Fan Xudong founded Wynn Chemical Industry Company?

China Chemical Fan Xudong (1883- 1945) was born in a teacher's family in Changsha, Hunan. 190 1 year went to study in Japan, first studied Japanese, then studied chemistry in the Faculty of Science of Imperial University of Kyoto, and stayed in Japan as a specialist assistant after graduation, and stayed in Japan 1 1 year, and got married and started a family. 19 12 After returning to China, he was responsible for silver dollar analysis in the Mint of the Ministry of Finance. Later, I had the opportunity to visit the salt administration in Europe. After I came back from Europe, I put forward some suggestions on reforming salt policy, such as "special reward for industrial salt" and "tax exemption for industrial salt", which were valued by salt policy consultants in landscape science. They asked Fan Xudong, "How about we build a refined salt factory ourselves?" Fan Xudong confidently replied: "We can do it!"

"Entrepreneurship is difficult, especially revolutionary entrepreneurship." This is Fan Xudong's life-long experience in developing industry. Every step taken by Fan Xudong in industry is almost a revolutionary adventure. He never covets the established smooth road, but always struggles in the thorny wilderness and evil mountains, and finally becomes the founder of China chemical industry.

19 13 After Fan Xudong returned to Beijing, he consulted Jing Xuezhong about the plan to build a refined salt plant in Tanggu, Tianjin, and was supported by Jing Xuezhong. 19 14 In July, it wrote to the Salt Administration Department of the Ministry of Finance of Beiyang Government, requesting approval to establish Jiuda Refined Salt Company for the record in Tanggu. 1914165438+held a preparatory meeting on129, and decided to raise 50,000 yuan as the preparatory fund. 1965438+The first shareholders' meeting was held on April 8, 2005. The paid-in share capital was RMB 4 1 100. The chairman was Jing Xuezhong and the general manager was Fan Xudong. In the same year, on1October 30th, 10, all construction and installation works were completed, and the production of refined salt began. 19 16 was approved by the administrative department of salt industry to open a store in Tianjin for marketing.

At that time, the process of making refined salt was to melt and clarify the original salt, and then boil it in a pan. The method of cooking refined salt in pan has opened a new chapter in the technical history of salt industry in China.

Jiuda refined salt is boiled by scientific methods, produced and sold by itself, and its raw materials are self-sufficient. After ten years' struggle, the business is booming, the capital has increased from 50,000 yuan at the time of establishment to 2.5 million yuan, and the scale has developed from the initial annual output of 1.500 tons to 62,500 tons, making it the largest refined salt company in China.

In order to make full use of salt resources, Fan Xudong has also considered making alkali from salt according to Sulvi's soda (sodium carbonate) method to meet the needs of domestic chemical production such as glass, paper, dyes and folk food fermentation. 19 1 1 The inaugural meeting of Wynn soda production company, which was established in June, was held in Tianjin. The founders are Jing Xuezhong, Chen Tifu, who graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering of Soochow University in Suzhou, Zhang Arc, director of the Salt Department of the Ministry of Finance at that time, Li Mu, the ambassador of salt transportation, Nie Yuntai, the owner of Shanghai Hengfeng Cotton Mill, and others. 1920 On May 9, Wynn held the first general meeting of shareholders and elected Fan Xudong as the chief director and general manager. 1September, 920, Li Yong Alkali-making Company obtained the registration license of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, and industrial salt was exempted from tax for 30 years. No one else can run an alkali factory within a hundred miles around Tanggu.

At that time, Sulvi soda ash industry was completely monopolized by several large international companies, and all important mechanical equipment was designed and manufactured by soda ash factory itself. Fan Xudong advocates that all machines and equipment that can be made in China should be made in China, and only those that cannot be made in China should be purchased from foreign countries.

1920, Wynn soda company broke ground to build a factory building, 192 1 year, and Hou was hired as chief engineer and head of manufacturing department.

After three or four years of debugging, it has consumed a lot of manpower and material resources. In August 1924, 13, soda ash finally appeared. Unexpectedly, the alkali from the production surface is not white, but red and black. Such an alkali is definitely unqualified. While debugging was continuing, a bigger accident suddenly happened. 1in March, 925, four sets of baking soda were burned down one by one by decomposing furnace, and even the unqualified soda ash could not be produced again. All the factories were closed, and Fan Xudong was in great trouble.

