Li Siguang (October 26, 1889 - April 29, 1971), a famous Chinese geologist, was born in Xiangluwan, Huilongshan, Huanggang County, Hubei Province, and is of Mongolian ethnicity. The first geomechanics. Academician of the Academia Sinica and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Later, Li Siguang's famous deeds were also remade into movies.
Chinese name: Li Siguang
Nationality: Chinese
Ethnicity: Mongolian
Birthplace: Xianglu Bay, Huilong Mountain, Huanggang County, Hubei Province
Date of birth: October 26, 1889
Date of death: April 29, 1971
Li Siguang (October 26, 1889 - April 1971 August 29), Mongolian, named Zhonggong, formerly known as Li Zhongkui. Born on October 26, 1889 in a poor family in Huanggang City, Hubei Province (now Huilongshan Town, Tuanfeng County, Huanggang City, Hubei Province). Li Siguang is a world-renowned scientist, geologist, educator and social activist. He is one of the founders and main leaders of modern earth science and geological work in China. He attended a private school taught by his father Li Zhuohou since he was a child. When he was 14 years old, he said goodbye to his parents and came to Wuchang alone to apply for a higher primary school. When filling out the registration form, he mistakenly mistook the name column for the age column and wrote the word "fourteen". Then he had an idea and changed "ten" to "Li", followed by the word "光". He became famous as "Li Siguang". After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he served as provost and director of the Department of Geology and Mineral Resources of Changchun Institute of Geology. In 1904, Li Siguang was selected to study in Japan because of his excellent academic performance. Because he was influenced by the anti-Manchu revolutionary ideas with Chinese nationalism in Japan, he became the youngest member of the Tongmenghui led by Sun Yat-sen, and took "driving out the Tartars and restoring China" as his own mission. Sun Yat-sen appreciated Li Siguang's ambition: "You want to be revolutionary at such a young age. It is good and you are ambitious." He also gave him eight words: "Study hard and serve the country." In 1910, Li Siguang returned to China after studying in Japan. After the Wuchang Uprising, he was appointed as a counselor in the Financial Management Department of the Hubei Military Government, and was later elected as the Minister of Industry. After Yuan Shikai came to power, the revolutionaries were marginalized, and Li Siguang left his motherland again to study at the University of Birmingham in England. In 1918, Li Siguang, who received his master's degree, decided to return to serve in China. On the way, in order to understand Russia after the October Revolution, we also stopped by Moscow. In 1920, Li Siguang served as professor and director of the Department of Geology at Peking University. In 1928, he went to Nanjing to serve as director of the Institute of Geology, Academia Sinica, and was later elected president of the Geological Society of China. He leads students and researchers to travel to the field all year round, traveling through mountains and rivers, and has traveled all over the mountains and rivers of the motherland. He has traveled to Europe and the United States several times to give lectures, attend academic conferences and inspect geological structures. In July 1928, the National Government decided to establish the National Wuhan University. Cai Yuanpei, dean of the National Government College (Ministry of Education), appointed Li Siguang as chairman of the Wuhan University Construction Preparatory Committee and selected the new campus of Wuhan University (Li Siguang is also at Wuhan University) sited statue). In the autumn of 1949, when New China was about to be founded, Li Siguang, who was abroad, was invited to serve as a member of the CPPCC. After getting the news, he immediately made preparations to return home. At this time, a friend in London (Ling Shuhua and Chen Yuan) called and told him that the Kuomintang government's ambassador to the UK had received a secret order asking him to make a public statement refusing to accept the position of CPPCC member, otherwise he would be detained. Li Siguang made a quick decision and left London alone for France. Two weeks later, Mrs. Li Xu Shubin received a letter from Li Siguang, saying that he had arrived in Basel, the border between Switzerland and Germany. The couple bought a ferry ticket from Italy to Hong Kong in Basel, and set off secretly to return to China in December 1949. Li Siguang, who returned to the embrace of New China, was entrusted with important responsibilities and successively served as Minister of Geology, Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chairman of the National Federation of Science and Technology, and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Although he is old, he is still fighting on the front line of scientific research and national construction, and has made great contributions to China's geology, oil exploration and construction. In August 1951, China Changchun College of Geology, the Department of Geology and Mineral Resources of Shandong University, the Department of Geology and the Department of Physics of Northeast Institute of Technology merged to form Northeast Institute of Geology (later named Changchun Institute of Geology, now the Department of Geosciences of Jilin University), with Li Siguang as chairman. Serve as dean. In 1952, Li Siguang was invited again to work at the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 1958, Li Siguang joined the Communist Party of China after being introduced by He Changgong and Zhang Jinfu, and became a communist fighter from a national democrat.
