Li Siguang (; 26 October 1889 – 29 April 1971), also known as J. S. Lee, was a Chinese

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the structure, composition, and History of Earth, history of Earth. Geologists incorporate techniques from physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, and geography to perform research in the Field research, ...

and politician. He was the founder of China's

geomechanics Geomechanics (from the Greek ''γεός'', i.e. prefix ''geo-'' meaning "earth"; and "mechanics") is the study of the mechanical state of the Earth's crust and the processes occurring in it under the influence of natural physical factors. It involv ...

. He was an ethnic Mongol. He made outstanding contributions, which changed the situation of "oil deficiency" in the country, enabling the large-scale development of oil fields to raise the country to the ranks of the world's major oil producers.

Biography

Li was born as Li Zhongkui () in

Huanggang, Hubei Huanggang is a prefecture-level city in easternmost Hubei Province, China. It is situated to the north of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and is bounded in the north by the Dabie Mountains and is named after Mount Huanggang. It borders ...

Province. His paternal line had descended from a Mongolian official in Yuan Dynasty. His family originally bore the Mongol surname "Kuli" () or "Ku" (). After the fall of the Yuan Dynasty, he consealed his identity and settled in Hubei. Li Zhongkui changed his name when he was applying for school at 14 by modifying the characters of his age (), and kept his original name as a

courtesy name A courtesy name ( zh, s=字, p=zì, l=character), also known as a style name, is an additional name bestowed upon individuals at adulthood, complementing their given name. This tradition is prevalent in the East Asian cultural sphere, particula ...

. He was often known in English as J. S. Lee (J for Zhongkui/Jung-kuei, S for Siguang). Li studied in Osaka Technical College in Japan and the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

in UK in his early years. He became a geological professor at

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

upon his return from abroad in 1920. Li Siguang was

Wuhan University Wuhan University (WHU; 武汉大学) is a key comprehensive public university in Wuhan, Hubei, China. It is directly affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, Ministry of Education of China. The un ...

building preparatory chairman from July 1928 to April 1938. He was the president of the

National Central University National Central University (; abbreviated NCU; ) is a public research university based in Taiwan. It was founded in 1902 in Nanjing; initially located in Miaoli after moving to Taiwan, it relocated to Zhongli in 1962 and developed into a com ...

(

Nanjing University Nanjing University (NJU) is a public university in Nanjing, Jiangsu, China. It is affiliated and sponsored by the Ministry of Education. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Construction. The univers ...

) in 1932. After the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

was established, Li held the positions of vice president of the

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

(CAS) and minister of

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

. After the end of the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a Social movement, sociopolitical movement in the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). It was launched by Mao Zedong in 1966 and lasted until his de ...

(1966–1976), Xu Chi published Li's biography entitled ''The Light of Geology'' (), which was widely read and made Li a household name in China.

Family

Li Siguang's daughter Li Lin was a physicist and academician of the CAS. She married

Chen-Lu Tsou Zou Chenglu (; 17 May 1923 – 23 November 2006), better known as Chen-Lu Tsou, was a Chinese biochemist. He was a professor of the Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and later a professor and Deputy Director of the Institute of Biophysics, Ch ...

(Zou Chenglu), a distinguished biochemist and academician, while they were both attending the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

in England. Li's family is thus the only one in China that has produced three academicians. Li Lin's daughter, Zou Zongping (), followed her grandfather's footsteps and became a geologist.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Siguang 1889 births 1971 deaths Osaka University alumni Alumni of the University of Birmingham Chinese expatriates in the United Kingdom 20th-century Chinese geologists Chinese people of Mongolian descent Academic staff of China University of Geosciences Foreign members of the USSR Academy of Sciences Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Members of Academia Sinica Academic staff of the National Central University Educators from Hubei Academic staff of Peking University People's Republic of China politicians from Hubei National Wuhan University alumni Presidents of Wuhan University Politicians from Huanggang Scientists from Hubei Vice chairpersons of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Burials at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery