They Were Not Only Highly Gifted but Also Diligent

Mr. Qian Weichang, in an interview, spoke of how, when he studied at Tsinghua University, he went to the science building every morning at five o'clock to recite texts, only to find that Hua Luogeng had already finished reciting.

The son of Mr. Qian Xuesen, in an interview, spoke of Qian Xuesen's daily life, saying that Mr. Qian persisted in reading at a set time every day, even through the New Year holiday; to avoid being disturbed, he would have his son tell visitors that he had gone to a group New Year gathering.

Academician Yu Min mentioned that when he studied at Peking University, he did not go home during vacations but did his schoolwork on top of Jingshan Hill.

Academician Yuan Longping, not long before his death, was still studying hybrid rice in the paddy fields, often going into the fields like an old farmer.

These are all great scientists, people of very high talent, yet they were still so diligent in their study and work. Nowadays there is a saying that diligence is also a kind of talent, and a rarer one than cleverness. This has some truth to it, but it is not entirely correct.

The diligence of these great scientists was driven by the beliefs in their hearts, and those beliefs were tied to many factors. Take Mr. Qian Xuesen: while in the United States he suffered all kinds of suspicion and persecution by Americans, and this spiritual devastation made him deeply realize that unless one develops one's own strength, it is hard to speak of dignity. His family said that before returning to China he had many hobbies, but after going back to the motherland to carry out the Two Bombs, One Satellite program, he put all those hobbies aside and devoted himself wholly to his work.

As for Academician Yuan Longping, he had personally lived through the great famine, and so he had an urgent desire to develop hybrid rice and raise grain yields so as to fill everyone's bellies. This logic is simple, but without the experience of long-term hunger during the great famine, it would be hard to generate such enormous motivation.

By instinct people seek benefit and avoid harm, so it is hard to believe that diligence is a human talent. Some people study and work very diligently because certain events that deeply touched them have generated immense drive in them.

No breakthrough innovation comes easily. Mendel performed many experiments and tens of thousands of counts before discovering the laws of inheritance and laying the foundation of modern genetics; and even at his death he remained unknown, because the value of his work was not recognized by his contemporaries.

Qian Xuesen, Qian Weichang, Yu Min, and others strove all their lives for China's Two Bombs, One Satellite program before building up China's strong national defense. Tu Youyou also went through many tribulations in discovering artemisinin, even risking her own life by testing the medicine on herself. Yuan Longping devoted a lifetime of effort to researching hybrid rice.

These people were all of high talent, yet their achievements were not attained by talent alone; their diligence was also beyond the reach of ordinary people. Our ancestors said, “Excellence in work is achieved through diligence and ruined by frivolity”; this saying never goes out of date, in any era.