After the 1960s, Li Siguang's health became worse and worse due to overwork, but he still devoted himself with great enthusiasm and energy to earthquake prediction, forecasting and geothermal utilization. On April 29, 1971, Li Siguang died of illness at the age of 82. Li Siguang wrote this poem in his early years to commemorate a good student, and it is also a glorious portrayal of his lifelong engagement in geological scientific research. The rugged five-ridge road, I am sorry for you to follow me. The peaks and mountains are hidden and visible again, surrounding the head of Xiangshui. The wind and cloud suddenly changed color, and the miasma covered Jinou. Where are the mountains? The stone traces will remain for thousands of years.
Li Siguang’s greatest contribution was the creation of geomechanics, and he studied the phenomenon of crustal movement from a mechanical point of view and explored the laws of geological movement and mineral distribution. He established the concept of the New Cathay tectonic system and analyzed its characteristics. And use these theoretical concepts to explore China's geological conditions and oil formation conditions. As early as the 1940s, Chinese geologist Pan Zhongxiang clearly proposed the theory of continental oil generation, indicating that China's widespread continental strata must contain oil, theoretically refuting the Western view that China is poor in oil. In the 1950s, under the leadership of Minister Li Siguang, through the continuous theoretical exploration and practice of famous Chinese geologists Huang Jiqing, Xie Jiarong and other geologists, it was confirmed that eastern China, especially the Songliao Basin in Northeast China, has good oil storage conditions. After carefully listening to the report, Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai supported the views of the Ministry of Geology, and based on the suggestions of the Ministry of Geology and Li Siguang, began a large-scale oil survey in the Songliao Plain and the North China Plain. In 1956, under the leadership of Li Siguang, the oil survey and exploration work successively discovered Daqing, Shengli, Dagang, Huabei, Jianghan and other oil fields in a short period of time, establishing immortal contributions to China's petroleum industry. From the late 1950s to the 1960s, the exploration department successively discovered large oil fields such as Daqing Oilfield, Dagang Oilfield, Shengli Oilfield, and Huabei Oilfield. When the country was in urgent need of energy for national construction, rolling oil came out. In this way, it not only removes the label of "China is poor in oil", but also provides the most powerful proof for the continental oil generation theory proposed by the Chinese and the geomechanics theory founded by Li Siguang.
Li Siguang has lived in rural areas for nearly 14 years. From the age of five or six, he studied in a private school where his father taught, and also helped his mother collect firewood, pound rice, grind mills, and carry water... The hard life cultivated his spirit of hard work and stubborn character. After the Taiping Revolutionary Movement and the rise of Westernization, many new schools were opened in Hubei to teach new learning and be innovative. Li Siguang was deeply attracted. He went to apply for the exam alone and was admitted with excellent results. In the new school, he eagerly learned new knowledge. Because he ranked first in every exam, he was selected by the province as an official-sponsored overseas student and sent to Japan to study shipbuilding. Li Siguang spent 7 years in Japan, where he participated in the China Alliance led by Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The year after Li Siguang returned to China, the Revolution of 1911 broke out. He participated in the defense of Hankou. As the newly appointed counselor of the Financial Management Department of the Hubei Military Government, he personally organized dock workers and rickshaw pullers to transport arms to the front line. Subsequently, he was elected as the Minister of Industry of the Hubei Military Government. Just when Li Siguang was preparing to do something big, the Revolution of 1911 failed. He devoted himself to the research of science and technology and took the road of "saving the country through science". He went to England to study, first studying mining and then switching to geology. He prayed that one day he would see an era of political clarity and contribute his youth and blood to the motherland. Studying abroad life is not easy. In order to maintain the rising tuition fees, Li Siguang went to work in the mines during holidays. During his 6 years at the University of Birmingham, he not only had excellent professional academic performance, but also mastered English proficiently and obtained a bachelor's degree and a doctorate. After graduation, he politely declined a high-paying job offer from a mining company and accepted Mr. Cai Yuanpei's invitation to return to his motherland and serve as a professor in the Geology Department of Peking University.
