On the night of November 7, the eve of this year's China International Aviation & Aerospace Exhibition, the 15th Aerospace Laureate Award ceremony was held in Zhuhai, southern China's Guangdong Province. Seven types of prizes, namely “Best Cooperation Award”, “Technology Pioneer Award”, “National Craftsman Award”, “Fearless Hero Award”, “Space Pilot Award”, “Leadership Excellence Award” and “Lifetime Dedication Award”, went to 20 teams and individuals including three Beihang people. Wang Yongqing, Beihang alumnus and Chief Designer of AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Design & Research Institute won Technology Pioneer Award; Liu Daxiang, Beihang professor and academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, won Lifetime Dedication Award; Zhang Yanzhong, Beihang alumnus and academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, was also honored with Lifetime Dedication Award.
The 15th Aerospace Laureate Award ceremony
Established in 2005 and sticking to the “Laureate Spirit” of carrying forward the industry spirit, eulogizing the backbone elite and exploring the frontiers of new knowledge, the Aerospace Laureate Award aims to commend the outstanding achievements made by and the noble spirit demonstrated by aerospace practitioners in promoting national technological development and building national defense. So far, the award ceremony has been held for 15 sessions with 111 individuals and 36 teams awarded, representing the highest honor in the field of aerospace in China.
Wang Yongqing, winner of Technology Pioneer Award
Wang Yongqing got his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees all in Beihang University. He serves as Chief Designer in AVIC Shenyang Aircraft Design & Research Institute, Chief Designer of multiple types of aircraft, and chief technology expert in aviation industry. He has been honored with National Defense Science and Technology Progress Award Grand Prize, the May 1st Labor Medal, and also two Merit Awards and one Golden Award for serving the nation through aerospace endeavors.
He is one of the explorers of cross-generation and cross-domain development of China’s aviation equipment. Through analyzing huge amount of data, he and his team surmounted a large number of key technical difficulties and secured safe on-board takeoffs and landings time and again, advancing China’s air force from land to sea.
Liu Daxiang, winner of Lifetime Dedication Award
Liu Daxiang is an expert in aero propulsion mainly engaging in the design and research of aviation engines, the construction of major equipment and the research of development strategy. He graduated from Beihang University in 1960 and was elected academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1995.
He endeavored in distant mountains for thirty years and built the world’s leading aeroengine test bench, enabling China to make significant breakthrough and paving the way for the accelerated development in this regard. He presided over pre-research of key technologies and formulated the cross-century strategic route for China’s aeroengine development, contributing great wisdom to this great cause. He pushed forward the construction of the aviation emergency rescue system, allowing more parties to share the fruits of the development of our motherland's aviation industry.
Zhang Yanzhong, winner of Lifetime Dedication Award
Zhang Yanzhong is an expert in aeronautical systems engineering and signal processing mainly engaging in research on vibration, signal processing and aeronautical systems engineering. He was elected as academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2001.
As new China's first PhD graduate from Trinity College, Cambridge, he devoted himself to his motherland and strived for international excellence in the field of vibration and signal processing. After becoming an industry executive, he organised the conquest against core technologies in key areas of the third-generation aircraft and promoted the research and production of several types of aircraft. As a renowned expert in aeronautical systems engineering of our country, he has taken up the heavy responsibility of drawing up blueprints for the homemade large aircraft, engine and airborne business, and boosted the strategic development of aeronautical science in a holistic manner.
Reviewed by Li Jianwei
Edited by Jia Aiping
Translated by Lu Meili