At that time, Wynn's economy dried up and its foreign debt was heavy. Fan Xudong wants to issue shares again, but no one wants to invest. On the one hand, he had to continue to borrow money from Jiuda Refined Salt Company and Jincheng Bank, and at the same time, he laid off staff and saved money to tide over the difficulties.

In order to solve the problem of calciner, Hou and an American engineer were sent to study in the United States, and finally an advanced rotary calciner was ordered and shipped back to China. Finally, the technical problems were solved and production resumed. The downtime is as long as one year and three months.

1926 June 29th is an unforgettable day in Wynn's history. On this day, white soda ash was produced, and the content of sodium carbonate was above 99%. The trademark of Li Yong soda ash is "Red Triangle". 1926 In August, "Red Triangle" soda participated in the World Expo in Philadelphia, USA, commenting on "the symbol of China's industrial progress" and won the gold medal, which won honor for the motherland.

When the good news spread across the ocean to Tanggu and the Expo certificate was sent to Tanggu, Wynn Alkali Industry Company held a grand celebration meeting. Fan Xudong said excitedly, "So many years of hard work have brought soda ash and white hair to the people of China. You are comforted by the pursuit of righteousness, and I wish you all the best. Those who seek their own progress should be immortal. "

1934 Wynn Alkali Company was expanded and renamed as Wynn Chemical Company, and decided to establish Wynn Ammonium Sulfate Plant in Xiejiadian on the other side of the Yangtze River in Nanjing. Fan Xudong is the general manager of the chemical industry company, and Hou is the chief engineer and director of the two factories of alkali and ammonium.

With regard to the technical design of ammonium sulfate plant and the experience and lessons learned from the construction of alkali plants in equipment orders and Hou, we decided to introduce American technology and equipment and strive to build and put into operation within two and a half years.

Through the efforts of employees, a brand-new modern ammonium sulfate factory was completed as scheduled in only 30 months. February 5 1937 produced qualified products. At that time, it was the spring ploughing season, and the ammonium sulfate fertilizer of the factory was sold to villages in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong and other places, which was well received by farmers.

After the completion of the ammonium sulfate plant, Fan Xudong once said: "Soda and caustic soda first appeared in China, which can only be said to be a wing of the chemical industry. Now, with sulfuric acid and nitric acid, we have another wing of the chemical industry. Since then, the sky has been vast, and China Chemical has soared, no longer limited by the panic of basic chemical raw materials. "

1July 7, 937, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression broke out. Less than half a year after the start of the ammonium sulfate plant, the war approached Nanjing. Fan Xudong was in a hurry. His patriotism told him to dismantle the factory at once, and his dedication made him unwilling to destroy the painstakingly irrigated factory. He got rid of the threats and inducements of traitors and enemies. After the factory was bombed three times, he led the employees to move westward.

1922, Fan Xudong also founded the Yellow Sea Chemical Industry Research Association, hired Sun Xuewu, Ph.D. in chemistry from Harvard University in the United States, to take charge of the affairs of the Society, and successively recruited chemical and chemical talents from home and abroad to serve in the Society, and successively established research departments such as chemical principles, applied chemistry, fermentation chemistry and marine chemistry, and adopted the policy of paying equal attention to industrial chemistry and agricultural chemistry. In just a few years, Huanghai Society has developed many practical achievements, solved many technical problems for Jiuda and Li Yong, promoted the development of production, and attracted the attention of academic and educational circles.

Chen Xinwen. Silhouette of chemical industry development in China. Dalian, 200 1 (unpublished).

After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Fan Xudong died in Chongqing, and Wynn Company decided to cast a bronze statue for him to commemorate his great contribution to the chemical industry of the Chinese nation. After casting, the bronze statue was erected in the place where the former Japanese invaders built the "Yasukuni Shrine" in Nanjing, which became one of the spiritual signs that the Chinese nation would never yield to foreign invaders. Regrettably, this bronze statue was demolished during the Cultural Revolution. 1984 10 Nanjing chemical industry company decided to rebuild the statue of Fan Xudong. Fan Xudong's white bust (Figure 3- 1) stands solemnly on a reddish altar and a black marble pedestal. Mr. Wang's eyes are looking at the factory by the river, and his mouth is slightly stretched, as if telling people the past. ...