I worked in the Institute for 35 years after I graduated in 1960.  In retrospect, the Institute was not only the place where I learned, grew, and contributed, but also the home where my two daughters grew up. While we are celebrating the 70th anniversary, I want to thank CIOMP from the bottom of my heart for nurturing me in my career.

During my 35 years in CIOMP, I witnessed its 10th, 20th, 30th, and 40th anniversaries when I was in Changchun. On each of these special days, we were all very excited and proud of what the Institute had achieved. I’ve been reminiscing those good old days and memories came to my mind as if they happened only yesterday, particularly:

· The three research buildings where people researched, innovated, and developed key state projects.

· The water boiler in the yellow building which supplied hot water for all of us.

· The library in the white building which was always full of researchers.

· The club ball room, a small general hall of the primary school, where I practiced and played violin as a member of  our Institute’s amateur band.

· The second dining room, beside a small creek in which running water never stopped, where we all enjoyed delicious meals.

Those memories will stay with me for the rest of my life.

I also would like to share the following stories, ones that I will never forget:

· The news about the great achievement obtained by our Institute in 1958, during the Great Leap Forward, that 八大件一个汤 had been developed by our Institute.

· The time when I attended advanced English class with WANG Jiaqi and two others in Beijing in 1980 (the era of reform and opening-up). The class was organized by the Chinese Academy of Sciences for staff who were to be sent abroad for studies and taught by foreign teachers. Students came from various CAS institutes across the country and all had to pass an English exam.

· The day when we celebrated the 80th birthday of our celebrated Institute director, WANG Daheng in Changchun in 1994. We shared a big birthday cake, the biggest that I had ever seen.

Time flies, and more than 62 years had passed since 1960. I am getting older and older and my memory is fading. I mull it carefully and ask myself what scientific spirit I have gotten from the Institute that benefited me most. What is the thing that inspired and touched me the most? The answer is:

Strictly Following Procedures Step by Step

In the early 1960, in order to keep the research environment clean, all employees had to change their shoes when entering the three research buildings. The Institute provided shoe boxes for all of us in the lobbies of the research buildings, which looked like the mailbox we have today. Everyone got a pair of slippers for free, but some people did not take it seriously. Sometimes they changed, sometimes they did not, and shoes and slippers were strewn all over the floor.

One day at an all-staff meeting, the director WANG Daheng brought a pair of slippers, and went to the stage with his two pairs of glasses, one for far-sightedness reading glass and one for near-sightedness. He demonstrated in details how to change shoes in front of us, step by step. I remember when he looked at us, he wore his far-sight glasses, when he looked his speech paper, he changed to the near-sight glasses. He changed his glasses frequently and demonstrated very carefully. It made me interested and pondered at the time. I did not understand why he did shoe change demonstration and was there anything more important he wanted tell us? Everyone knows how to change shoes, he did not need to show us. Years later, I realized that he did not only show us how to change shoes, but also taught us to strictly follow procedures step by step without comprise. In his mind, that was the spirit that we all should have in order to get work done properly. In 1966, he was forced to clean bathrooms in research buildings. Obviously, this was punitive physical labor, but he took this job seriously and even brought rags from his home to clean every toilet. And the toilets he cleaned were the shiniest ones that I have ever seen.

Never Becoming Arrogant

At the same period, the Institute accomplished some achievements including the creation of the first laser device in our country. As a result, some researchers felt quite good about themselves. Another institute leader, LIU Yunzhong warned us against arrogance with a story at an another all-staff meeting. He said that centuries ago in the Han dynasty there was a small country called Ye Lang (夜郎) and the king of the country did not know much of the outside world. He thought that his country was the greatest in the world and asked others:  Between Han and Ye Lang, which is the bigger country? It was the first time I learned idiom “Ye Lang Zi Da” (夜郎自大), and I had remembered it ever since.

These two stories, strictly follow procedures step by step and never become arrogant, are the common principle which can guide us and keep us on the road to successful.

I was very fortunate to start my scientific research work in CIOMP and I have learned so much from our scientists and pioneers, and their spirit had inspired me to achieve some success in my career.

As CIOMP celebrates its 70th birthday, may it become ever stronger, more advanced in the scientific research field, keeping scientific spirit forward, being young forever, generation by generation.

I am so proud of that I was a member of CIOMP, the Institute has been rooted into my heart and my memory.  I cheer and applaud for every success that the Institute accomplishes, and stand with CIOMP no matter where I am.

I hope that I can send greetings to CIOMP at its 80th anniversary in the next decade!