People and events in the planetarium of Qilu University
Figure 1: Wang Xion, head of the Department of Astronomy and Arithmetic of Qilu University, and Tian Guanwu, associate professor, outside the planetarium
Figure 2: Qilu University's planetarium in the winter of 1939
Figure 3: Wang Xion
Figure 4: Miao Yongrui
In the early days, there was a planetarium on the campus of Qilu University, and the department of astronomical arithmetic was established. Department of Astronomical Arithmetic. The Department of Astronomical Calculations at Qilu University was the first of its kind in the study of astronomy in China. The head of the Department of Astronomy, Mr. Wang Xi'en, was known as one of the "six great mathematicians of the contemporary world". Until the early 1950s, the Department of Astronomy graduates also produced an astronomy academician Miao Yongrui.
Li Yaoxi
Wang Xion: three abacuses for advanced astronomical calculations
Wang Xion, head of the Department of Astronomical Calculations and Director of the Astronomical Observatory of Qi University, is a legendary figure in the field of astronomy, and it is said that he used his ancestral bead calculations to carry out advanced astronomical calculations, and that any complicated astronomical calculations could not be defeated by the old man Wang.
Qidai Planetarium was built in 1917 at the beginning of the establishment of the University of Qilu, under the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of the Department of Astronomy and Arithmetic. Qilu University Planetarium and the Department of Arithmetic, in the late Qing Dynasty, can be said to be unique and unparalleled in the world. Because of all the public and private universities in the country, only Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou had an astronomical observatory and an astronomical department. Its Department of Mathematics and Astronomy was established in 1927, its astronomical observatory was built in 1929. And Qi University Planetarium was newly built after 1917, but its instrumentation was incorporated by the Weixian Guangwen College, some of which came from the Dengzhou Wenhui Hall, which was much earlier.
The director of the Department of Astronomical Calculations and Director of the Astronomical Observatory of Qi University was Wang Xi'en. This person is a bit of astronomy legend, it is said that its ancestral bead arithmetic can be used to carry out profound astronomical calculations, any complex astronomical calculations are not difficult to defeat the old Mr. Wang. About Mr. Wang's miraculous calculations, there was a story circulating among Qi students in the early years. It is said that the foreign missionary Dikowen heard after the great disbelief, and then proposed and Wang Xion PK a bit. So the two agreed to *** with the projection of the future eclipse date, Wang used three abacus side by side and deduction, not a few minutes to calculate the results, while Di's a piece of paper after a piece of paper there half a day of projection, only barely came up with the number of answers. After this contest, so that the knowledge of Western astronomy Dikowin Elder was greatly convinced, from now on do not dare to underestimate the Chinese marvelous abacus.
But the rest of his life is also late, so strange people and wonderful things, although I have heard but have not seen. Now its people and their things have long since faded without a trace, it seems that this life is not destined to see. However, I did not think, recently the author searched to Qilu University old photo set. In flipping through these Qilu University old shadow, but accidentally witnessed the year Qi University Planetarium Lushan real face, and which is that there is the legendary figure of Wang Xi'en's figure. Please see the old picture, this is the Qilu University in the early days of the Qi University Planetarium, Planetarium outside the two photographs, the left side of the robe and coat on the black under the white of the old man, that is, Wang Xion, director of the Department of the sky; the right side of a white shirt of the young scholars, is its assistant, the Department of the sky Associate Professor Tian Guanwu. Figure 2 shows the planetarium of Qi University in the winter of 1939. As you can see from this picture, the planetarium was located in the southeast corner of the Qi University campus, with the snow-capped Qianfo Mountain not far behind.
With these old images in front of us, the old stories come alive.
Di Kao Wen PK Wang Wan Xiang
One day when Di Kao Wen went out, he met Wang Wan Xiang, who was carrying a big abacus behind him. Di immediately invited Wang to his back room, and the two agreed that you would use the abacus and I would use the pen, and at the same time calculate the time of the next eclipse and the year, month, and hour of the visible place, and see who would finish the calculation first. After many hours of intense calculation, the result was that both of them finished almost at the same time, and the time difference between the calculated hours was also very close.
Wang Xi'en (1871-1932), Zephyr, was a native of Dongwangche Village (now Zhuliang Town) in Qingzhou. He came from a family of scholars and astronomers, and his father's name was Wang Wanxiang. Wang Xion graduated from Dengzhou Wenhui Hall in 1893, for its fifteenth graduates, due to excellent graduation after graduation to stay in school to teach. In fact, when the university students of Qi said that Di Kau Wen and Wang's match, it is a misrepresentation. With Di Kao Wen fight is not Wang Xion, but his father Wang Wanxiang. Because of this, Wang Xion was able to enroll in the Dengzhou Wenhui Hall.
