Profile | Wei Shijie, selfless China nuclear weapons scientist with undying love for nation, family
- One of a secret group of scientists who developed China’s first atomic bombs becomes carer for wife, daughter, son with serious health issues
A renowned nuclear weapons scientist in China – who devoted the first half of his life to his country and the second half to his family – is getting lots of attention online.
Wei Shijie, 83, from Shandong province in eastern China, dedicated 26 years to national defence and now faces the challenge of caring for his two children, one with an intellectual disability and the other with schizophrenia.
In the 1960s, as the United States and the Soviet Union imposed a strict nuclear technology blockade on China, the country began developing its own nuclear weapons and satellite technology.
In 1964, at the age of 23, Wei was a physics graduate from Shandong University, who was selected to join a secret group of scientists to work on classified weapons development, where he tested explosives, according to his resume online.
“I experienced two accidental explosions while working. Once, my colleague was tragically blown to pieces. I was prepared to sacrifice myself for the research,” he said.
To maintain confidentiality, nuclear weapons scientists were isolated on a plateau in Qinghai province, northwest China, cut off from their families and the outside world.
