in China. He made great contributions to the Chinese nation. It's a pity that he left too early."
After reviewing Mr. Yixian's contributions, they brought up the issue of suggestions again. This time, Zhang Xingjiu did not refuse. "I have been staying on the university campus, either teaching or doing research. My understanding of China is far less in-depth than yours. What I am going to say now may have some omissions. I hope you don't mind. I hope my words can serve as a starting point for you to find a more correct path."
"Based on my experience, I am most concerned about the two aspects of education and scientific research. The Republic of China has lasted for more than 30 years since its establishment, and the achievements made in the field of education are still not satisfactory!"
"Those who are able to go to school are still the children of wealthy families. It is extremely difficult for poor families to send their children to school. The talents cultivated over the years are far from meeting the needs of national construction."
"So I hope to increase investment in education and lower the threshold for poor families to send their children to school, so that we can cultivate more talents to build our new country."
There is another point that Zhang Xingjiu didn't mention directly. If only the children of rich people are eligible to study, what will the country become when these children grow up? The cancellation of the college entrance examination and the replacement of recommended admissions in the future are actually closely related to this phenomenon.
"Well, that makes sense. Times have changed. Even farming requires science. Without a good education system, how can ordinary people enjoy the benefits of scientific progress?" They all agreed.
"So, how do you think we should plan the key development direction of science and technology, Mr. Zhang? Of course, we want to catch up with developed countries in Europe and America in all aspects, but you also know that our foundation is too weak. We can't afford to do large-scale flooding. Now we only have a handful of seeds. It is not realistic to spread them over more than ten acres of land. We can only choose the most important ones."
"You are a leader in the global scientific community. Your understanding of the laws of scientific development is definitely deeper than ours, so we want to hear your suggestions."
"That's true. With the development of science, it is no longer possible for one or two geniuses to drive the development of national science and technology. We must make great investments to reap rewards. With our country's current strength, we can only follow the footsteps of developed countries for the time being, do a good job in basic work, and then find the right opportunity to overtake others, and eventually achieve global leadership in science and technology."
"So I think that for a relatively long time to come, we should focus on application. Theoretical research is necessary but not too much. Only a few top universities should be allowed to do this kind of research. Most universities should still focus on applied teaching and research. When the country has more financial resources in the future, we can increase investment in theoretical research."
"As for application, we should also give priority to it. Agricultural technology and military technology are the most important. Our country has a large population. We must first solve the problem of filling our stomachs so that we can have spare energy to do other things. Agricultural development involves water conservancy, meteorology, breeding, pesticides, fertilizers, chemicals, machinery, logistics, food processing and other fields. We must pay attention to them."
"Yes, everyone needs to eat, and this issue should indeed be put first." Several people nodded.
"Then there is the military. If we want to develop our country with peace of mind, we must have an army that can deter the enemy. Technology is an important part of military strength. We must have our own strategic deterrent weapons."
"Oh? Mr. Zhang, are you talking about the atomic bomb?"
"Not only that, the atomic bomb is only a nuclear fission weapon, and the Americans have already begun researching nuclear fusion weapons. Although the power of the atomic bomb is huge, it can usually only reach tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of tons of TNT equivalent; the power of nuclear fusion weapons is much greater, reaching millions or tens of millions of tons of TNT equivalent, and even hundreds of millions of tons is not impossible."
Zhang Xingjiu thought of the Russians' Tsar Bomb. Probably only they could make such a heaven-defying weapon.
“Can we build it?”
(End of this chapter)
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