Originally, his father Wang Wanxiang for the Qingzhou scholar, full of poetry and books, proficient in astronomy and geography, the home of the Ming Dynasty Xu Guangqi translation of the original Geometry and the Qing dynasty Qianlong "Calendar Calendar" and other astronomical calendar books. But at this time, the Wang family has fallen, the scholar for the livelihood of the forced, is determined to back up the abacus, wandering around for people to measure the auspicious date, observe the projected feng shui and other things, in order to make a living.
One day Di Kao Wen went out, just behind the back of the back of the abacus Wang Wanxiang encounter. Di's very strange, asked what this is, what is the use? Wang replied: Abacus. Can calculate the auspicious day of the zodiac, measuring the time and place. Di then asked: can calculate the eclipse? Wang replied: Yes! Di immediately invited Wang to his back room, the two agreed that you use the abacus, I use a pen, while projecting the time of the next eclipse and the visible location of the year, month and hour, to see who is the first to finish. After many hours of intense projections, the result of the two almost at the same time, and the time difference between the calculated hours is also very close. But Di has a set of calculation formula and logarithmic table can be found, while Wang Wanxiang is empty-handed all rely on an abacus. This surprised Di Kauwen: the Chinese do have talented scholars! If he could apply the Western method, I do not know what miracle will occur. At that time, Wang Wanxiang has more than 50 years old, Di asked if he has children, willing to teach him the Western-style algorithm. Answer: there is a son, is learning the four books and five sutras in the countryside. Di said: you send your son to the school, I do not charge tuition and fees, are you willing? Wang immediately agreed. So Wang Xi'en entered the Wenhui Hall and became a disciple of Di Kao Wen.
The Wen Hui Hall in Wang Xi'en before enrollment that is built "Stargazer Terrace" to teach "Tianhua Gejian". Among them, the science and chemistry and mathematics courses for Di Kao Wen personally narrated, astronomical surveying and mapping courses taught by Heshi. At that time, there was a 25-centimeter reflecting telescope in the Observatory, which was purchased by Dickowen when he went back to the United States for vacation in 1879. This large precision astronomical telescope was relocated to Weixian Guangwen College in 1904, merged into Jinan Qilu University in 1916, and then moved to Nanjing University in 1952 after Qilu University was abolished.
Wang Xi'en was one of the "Six Great Arithmeticists of the World"
In the era when foreigners were the president of the university, the heads of the other departments were all British, American, and Canadian foreign professors, but the head of the Department of Astronomical Calculations was always a Chinese man, Wang Xi'en. Wang created a new algorithm for plotting solar eclipses, which was recognized by the international astronomical and mathematical community, and was awarded the title of "one of the six greatest mathematicians in the world today".
In 1901, Hershey was invited by the governor of Shandong, Yuan Shikai, to found the Shandong University Hall.
In 1901, Hirsch was asked by Shandong governor Yuan Shikai to establish Shandong University Hall. Wang Xion became the director of the Department of Astronomy and Arithmetic of Qilu University and the director of the Astronomical Observatory, and opened the College of Science to teach astronomy, mathematics, electricity, geology and other courses.
The Faculty of Science of Qilu University had the Department of Astronomy and Arithmetic, the Department of Physics, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Biology and other departments. In the era of foreigners as the president of the school government, the other department heads are British, American and Canadian foreign professors take turns, but only the head of the Department of Astronomy has always been the Chinese Wang Xi'en. When Wang joined QIU, he made a new discovery in astronomy, for which he was awarded a Master of Science degree by the Royal Society. But in fact, this is a late honor, God gave him a big joke. It turned out that when he was teaching in Guangwen College, he used the Western method as a tool combined with his ancestral astronomical algorithms, i.e., the method of calculating solar and lunar eclipses by using the cycle of Jupiter's halo, and wrote a thesis entitled "On the Method of Eclipses of the Sun and the Moon". However, Wang did not know English, because when he was studying in the Wenhui Hall, Di Kau Wen insisted on not offering English classes. At that time, although there was no lack of teachers who knew foreign languages, they did not know astronomy, so it was not until 20 years later that it was translated into English by Hershey and sent to the Royal Society of England for consideration. In his later years, Wang created a new algorithm for mapping solar eclipses, which was highly regarded by the international astronomical and mathematical community; he was able to understand many of the international topics in the United Kingdom and the United States at a glance, and was thus honored as one of the "Six Great Arithmeticists of the World".