One day in 1952, Mao Zedong met with Li Siguang during a meeting while he was busy with all kinds of things, domestic and foreign affairs, and major events inside and outside the party. That day, when Li Siguang returned home, he was particularly energetic and talked enthusiastically about the happy scene during the interview: Mao Zedong was tall and tall. Red-faced, approachable, and affable. Mao Zedong asked him: What is the "mountain-shaped structure"? Can you tell me about it? Li Siguang was very moved. Mao Zedong was so knowledgeable that he cared so much about the development of geological science that he even paid attention to such specialized concepts as "mountain-shaped structures" in geomechanics. During Li Siguang's tenure as Minister of Geology, Chairman Mao Zedong gave instructions on geological work many times. In 1953, Mao Zedong pointed out that the Ministry of Geology is the party’s geological survey and research department.
In 1956, Mao Zedong also pointed out: The Ministry of Geology is the reconnaissance department for underground conditions. If its work is not done well, one horse will block the road and ten thousand horses will not be able to move forward. A five-year plan must be implemented in advance.
Mao Zedong also attached great importance to geomechanics founded by Li Siguang. In 1955, Premier Zhou Enlai followed Mao Zedong's instructions and supported the Ministry of Geology in establishing a geomechanics research laboratory. Since then, on the basis of this research laboratory, it has gradually developed, and today there is a specialized geomechanics institute. Mao Zedong was extremely concerned about China's oil prospects. As early as the beginning of the first Five-Year Plan, one day, Mao Zedong met Li Siguang in a living room in Zhongnanhai. At that time, Zhou Enlai was also present. During the conversation, Mao Zedong asked with concern what the prospects of China's natural oil were? Li Siguang had paid attention to this issue as early as 1932. Later, from 1935 to 1936, when he was lecturing in the UK, he wrote a book called "Chinese Geology", which mentioned "economically valuable sediments in the East China Sea and North China", which actually meant oil. He answered Mao Zedong in an optimistic and affirmative tone, saying that China's natural oil has great prospects. Based on decades of geomechanical research and from the perspective of the New China tectonic system, he analyzed China's geological conditions to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, and believed that China's vast territory should be rich in natural oil resources. The Songliao Plain, the North China Plain including the Bohai Bay, the Jianghan Plain and the Beibu Gulf, as well as the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea, all have sediments of economic value." This sentence, because it was written in English in the past, Hearing this, Zhou Enlai said with a smile: Our Minister of Geology is very optimistic! Mao Zedong also smiled happily and immediately made a strategic decision on carrying out oil survey and exploration. According to Mao Zedong's strategic decision, the Ministry of Geology. Together with brother departments, they have carried out strategic petroleum prospecting and exploration work across the country. According to the theory of geomechanics, they have conducted research in some vast Mesozoic and Cenozoic sedimentary basins covering an area of ??more than 2 million square kilometers. Petroleum surveys of varying degrees. More than 3,000 survey drilling wells were drilled, with a total footage of more than 1.2 million meters. From the large amount of geological data obtained, the basic characteristics of China’s petroleum geology were initially understood, and it was also confirmed that China is rich in natural resources. Oil resources. Later, a large amount of oil was ejected from the Daqing oil field. This is the best example. Mao Zedong always kept this in mind during the Third National People's Congress. Comrade waiter found Li Siguang among the National People's Congress deputies and said to him: "Please come to the Beijing Hall!" At that time, Li Siguang did not know what was going on. When he walked into the Beijing Hall, he saw