Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Qian Xuesen’s Return to China: Shanghai Jiao Tong University Hosts Grand Showcase of Scientist-Spirit Theatre and “Great Ideological & Political Education” Symposium
12/14/2025
Shanghai, 11 December 2025 — To mark the 70th anniversary of the return of “the People’s Scientist” Qian Xuesen, Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) held a dual event on its Xuhui campus: a performance showcase of original theatre pieces inspired by Qian’s spirit, and a national symposium on weaving that spirit into China’s “Great Ideological & Political Education” (GIPE) initiative.
Guan Haibing, SJTU Vice-President, told the audience that exhibitions, travelling displays and stage works have become the university’s living answer to the call to “pass on the red gene.” “They let today’s students feel the charisma of alumnus Qian Xuesen in real time,” he said. “SJTU will keep embedding scientist-spirit into every dimension of university life, cultivating graduates who combine patriotism, scientific literacy and the courage to innovate.”
In a dedicated ceremony, Qian Yonggang (Qian Xuesen’s son) donated 33 family photo-albums containing more than 2,400 previously unpublished images to the Qian Xuesen Library & Museum. The gift adds an entirely new layer of visual evidence for scholars tracing the scientist’s journey from Caltech rocketry expert to founding father of China’s aerospace programme.
Twenty-seven teaching plans submitted by primary-, secondary- and tertiary-level educators were awarded prizes in a GIPE lesson-design competition organised by the Qian Xuesen Library & Museum.
At the symposium on integrating the spirit of scientists into the “Great Ideological & Political Education” initiative, specialists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Qian Xuesen Library & Museum vividly showcased the rich fruits of drawing on scientist-spirit education bases to deliver GIPE across different fields and academic levels.
