Life on the Cusp

While the first 30 years of new China's scientific development was a self-reliant era marked by the detonations of the atomic bomb, the hydrogen bomb, and the launch of the first artificial satellite, the second 30 years after the reform and opening up was signified by the introduction of the Internet to China. Weimin Wu is a unique legendary figure whose career spanned both periods. He not only contributed to the bomb and satellite projects, but also sent out the email from China to Switzerland in 1986, which was listed as the first event in the history of China's Internet development. The Tiananmen Square Protest in 1989 changed his life's trajectory, leading him to eventually immigrate to the US. His personal emotional life is also remarkable. With his experiences immersed in both Eastern and Western cultures, Wu came to believe in the convergence theory of social development, which provides a refreshing perspective for the readers.

The autobiography records the details of his legendary life stories, from taking pictures with the Chinese leader Mao Zedong, to shaking hands with Deng Xiaoping; from being removed from the Institute of High Energy Physics, to the repealing of his Chinese passport. The story line is full of engaging ups and downs. In that turbulent era, Wu's rich emotional experiences and love stories were also a mirror for the Chinese society, with some details comparable to the plots of suspense novels and movies. The book is well illustrated with many pictures and flows smoothly with a simple writing style. The stories are factual and moving, all too realistic. The author has sincerely revealed his true self to the reader, and at the same time, faithfully described that period of history, giving the reader a grasp on the true workings of history. His comparison of the Eastern and Western cultures, analysis of science and superstition, interpretation of religion and arts, and his "convergence" theory of social development, are all unique and insightful. This book faithfully tells Weimin's professional and personal life on the cusp and takes readers on a journey to explore true history through an ordinary person's stories.

Readership: General readers interested in China's studies, Sino–US relations and physics.

Weimin Wu, born in 1943, Shanghai, China, is a famous Chinese American physicist. When he was sixteen, he passed the examination for the last group of students selected for studying in the Soviet Union, but failed to go because of the subsequent breakdown in relationship between China and the Soviet Union. Instead he entered into the Department of Nuclear Energy in Fudan University for his bachelor's degree. Upon graduation, Wu got accepted into the Department of Modern Physics as a graduate student at Lanzhou University, as one of the last graduate class of students before the Cultural Revolution. He joined the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1978, engaging in research in high energy physics and becoming the Chinese team leader of the ALEPH international collaboration. At the end of the Cultural Revolution, he was among the first group of scholars selected to go to the European Nuclear Research Center (CERN), working under the supervision of the Nobel Laureate Jack Steinberger. In 1986, he became Deputy Director of the Beijing Spectrometer (BES) for the Beijing Electron Positron Collider (BEPC).

The Tiananmen Square Incident in 1989 forced him to immigrate to the United States. In the United States, Wu became a physicist in the Fermi National Laboratory, engaging in the search for the Higgs particle and other research works. Lately, he visited China frequently to take part in research and educational activities, promoting international collaboration and exchanges between America and China.

Wu is not only prolific in his scientific research work, but is also accomplished in arts and humanities. He has published numerous plays and novels, and in particular, a photography collection entitled "The Beauty of Physics" (ISBN: 978-981-270-560-0).

About the Translators

Dr Harry Tong, born in Hunan, China, got a PhD in structural biology from Sydney University, Australia in 1991. While in Australia between 1984 and 1991, Dr Tong also obtained certification as a professional interpreter and translator of the Mandarin and English languages. Dr Tong published widely in both English and Chinese with his research work in structural biology and information science in Sydney University of Australia, University of British Columbia, McMaster University of Canada, in the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and in Argonne National Laboratory, USA.

Ms Candice Yuxi Wang, born in Beijing, China in 1996, started attending boarding school in the United States at age 14. While studying at St. Mark's School, MA, Ms Wang was inducted into the Cum Laude Society for academic excellence. Ms Wang has had translation experience in the fields of arts and cultural exchange. Ms Wang attends Pomona College in Claremont, California. She is a member of the class of 2019 and she anticipates to concentrate in Religious Studies and Neuroscience.

The calligraphy of the book title on the cover was done by Jiang Liu, Executive Director of Xilingyinshe, Hangzhou, China. Jiang Liu, born in 1926 in Wanzhou, Chongqing, is a Professor at the China Academy of Art. He also serves as the Director of China Seal Museum, Hangzhou, and the Executive Director of Xilingyinshe (Xiling Seal Engraver's Society). Established in 1904 (the 30th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty), Xiling Seal Engraver's Society is a society of literati and artists with the longest history among those still existing in China and is also China's first professional academic organization specializing in stone seal carving.