that Mao Zedong was the only one sitting in the hall. There. Li Siguang didn't expect that it was Mao Zedong who was looking for him. He thought the waiter had told him the wrong place, so he quickly apologized and said: "Chairman, I'm sorry, I went to the wrong door!" But Mao Zedong walked over quickly, held Li Siguang's hand tightly, and said: "You are not wrong, I am looking for you." Mao Zedong then said to Li Siguang humorously: "Li Siguang, you are good at Tai Chi." Li Siguang did not understand Mao Zedong's meaning for a while, and replied: "I am not in good health and I have just learned a little." Mao Zedong smiled and said: "That geomechanical Tai Chi of yours." "At this time, Li Siguang understood that Mao Zedong's words were a high praise for him and the vast number of petroleum geologists, who used the New China tectonic system to find oil. Mao Zedong's praise inspired Li Siguang to contribute his own efforts to find more oil for the motherland. One day in 1964, Mao Zedong met Li Siguang again. After a meeting at Huairen Hall, Mao Zedong invited Li Siguang to watch the Henan Opera "Chaoyangou" performed for the first time in Beijing, and asked Li Siguang to sit in his seat. While watching the play, we talked about oil. When talking about the oil issue, Mao Zedong spoke highly of the contribution made by the Ministry of Geology and the Ministry of Petroleum in the search for oil. Everyone deserves credit!" After the performance, Mao Zedong took Li Siguang to the stage and took a group photo with the actors. Mao Zedong always attached great importance to the development of China's scientific and technological work, was very concerned about the growth of scientific workers, and was willing to actively support those who came from the old society. Li Siguang (movie)
The older generation of scientists who participated in the socialist construction were very concerned. At noon on February 6, 1964, Li Siguang received a call asking him to go to Zhongnanhai immediately. Li Siguang hurriedly finished his lunch. After going to Zhongnanhai, a comrade waiting for him at the door led him into Mao Zedong's bedroom. Comrades Zhu Kezhen and Qian Xuesen also arrived one after another.
Mao Zedong invited them to sit by his bed and talk cordially. They talked extensively for three or four hours about astronomy, geology, cutting-edge science and many other major scientific issues. Li Siguang came back and told his daughter: "The chairman is very knowledgeable, familiar with many scientific situations in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, and has a thorough understanding of scientific issues such as glaciers and climate. In his bedroom and even on his bed, there are many Classic works and scientific books can be read wherever they are mentioned. The scope of the discussion is very wide, and the world is vast. "In this conversation, Mao Zedong expressed his opinions on many major scientific issues and expressed his sincere hope to these older generation scientists. Contribute your talents to conquer the cutting-edge of science and technology and catch up with the world's advanced level. On May 19, 1969, Mao Zedong met with 10,000 representatives attending a study class in Beijing. Central Committee members in Beijing attended the meeting, including Li Siguang. Mao Zedong saw Li Siguang on the rostrum, immediately took Li Siguang's hand and affectionately called him "Li Siguang". The two were so close, but because the slogans of "Long Live Chairman Mao" were heard in the venue, they could not hear clearly what was being said on the other side. Mao Zedong had no choice but to lie in Li Siguang's ear and ask him if he was in good health and how his work was going. The chairman took Li Siguang's hand and walked in front to receive the comrades present. Then, they left the rostrum together and walked into the lounge. The family had already seen the happy meeting on TV, but they didn't know what Mao Zedong and Li Siguang said. As soon as Li Siguang arrived home, his family members were all anxious to ask Li Siguang. Li Siguang happily said that Chairman Mao and he talked in the lounge for more than an hour. In this short period of more than an hour, Mao Zedong and Li Siguang