In less than two weeks, from April 27 to May 9, six Chinese academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) died of illness, five of whom were members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including Bai Yilong, an expert in explosives and mechanics; Wang Geng, an expert in electrical machine design and manufacturing; and Chen Jun, an expert in oil refinery engineering technology.
Mr. Bai, who died on May 9, was the former deputy director of the Institute of Mechanics of the CAS and the former president of the Chinese Society of Mechanics.
Born in December 1940, Mr. Bai was elected an academician in 1991; he became the director of the Open Laboratory of Nonlinear Continuous Dielectric Mechanics at the Institute of Mechanics in 1993; and he was elected an academician of the European Academy of Sciences in 2002.
He was a member of the 10th and 11th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Wang Geng, an expert in the design and manufacture of electric motors, died on May 8 from an illness for which medical treatment was ineffective.
Born in October 1927, Mr. Wang joined the CCP as an underground member in April 1949. In the same year, he graduated from the Electrical Engineering Department of Shanghai Jiaotong University, and later served as deputy chief engineer and deputy director of Shanghai Electric Power Plant. He became an academician in 1991.
Mr. Wang was involved in the design of the world’s first 12,000-kilowatt double water-cooled steam turbine generator and the creation of key components. He has been awarded the National Science and Technology Prize several times.
Han Zhenxiang, an expert in electric power systems and automation and former president of Zhejiang University, passed away due to illness on May 4, after treatments were ineffective.
Mr. Han was born in May 1930. He graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Zhejiang University with a Bachelor’s degree in 1951, and subsequently joined the faculty. He completed his graduate studies at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute in the former Soviet Union, obtaining a Candidate of Sciences degree (equivalent to a Ph.D.) in 1961.
He served as the president of Zhejiang University from February 1984 to February 1988, and became an academician of the CAS in 1999.
The eulogy states that Mr. Han was engaged in cutting-edge research in the field of electric power systems for a long time and was one of the main pioneers in the study of electric power system theory, methods, and new technologies in China.
He has received numerous national and provincial scientific and technological awards throughout his career.
Chen Junwu, an expert in oil refining engineering technology, died on May 1 due to illness. The official obituary described him as “an outstanding member of the Chinese Communist Party” and “the founder of catalytic cracking engineering technology.”
Mr. Chen had served as advisor to the Science and Technology Committee of China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation and honorary director of the Technical Committee of Sinopec Luoyang Engineering Corporation. He became an academician in 1991.
Wan Huilin, a physical chemist and professor at Xiamen University, died on April 28. He was elected an academician of the CAS in 1997.
Chang Yinfo, a mineral deposit geologist, died on April 27 due to illness. Mr. Chang had served as deputy director, chief engineer, and technical adviser of the Anhui Provincial Bureau of Geology and Mining. He was awarded the title of “National Outstanding Communist Party Member” when he was alive.
Since the beginning of 2024, at least 19 academicians in China have died due to illness, 14 of whom were CCP members.
In 2023, China reported the deaths of at least 55 academicians, including 16 experts in military and nuclear fields, as well as military doctors. Notable among the deceased were nuclear expert Wu Sheng, nuclear submarine chief designer Zhang Jinlin, Wang Xiaomu, often referred to as the “Father of Pre-Alarm Aircraft,” Pan Jingfu, known as the “Father of Missile Drive Ships,” and Cao Chunxiao, an aerospace titanium alloy specialist.
Of these 55 people, at least 47 were CCP members.
