On May 3, 2016, Peking University (PKU) welcomed the family of the late Professor Chien Shih-Liang to the opening ceremony of Dr. Chien’s Memorial Exhibition in the main hall of the PKU library. Dr. Chien, born in Hangzhou in 1908, graduated from Tsinghua University and Illinois University before accepting a position in the Chemistry Department of PKU in 1934. In 1949, he left with his wife and three sons for Taiwan, where he was granted a position in the Chemistry Department of Taiwan University, before eventually accepting the position of university president. In 1964, he was voted into Academia Sinica, where he worked for over a decade before passing away in 1983.
The opening ceremony began with a speech by PKU Vice President Ke Yang, who spoke of the academic achievements of Chien Shih-Liang while working as the head of PKU’s Chemistry Department in the 1930s and 1940s. She also warmly welcomed Shu Chien’s, Chien Shih-Liang’s son, return to PKU. Shu Chien is professor at the University of California, San Diego.
Shu Chien also spoke, expressing his joy at coming back to his alma mater and speaking at the opening ceremony of his father’s memorial exhibition. He just recently attended the opening of this exhibition at Taiwan University, and hopes that PKU and Taiwan University can continue to collaborate on projects such as this. He introduced the three generations of family members that had joined him for the ceremony, and after accepting a gift from PKU, the family lifted the curtain together to reveal the first section of Chien Shih-Liang’s commemorative exhibition.
After a tour of the exhibit, Shu Chien spoke of his father in a speech titled, “My Father – Life-Long Impressions”. He described his father’s life and personality through anecdotes and his own memories, living through both the Sino-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War, when his family left for Taiwan in 1949. Although they were hard times, Shu Chien and his father Chien Shih-Liang remained optimistic, which is one of the most important lessons he learned from his father – to always see the glass half full.
Dr. Chien was an accomplished scientist and a beloved educator. This exhibit is a successful collaboration between Mainland China and Taiwan, as it commemorates the life of a man who contributed greatly to his country first at PKU and then at Taiwan University and then Academia Sinica.
Written by: Jessie Gammon
Edited by: Liu Xiya