talked about billions of years of events - from the origin of celestial bodies and the origin of the earth to the origin of life and the origin of the solar system. When talking about the origin of the solar system, Mao Zedong said: I don't quite believe it. Schmidt, I think the theories of Kant and Laplace still make some sense. Mao Zedong told Li that he wanted to read the books written by Li Siguang and hoped that Li would find some books for him. He also asked Li Siguang to help him collect some domestic and foreign scientific materials. Mao Zedong said, I don’t understand English, so it’s best to have information in Chinese. "What kind of information does the chairman want to read?" Li Siguang asked. Mao Zedong drew a big circle in front of him with his hand and said, "I want the information within your research scope." The next day, according to Mao Zedong's instructions. Li Siguang asked his secretary to help him find books. He thought: The chairman is so busy, I can’t send all the books I wrote to him for reading. I should choose one or two representative works and send them over. After careful selection, Li Siguang first sent the book "Introduction to Geological Mechanics" and the article "What Do Geologists Do on the Scientific Front?" to Mao Zedong for review. Then, immediately began to collect the information Mao Zedong wanted. To this end, he read a lot of foreign information. In order to save Mao Zedong's time and allow him to see what he needed to see with less energy, Li Siguang decided to compile a document by himself, including the views of various schools of thought in geological theory at that time, plus his own comments. , clarify your point of view. He spent nearly a year sorting out the information, and based on this, he wrote seven books in a row. Every time he finished writing a book, Li Siguang asked his secretary to send it immediately to the printing factory, type it in large characters, and then take it back to proofread it himself. After these seven books were printed, they were named "Abstracts of Astronomical, Geological and Paleontological Data" and given to Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai and other central leaders.
Geomechanics was founded by Li Siguang and is a branch of geology. In 1926 and 1928, Li Siguang, the founder of geomechanics, published "The Main Causes of Changes in the Image of the Earth's Surface" and "The Regulation of the Advance and Retreat of Seawater after the Late Paleozoic", which theoretically discussed the evolution from hydrosphere movement to Lithosphere deformation, from continental movement to structural traces and other issues, the important concept of tectonic system was proposed in 1929 and a series of tectonic system types were established. In 1941, Li Siguang formally proposed the term "geomechanics" in his speech "Geomechanics Analysis of Nanling Geological Structure". In 1945, he published "Basics and Methods of Geomechanics", which provided a systematic summary of geomechanics theory. Geomechanics is a marginal science that combines mechanics and geology, that is, a science that uses mechanical principles to study crustal structure, crustal movement and their causes. It starts from the phenomenon of geological structure (tectonic traces), analyzes the distribution of in-situ stress and rock mechanical properties, traces the role of force, traces the mode of crustal movement from the action of force, and explores the laws and origins of crustal movement.
Geomechanics believes that structural elements, structural blocks and structural systems are the three basic concepts of geological structures, which are of extremely important significance for exploring the laws of crustal movement. The currently recognized tectonic systems can be divided into three main types, namely, zonal tectonic systems, meridional tectonic systems and torsional tectonic systems. These systems are mainly caused by horizontal motions (meridian and latitudinal) of the earth's crust; horizontal motions originate from changes in the earth's rotation speed. Li Siguang called the earth's automatic adjustment of rotation speed changes the "continental valve effect", so he called this hypothesis the "continental valve hypothesis".
