This summer vacation, I participated in a five-day social practice activity in Anhui with the social practice team of our department. The main places for the activity included the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), Hefei Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Xiaogang Village in Fengyang County. Through this social practice activity, I learned about the teaching and research conditions of sister schools and departments, saw the research and development activities related to our major, and also came into contact with Xiaogang Village, which was once the vanguard of rural reform.
Our main activity location could be considered USTC, one of the few top universities in inland provinces of China. After 30 years of construction since moving to Hefei, USTC now has two campuses, east and west, with a very elegant environment inside the campus. Especially its newly built west campus, centered around a library more than ten stories high, surrounded by green grass, trees, and ponds arranged in an orderly manner, with various laboratories, teaching buildings, and student apartments scattered among them, presenting the style of a first-class university.
USTC belongs to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Although the history of the school cannot compare with some century-old schools, its connection with China's science and technology is something other schools cannot match. Many academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have once been involved in leadership and teaching work at USTC. Together with our department, USTC has contributed greatly to China's 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' cause. Now, USTC undertakes many basic projects and sub-projects of the Academy of Sciences, and every year it sends a large number of postgraduate and doctoral students to the CAS. Advanced experimental facilities are one of USTC's characteristics. Taking the "National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory" we visited as an example: this laboratory covers an area of 100,000 square meters, consisting of a 200MeV electron linear accelerator, an 800MeV electron storage ring, six synchrotron radiation beamlines, and six experimental stations. This laboratory started construction in the late 1980s, began operation and was put into use in the early 1990s. It not only holds a leading position domestically but also occupies a place in the international synchrotron radiation field. Since its completion, the number of users of this laboratory has increased, and the fields involved have become increasingly broad. Students at USTC can get so close to the forefront of their major and interdisciplinary research, giving them an advantage in scientific research that other schools cannot match.
The education of gifted children is another feature of USTC’s educational system. In 1978, USTC pioneered higher education for gifted children in China by establishing the Youth Class. Over the past 20 years, the Youth Class has produced many outstanding graduates. Students in the Youth Class have a solid foundation and high comprehensive quality, which has gained increasing recognition from people. During our discussion with teachers and students of the Youth Class, we felt this even more deeply. Students in the Youth Class do not abandon the cultivation of other abilities just because they are young and have heavy courses; on the contrary, the school pays special attention to the physical and psychological qualities of students. They particularly emphasize the role of emotions in students' learning and life. The school specially arranges experts in psychology to conduct surveys and help students overcome difficulties in time. Although students in the Youth Class have heavier homework than other students, various cultural and sports activities are still abundant. Students have wide-ranging interests, open-minded thoughts, and considerable depth. In the discussion, the questions they raised were ones that we, their older brothers and sisters, had not thought about carefully.
The inspection at the Hefei Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences opened our eyes, especially for those of us who rarely come into contact with advanced physical experimental equipment. The Plasma Physics Institute is one of the key institutes we visited during this trip. The institute mainly engages in plasma physics, controlled nuclear fusion technology, and related technology research. Its main experimental equipment includes the superconducting tokamak device, the highest 200,000 Gauss hybrid magnet in China, and the largest-scale low-temperature liquid helium and nitrogen system in China. The function of HT-7 is mainly to study nuclear fusion-related theories. Seeing these classic physical theories turned into groups of experimental instruments, and familiar experimental equipment appearing before our eyes, we couldn't hide our joy. We finally saw the real application of the physical theories we have learned over the years. Such experiences are truly wonderful, allowing us to understand the physical knowledge we learned before more profoundly.
Xiaogang Village in Fengyang County is one of the stops of our practical activity this time. Here, it was once the vanguard of China's rural reform. Now, under the dynamic new leadership, Xiaogang Village has opened a new chapter. Located in the central part of Anhui Province, Xiaogang Village has average natural conditions. After the ten-year disaster of the Cultural Revolution, farmers' lives became even more difficult. Yan Jiachang, the current village chief, told our practical team about their experience of implementing the contract responsibility system: In 1978, most villagers were living hand-to-mouth. The reason was not that the land did not grow crops but that the people growing crops were not united. At that time, the communal dining system advocated that everyone eats together and lives together, regardless of how much or how little one works. This seemingly perfect system seriously undermined the enthusiasm of the vast majority of farmers. After long-term communes, many people stopped striving for progress, resulting in a vicious cycle where the whole village suffered from hunger and cold. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and eighteen households in the village realized this first. Rather than starving to death, they decided to try working separately, maybe finding a way out. However, at that time, doing so was risking violating policies and facing capital punishment. Although their contract stated that if anyone was arrested, others would raise his children until they were 18, in an era when people couldn't even feed themselves, who would take care of someone else's children? Those who implemented the large contracting system were determined to make a living with their own hands, leaving fingerprints on the contract. A year later, relevant national policies were issued, and the people of Xiaogang Village dared to work hard. Nowadays, Xiaogang Village no longer worries about hunger and cold. Villagers not only stand firmly on the land where they have grown up for generations but also introduce external investments, build roads, and establish factories, creating a brighter future. After hearing this story, we were not only impressed by the political courage of the Xiaogang villagers but also had deeper reflections on rural issues. In the past, how often did we think about these farmers? Our awareness of the responsibilities and duties of college students deepened further, and it was the Xiaogang villagers who taught us these lessons!
Through this trip to Hefei, we saw the demeanor of fellow students within the ivory tower, appreciated the demeanor of high-tech researchers in the field of physics, and paid attention to the past and present of farmers who make up the vast majority of China. All of these are things that cannot be learned from textbooks. This inspection inspired me to reflect more on my own value, role, and responsibility. As explorers newly entering the field of physics, we should carry forward the legacy and strive hard.