Famous person's story

In the early years of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, floods ravaged the Jiangnan region. Particularly in the Jiaxing area, the canal embankments frequently collapsed, making it the hardest-hit zone, with the people crying out in distress. Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang received continuous reports of the disaster. Although the imperial treasury had some silver, distributing it would be like trying to put out a fire with a cup of water. So he simply closed his eyes and declared, "The dynasty is newly established, the treasury is empty. For now, we can only reduce taxes; we cannot allocate grain for disaster relief!"

Xu Teli was born in 1877. From his youth, he loved reading passionately, believing that reading could "clarify the principles of life and the principles of society." At the age of 18, to earn a living, he chose to become a private tutor over becoming a doctor, thus embarking on a path of "teaching for life." However, while he taught students during the day, he still studied under a master at night, because only by "understanding the principles himself" could he "teach those principles to his students."

Cai Lun served as a Langzhong (an official) in the imperial court. He held great office, power, and influence, so much so that his colleagues were somewhat afraid of him, and even the emperor and empress dared not look down upon him. Why? Because he was upright, fair, and unafraid to confront problems head-on, never shying away from offending others. When it came to treating the common people, however, he was truly a good man. He never bullied others by relying on his official status, and often went incognito among the people, rescuing the poor and needy and doing good deeds.

Mao Yushi is one of China's most influential economists and a prominent representative of China's independent economic scholars. He has been recognized as one of the ten economists who made the greatest contributions during the 30 years of reform and opening-up, and as "the most morally cultivated and conscientious economist in contemporary China." From theoretical research to social practice, his innovative ideas and practical endeavors have been indispensable to economic reform.

In 1960, rare natural disasters and man-made calamities brought about a severe food famine. One by one, patients with swollen bodies and sallow complexions collapsed... Yuan Longping's five-foot frame directly experienced the agony of hunger.

Zhang Heng (78-139 AD), styled Pingzi, was a native of Xie in Nanyang (today's Shiqiao Town, Nanyang County, Henan Province). He was a great astronomer of China's Eastern Han Dynasty, making indelible contributions to the development of Chinese astronomy. In mathematics, geography, painting, and literature, Zhang Heng also demonstrated exceptional talent and broad knowledge.

Qian Sanqiang was born on October 16, 1913, in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province. He is recognized as a principal founder of China's atomic energy program and has been honored with the titles "Father of Chinese Atomic Energy Science" and "Father of China's Two Bombs and One Satellite."Qian Sanqiang's father, Qian Xuantong, was a renowned modern Chinese linguist and philologist. During his youth, Qian lived with his father in Beijing and attended Kunde Middle School, which was headed by Cai Yuanpei, one of China’s foremost modern educators. Qian developed a solid foundation in cultural knowledge and acquired broad scientific literacy.

"The classmates beside me fell, their blood splashing onto my clothes." On March 12, 1926, Japanese warships intruded into China's inland waters and were resisted by Chinese troops stationed at Dagu. Eight nations, including Britain, the United States, and Japan, seized upon the so-called "Dagu Incident" to issue an ultimatum to the Chinese government. Teachers and students from Beijing universities were outraged, gathering four to five thousand people for a protest march. However, the traitorous Duan Qirui government ordered troops to open fire, killing a group of petitioning students in front of the Executive Government building.

Zu Chongzhi (429–500) was born into a family where his grandfather, Zu Chang, served as an official in charge of imperial construction projects during the Liu Song dynasty. Growing up in such an environment, Zu Chongzhi read extensively from a young age, and people widely praised him as a learned young man. He had a particular passion for studying mathematics and also enjoyed researching astronomy and calendrical science, frequently observing the movements of the sun and planets and making detailed records of his observations.

There was a little boy whose parents divorced when he was young, and he lived with his mother. Due to financial hardship, five family members squeezed into a drafty wooden shack, sleeping on bunk beds, and considered soy sauce mixed with rice as the finest delicacy in the world. From a young age, he was plain-looking, quiet, and introverted. His peers thought he was dirty and unattractive, and refused to play with him. After starting school, he faced even more ridicule and humiliation from classmates, being called a "fatherless wild child." At one time, he believed himself to be the most unfortunate person in the world. During his school years, he was extremely mischievous, restless, and playful, and his academic performance was consistently poor. As a result, his mother was inevitably summoned to every parent-teacher meeting.