After Li Siguang arrived at the Department of Geology of Peking University, he taught two courses: petrology and advanced petrology. He won the respect of students with his rigorous metallurgical style. He often takes students to the wild for field teaching, watching and lecturing at the same time. He doesn't miss a hilltop, a ravine, a pile of rocks, or a row of cracks. The school had insufficient funds, so he led the students to build it from scratch and made the learning environment very elegant and quiet. While teaching, he also did not relax in his research work. His major contributions to geology in his life, such as the identification method of paleontology, the discovery of Quaternary glaciers in China, and the creation of geomechanics, were all made during this period. started. In the process of research, he was never bound by existing views and doctrines, but followed the laws of nature to find truths that had not yet been recognized and mastered by people. Therefore, he can constantly come up with creative insights and dare to challenge some old views. Works by Li Siguang
For example, since the 19th century, geologists from Germany, the United States, France, Sweden and other countries have been coming to China to explore minerals and inspect geology. However, none of them have discovered glacial phenomena in China. Therefore, in the geological community, "there are no Quaternary glaciers in China" has become a conclusion. However, while Li Siguang was studying the fossils of the family Antoinaceae, he discovered some stones that looked like glacial streak stones in the eastern foothills of the Taihang Mountains. He continued to conduct investigations in the Datong Basin and became more and more convinced of his judgment. Therefore, he boldly proposed the idea of ??the existence of Quaternary glaciers in China at the third general meeting of the Geological Society of China. Andersen, a Swedish geologist and consultant to the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce who was present at the meeting, dismissed it with a contemptuous smile. In order for people to accept this fact, he continued to look for more glacial remains. Ten years later, he not only concluded that there were a large number of glacial relics in Lushan Mountain, but also believed that China's Quaternary glaciers were mainly valley glaciers and could be divided into three glacial periods. When Li Siguang's academic point of view was published again at the National Geological Society, it triggered the famous Lushan Debate in 1934. In the semi-feudal and semi-colonial old China, Chinese scientists were inferior to others, and a considerable number of foreign scholars came to China with nationalist and racial discrimination sentiments. Therefore, despite a large number of facts before their eyes, several foreign scholars have not changed their views. In 1936, Li Siguang visited Huangshan again and wrote a paper on "Quaternary Glacial Phenomenon in Huangshan, Anhui Province." This paper and several photos of glacial phenomena attracted the attention of some Chinese and foreign scholars. German geology professor Fissmann came to Huangshan came back after watching it and exclaimed: "This is an earth-shaking discovery." Li Siguang's hard work for more than ten years was publicly recognized by foreign scientists for the first time. However, he knew that this was not enough. He simply moved his family to Lushan Mountain and built a glacier exhibition hall at the foot of Lushan Mountain, named the "White Stone Exhibition Hall" (later bombed by the Kuomintang navy) to learn more in depth and detail. Conduct glacier research. Li Siguang's many years of research on glaciers were fully elaborated in "Lushan Mountain during the Ice Age", which was completed in 1937. Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, this book was not published until 10 years later.
In 1927, at the invitation of Cai Yuanpei, Li Siguang left Beijing and went south to preside over the preparations for the establishment of the Institute of Geology. In January 1928, the Institute of Geology was established, with Li Siguang serving as director. Engaging in geological research often involves eating wind and drinking dew, and the conditions are very difficult. Moreover, the newly established research institute had little funds, lacked equipment, and even had no fixed address. During the eight years of the Anti-Japanese War, Li Siguang and his research institute suffered from travelling. At that time, he smoked cigarettes made of straw paper, wore homespun clothes, and lived a very poor life. However, he and his colleagues never gave up geological research. Due to the hardship of life and the fatigue of work, he suffered from angina pectoris and tuberculosis. In early February 1948, Li Siguang set off from Shanghai to London to attend the 18th International Geological Society, and his wife Xu Shubin also went with him. After the meeting, they lived in the British Isles for another year, recuperating while observing the development of the current situation at home and abroad.
