Qian Xuesen: The Spirit Of "Two Bombs And One Star"

On May 18, 1980, China successfully launched its first launch vehicle into the Pacific Ocean. At that time, the launch command center clapped and cheered for a long time. Qian Xuesen, 69, the father of China's aerospace industry, looked at the command screen with relief. His eyes seemed to follow the trajectory of the rocket across the ocean to look into the more distant space. This is the first act of the film Qian Xuesen. In 1947, Qian Xuesen and his wife, Jiang Ying, traveled to the United States for further research and study. He was employed by Caltech as director and professor of the Jet Propulsion Center.

"I have vowed to change the fate of the Chinese people with my knowledge." This line in the movie is also Qian Xuesen's pledge of life. In 1949, the news of the founding of new China spread to the United States. Qian Xuesen and his wife planned to return to China as soon as possible in order to study and gain in return for the motherland's construction. However, they were severely obstructed by the United States for "national security". In the movie, Qian Xuesen and his wife in trouble receive a call from a friend, but they don't hear each other's words. Only a piece of Smetana's "my motherland" flows out slowly along with the radio waves, and their firm belief in serving the country is self-evident. This magnificent symphony throughout the whole film is like a thread in the story, connecting those complicated formulas like stars; Those statements, which insisted on leaving the United States, expressed the sincere yearning of the young scientist studying abroad for the socialist construction under the leadership of the Communist Party of China.

Many people think that the film is a vivid resume of the characters. In the form of overlapping actors' performance and historical materials, it reproduces the important events Qian Xuesen has experienced in the past decades from studying in the United States to returning to China for socialist construction. The director skillfully interposes the real image records of China's missile launch and atomic bomb test explosion into the film, giving the film a sense of authenticity and historical massiveness that the traditional documentary film has.

The main tone of warm yellow also makes the film more appropriate to restore the texture of the last century's image works, especially the use of light and shadow effects: the dim yellow lamp in the Research Institute at night; On the desert with bad weather, the sunlight from the small office window... Let us see Qian Xuesen's tenderness and love for life as a teacher, elder, husband and father. At the end of the film, in 2009, 98 year old Qian Xuesen lies in his hospital bed and gives an interview. He says, "people should not only have science and technology, but also culture, art and music."

Although Qian Xuesen's glorious life as an idealist can't be described in a short one and a half hour movie, it can take us back to that period of time, have a glimpse of the little-known story in the development process of "two bombs and one satellite", and feel the spirit of "two bombs and one satellite" that generations of astronauts love the motherland, selflessly contribute, self-reliance, hard struggle, great cooperation and courage to climb.

The people are the creators of history and the real heroes. Although this is a biographical film with Qian Xuesen as the protagonist, the portrayal of its characters is still impressive. In the movie, veterans who have been fighting for decades quietly "make up lessons" to learn the principle of missiles at night“ In the test of "combination of two bombs", the "seven warriors" stuck to the launching position, holding the lofty belief of "taking responsibility for life's past, how to plan the fame after death", and resolutely prepared for sacrifice; In the Soviet Union expert guidance class, young engineers were eager to apply for extension of study time and strive to catch up with the progress

The archetypes of these movie characters are a large number of selfless and lofty scientists, cadres and workers, and PLA soldiers who took root in the desert to develop the "two bombs and one satellite" in the 1950s and 1960s. With a strong aspiration to serve the country and patriotism, these Communists consciously link their personal ideals with the fate of the motherland and the rejuvenation of the nation. They uphold the great spirit of building the party that adheres to the truth, adheres to the ideal, practices the original intention, undertakes the mission, is not afraid of sacrifice, bravely struggles, is loyal to the party and does not live up to the people, China's first atomic bomb was successfully developed, and the glorious years of the combination of the two bombs were realized. It is with this group of Chinese Communist Party members and patriotic scientists with firm ideals and convictions that China has the nuclear power to defend the country and peace.

In the film, after the success of the "two bomb combination" experiment, a dialogue flashed back several times in Qian Xuesen's memory. When he decided to return home, Caltech President dubridge described his move as "an aviation scientist returning to farming society.". In this regard, Qian Xuesen said: "if planting apples is the only way to serve the motherland, I am willing to do it." Today, several decades later, the shenzhou-12 manned spacecraft has been successfully launched, and the Chinese people have officially owned their own space station. Under the world's attention, Qian Xuesen's "apple tree" of aerospace industry planted in the vast desert of the motherland has been flourishing and fruitful.