Advertisement
Science
ChinaScience

96-year-old wind tunnel pioneer Yu Hongru honoured as one of China’s people of the year for ‘doing what others dare not do’

  • The veteran aerospace engineer was described as a ‘hidden dragon’ at an awards ceremony hosted by the state broadcaster CCTV
  • Yu’s work has helped with the development of hypersonic aircraft, ballistic missiles and some of the country’s space probes

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
2
Yu Hongru was described as a “hidden dragon” by state broadcaster CCTV. Photo: Handout
Zhang Tongin Beijing

A 96-year-old Chinese aerospace engineer has been honoured as one of the country’s people of the year at an awards ceremony hosted by state broadcaster CCTV.

Advertisement
Yu Hongru’s achievements include heading the team that build the first shock wind tunnel to test hypersonic aircraft and, most recently, the most powerful testing facility of its kind on the planet, the JF-22, which can reproduce flight conditions at an altitude of 40 to 100 kilometres and about 30 times the speed of sound.

CCTV’s award citation at the Touching China 2023 gala described Yu as a “hidden dragon” who took on tasks others would not or could not undertake.

The technology has been used to develop key projects such as the Dongfeng ballistic missile series and Shenzhou spacecraft, with Yu telling the event: “The missiles that pass by Tiananmen Square [during the National Day parade], and all aerospace aircraft have something to do with our research.”

The awards citation also praised Yu for his innovative approach to the development of hypersonic wind tunnels.

His given name, Hongru, means a scholar of profound knowledge. He joined the Institute of Mechanics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1958, two years after its establishment.

Advertisement
Advertisement