Wang Xi'en, in addition to his mastery of astronomy and arithmetic, was also a master of sound, light, chemistry and electricity. He was particularly interested in electricity. At that time, there were small power plants in the coastal cities of China, but there was little knowledge of the principles and use of generators, and there were no books to look up and no one to consult. Wang then compiled the book "Electrician's Handbook", which was published by Qi Da Printing House. The book was out of the Luoyang paper, competing for the purchase of empty, and then sent people from all over the world to copy and copy, letters for purchase, should be overwhelmed. Wang Nai will be reorganized, adding new content to expand the length of the book, named "electrical engineering". After the book was written, the Shanghai Commercial Press heard of the willingness to buy the right to publish at a high price, and promised to immediately copy, in order to meet the urgent need. Wang's fear of loss by mail, the right friend to Qingdao to take the boat to Shanghai, was entrusted. Unexpectedly, this friend soon wrote to say: the manuscript was accidentally lost on the ship, I am very sorry. Since then the book is no further. Wang had been sick for a long time, after this economic and mental double blow, his condition aggravated, is also one of the reasons for his premature death.
Wang Xi'en died of complications from diabetes in 1932 at the age of 60. In his honor, the university named the large observatory, which had been used for internships by students of the Department of Astronomy, "Zephyr Observatory".
Academician Miao Yongrui
His unique contributions to astronomy include the determination and application of the Zenith star and the establishment of a long-wave timing station. The solutions and designs proposed by Miao Yongrui increased the precision of time measurement by a factor of 1000 (microseconds), which was a great contribution to the development of China's space industry.
After the July 7 Incident in 1937, Qilu University moved to Huaxiba, Chengdu, and the department of astronomical calculations of Qilu University was closed, but the planetarium instruments were not boxed and relocated, and Cheng Tingfang, who had graduated from the department of astronomical calculations and stayed on to teach at the university, stayed behind to be responsible for the maintenance of the caretaker. During this period, Cheng is said to have observed sunspots and nebulae at the Zephyr Observatory.
After the victory in the war, in 1946, Qi University moved back to Jinan, and the Department of Astronomy resumed classes. In 1948, before the battle of Jinan, two more classes of freshmen were recruited. The total number of students in the two sessions **** but ten or so. Three of the girls, while three of the boys are surnamed Miao, Miao Yongkuan, Miao Yongming, Miao Yongrui. This is the Jinan Huantai Miao family son and nephew of three brothers, Miao Yongkuan, Miao Yongming for the son of Miao Hainan, Miao Yongrui for the son of Miao Xingyuan.
September 1952, the national higher education adjustment, Qilu University disintegration and withdrawal, the College of Arts and Sciences departments were dismembered and merged. One of the Department of the astronomical calculations, even teachers with students and instruments and equipment are all brain and went to Nanjing. One of the associate professor Cheng Tingfang with two graduates Xu Bangxin and Miao Yongkuan to Nanjing University, and Sun Yat-sen University transferred to the faculty together, set up the Department of Astronomy at Nanjing University. Later, both Xu Bangxin and Miao Yongkuan served as the head of the Department of Astronomy at Nanjing University. Three graduates of the Department of Astronomy, Zhao Xianzi, Shi Chensheng, and Miao Yongrui, went to the Zijinshan Observatory in Nanjing. Later, Zhao Xianzi was the deputy director of the Purple Mountain Observatory. Miao Yongrui became an academician in astronomy.
Miao Yongrui (1930-1998), a student of the 46th class of the Department of Astronomy of Qi University, graduated in 1951, first at the Nanjing Zijinshan Observatory, then transferred to the Shanghai Observatory, and served as director of the Shaanxi Observatory. His unique contributions in astronomy are mainly two: one is the determination and application of zenith stars, and the other is the establishment of long-wave timing stations. The solutions and designs proposed by Miao Yongrui improved the accuracy of time determination by a factor of 1000 (microseconds), which was a great contribution to the development of China's aerospace industry, and he was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences after being elected as a member of the Academia Sinica in 1991.
In 1952, two telescopes and other instruments were dismantled and sent to Nanjing, the two astronomical observatories were left in an empty shell, and soon the planetarium was also demolished. Miao Yongming, one of the "Three Miao", went to Shandong Normal College and later became a professor in the Physics Department of Shandong Normal University, and was elected president of the Qilu University Alumni Association in 1997. Now probably in addition to the still living President Miao, there are not many people know when Qilu University and a planetarium.