Although Li Siguang was far away in Europe giving lectures and inspections, he still paid attention to the fate of his motherland. Li Siguang
In early 1949, he wrote several letters to Xu Jie (geologist, former deputy minister of the Ministry of Geology after liberation, and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences) from the Institute of Geology, Academia Sinica, to support them in holding on to Nanjing. , opposed the relocation to Guangzhou, and retained a team and equipment for the geological sciences of New China. In early April 1949, a Chinese delegation headed by Guo Moruo went to Prague to attend the World Peace Conference. Before leaving the country, Guo Moruo, according to Zhou Enlai's instructions, brought a letter to Li Siguang, asking him to return home as soon as possible. Li Siguang was very excited after reading the letter signed by Guo Moruo. New China will stand tall in the east of the world, its abilities can be put to use, and its ambitions can be realized. He started running actively and prepared to return to the country as soon as possible. However, due to the impact of World War II, passenger ship tickets from Britain to the Far East had to be booked a year in advance, so the return date had to be delayed. While he was recuperating his health, he was finishing up the remaining tasks in scientific research. Li Siguang was anxiously waiting for the date of departure. One day, a friend in London called Li Siguang and told him that the Kuomintang Embassy in the UK had received a secret order asking Li Siguang to make a public statement denying the People's Republic of China and refusing to accept the National Committee membership given to him by the People's Political Consultative Conference. appointment or risk being detained. The matter was urgent and Li Siguang made a prompt decision. He picked up a small leather bag and quickly headed to Plymouth Harbor, preparing to cross the English Channel from there and go to France first. The sea in Plymouth Port is wide and windy, and it is a remote cargo channel. Most people usually do not cross the sea from here, so they can avoid being tracked by Kuomintang agents. Before leaving, he wrote a letter to the Ambassador to the UK and asked Xu Shubin to send it two days later. The next day, the Kuomintang Embassy in Britain indeed sent someone to find Li Siguang. Xu Shubin alertly told the visitor that Li Siguang had gone out for an inspection. Two days later, Xu Shubin sent the letter left by Li Siguang, which wrote: The People's Republic of China is the ideal country that I have thought about day and night for many years. The Government Affairs Council of the Central People's Government is a government that I wholeheartedly support. I consider it a great honor to be elected as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. I have already set off to return to my country to take up my job. He also advised the ambassador to leave the Kuomintang government, which was causing harm to the country and the people, and return to the embrace of the bright motherland as soon as possible... Two weeks later, Xu Shubin received a letter from Li Siguang and learned that he had arrived in Basel, the border between Switzerland and Germany, and immediately went to meet him. . On May 6, 1950, Li Siguang finally arrived in Beijing. He is 60 years old this year, but he feels that a new life has just begun. The birth of New China opened a new chapter in Li Siguang's scientific career. He was appointed Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Minister of Geology and Chairman of the Federation of Science and Technology. He carefully studied Mao Zedong's "On Practice" and "On Contradiction", Engels's "Dialectics of Nature" and other works, and strived to use dialectical materialism to guide work and scientific research; he paid attention to theoretical study and also paid attention to his own ideological transformation, "determined to abandon "Let go of the baggage left over from the past and...reach a state of selflessness"; he devoted himself wholeheartedly to the geological cause of the motherland, working conscientiously and devoting himself to it. Under his specific leadership, China's geological work has achieved great results; in 1958, he honorably joined the Communist Party of China. In the early days of the first Five-Year Plan, Chairman Mao and Premier Zhou asked Li Siguang: What is the future of China's natural oil? As early as 1915 to 1917, a drilling team of Mobil Oil Company drilled 7 exploratory wells in the Fushi area of ??northern Shaanxi, spending 3 million US dollars, but left because the harvest was not great. In 1922, Blackwild, a professor at Stanford University in the United States, came to China to investigate geology and wrote the article "Petroleum Resources in China and Siberia" and concluded that "China is poor in oil". Since then, the "China is poor in oil theory" has spread. However, based on his research on the geological structure, Li Siguang proposed in 1928: "The failure of Mobil does not prove that China has no oil fields to develop." Later, he wrote in "Chinese Geology" In the book "Science", it is once again proposed that the settlement zone of the New China tectonic system "may reveal sediments of important economic value." This sediment is about oil. Therefore, Li Siguang answered the question from the national leader optimistically: "Our underground oil reserves are huge. Starting from the Northeast Plain, through the Bohai Bay, to the North China Plain, and then south to the two lakes area, work can be done..." . In 1955, the census team headed to the front line.
Within a few years, hundreds of possible oil storage structures were identified. In June 1958, good news came: the large-scale and highly productive Daqing Oil Field was discovered. The Department of Geology immediately moved the team to the Bohai Bay and the alluvial plains of the lower reaches of the Yellow River. Later, Dagang Oilfield, Shengli Oilfield, and other oilfields were built one after another. The Geology Department moved to other plains, basins and shallow seas to continue operations. In December 1964, Premier Zhou pointed out in the "Government Work Report" of the Third National People's Congress: "The Daqing Oilfield built in the first five-year plan was explored based on the original petroleum geological theory of Chinese geological experts. Discovered." Li Siguang's work has been fully recognized by the party and the country.