Asia's first soda ash plant: a symbol of China's industrial progress

HC Chemical Network News: The Chinese were once nicknamed "food-stricken people", the person who changed the situation, named Fan Xudong.

In the winter of 1914, the 31-year-old Hunan youth Fan Xudong went to Tianjin Tanggu alone. The beaches here are full of salt, like ice and snow, endless. He was a little excited to see this scene. In the future, he said to his partner: "A chemist, seeing such a rich resource, if you are not ambitious, it is too ambition."

Yongli Soda Plant

This is a gentle and inner-minded southerner. His brother Fan Yuanxi was the chief education administrator of the Yuan Shikai government. The family's origins could have gone to a vast career or become a relaxed official, but he was willing to join the hardship as a scientist. National industry. In his early years, he was sent to Japan to study in his family. A Japanese principal said to him: "Yu Jun Xuecheng, China died early." This statement stimulated his life. After graduating from the Department of Applied Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Kyoto Imperial University, he immediately returned to China to revitalize China's salt industry. Since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the central government has franchised salt and iron. Although the Chinese are guarded by abundant marine resources, the salt they eat is still the coarse salt produced by the local law. It has low efficiency, low purity and contains many harmful substances. At that time, developed countries in the West had clearly stipulated that salt with less than 85% sodium chloride content was not allowed to be used for feed; in many places in China, salt with less than 50% sodium chloride was still used for human consumption. Therefore, some Westerners ridiculed China as a “food-eating nation”. In fact, it is not difficult to make salt, and the cost is not high. It is just that China lacks chemical talents at that time and no one is involved. The refined salt market has long been monopolized by British and Japanese businesses.

In 1915, Fan Xudong founded Jiuda Salt Factory in Tianjin with a share capital of 50,000 yuan. He started to develop refined salt in the fishing village of Tanggu, and soon made the purity more than 90%. After a long time, the salt water was processed by the beach, and the plate was heated to evaporate and crystallize. The first batch of refined salt produced in China was produced. It is uniform and hygienic. The varieties mainly include granular salt, powder salt and brick salt. The crude salt produced by the traditional salt method cannot be compared with it. Fan Xudong personally designed a pentagonal trademark, named "Neptune."

Jiuda Salt was quickly encircled by salt merchants at home and abroad. Japanese merchants spread toxic rumors of "Neptune" in newspapers. The British ambassador to China even attempted to block Tianjin Port (7.12, -0.03, -0.42%) with warships. When the salt boat leaves the port, the domestic salt merchants are attacking the group. For hundreds of years, the country's salt production and sales have always been monopolized by the government and business partners. The Jianghuai salt merchants have been swaying the price of salt. They have formed a large and intricate interest group. Foreigners and the Chinese government dare not say anything about reform. When Fan Xudong came out, it would obviously reverse the status quo. Jiu Dajing salt could not be sold to the south of the Yangtze River for a long time. Fan Xudong was even kidnapped by warlords and was released by his chief brother. In 1917, Jiu Dajing salt sold 10,000 tons, and in 1923 it increased to more than 40,000 taels. In 1936, it reached its peak, about 500,000 dan.

After making a breakthrough in refined salt, Fan Xudong immediately turned to the alkali industry.

At that time, the most common costumes of Chinese people were robes, the color was monotonous, and it was not wearable. Printed fabrics are a luxury because they require alkali, which is very expensive. In the alkali industry, the “Survey Method”, which uses sodium chloride and limestone as raw materials, is the most advanced technology. Western countries have formed a patent monopoly in this respect, and they are never open to the public. At that time, the monopoly of soda ash in China was the British Buneten company. After the outbreak of the First World War, ocean transportation was difficult. British merchants took the opportunity to raise the price of soda ash by seven or eight times, and even kept it from selling, which caused many ethnic cloth factories to stop. Fan Xudong once visited the British headquarters of Bu Nemen. The British ridiculed that you can't read the alkali making process, or just look at the boiler room.

Fan Xudong decided to make a shame, and a group of young scientists who were interested in him surrounded him. Among them were Chen Tunyi, a master of chemistry at Soochow University in Suzhou, and Wang Xiaoxu, chief engineer and chief engineer of Shanghai Daewu Machine Factory, and Tokyo Advanced Industry. Li Huachen, a graduate of the school's electrical chemistry, and Hou Debang, a doctor of chemistry at Columbia University in the United States. This is the first team of scientists in the history of the company. Li Wenchen became the minister of the food industry in the future, and Hou Debang's original "Hou's Alkali Method" And famous in the world. This is a group of young people who have really paid for everything in China. One year, Chen’s wife, Pan Weiru, passed away. It was at the most stressful moment of Wynn’s finances. Chen Tingyu, who was unhappy, said in his obituary: “Rejection If you bring a gift, you can only collect cash. After the funeral, Chen Tiaoyu handed over all the gifts to Fan Xudong.

In 1918, Yongli Alkali Company was established in Tanggu. Chen Tiaoyu and Wang Xiaoxu built a 3-meter-high lime kiln in Fan Xudong's home to make a set of alkali-making equipment. After more than three months of testing, the process was opened and 9 kg qualified. Soda ash.

The suffering of Wynn's experience is even more than a long time. It has been around for 8 years. In the preparation of the factory, several major international companies that monopolize the alkali technology are strictly confidential, and it is almost impossible to purchase complete sets of machinery and equipment. Everything needs to be redesigned and researched.

The British knew that Fan Xudong could not despise, and he tried to kill Wynn in the cradle. Bu Neimen lobbied the Ministry of Finance of the Beiyang government to try to pass the "Regulations on the Taxation of Industrial Salts", stipulating that "the salt for industrial use will pay 2 cents per tax", which will increase the cost per ton of alkali by 8 yuan, allowing the test. Wynn is hard to bear. At that time, the meeting of the Ministry of Finance's Salt Affairs Audit Office was the British Sir Ding, and he certainly tried his best to promote the case. Fan Xudong pleaded with the Beiyang Government Executive Yuan and sued the Ministry of Finance's Salt Service for violating the government's 30-year decree granting industrial salt exemption for 30 years.

In August 1924, Wynn invested 2 million yuan, and finally produced the first batch of alkaline products. However, it is disappointing that the production of inferior alkali is still red and black. The news came out, the British company issued a sneer. At this time, all four ship-type calcining furnaces were burnt out and could not be reused. The whole factory was forced to stop production. The shareholders who had been waiting for several years had lost patience. Only Fan Xudong still insisted on sticking his teeth. Bu Neimen took the opportunity to meet with Fan Xudong and hoped to invest in Wynn. Fan Xudong refused to use the company’s articles of association to clearly stipulate that “shareholders are limited to those who enjoy Chinese nationality”. More than a year later, on June 29, 1926, Wynn finally produced pure and white qualified alkali, and the whole factory was jubilant. Fan Xudong shed tears and said to Chen Tiaoyu next to him: "In recent years, my clothes are too big. Lao Chen, you can live for a few more years." Fan Xudong named the product Yongli soda ash to distinguish it from "Olympic", in August, at the World Expo held in Philadelphia, USA, Wynn Soda was awarded the gold medal of the conference. The expert's comment was: "This is a symbol of China's industrial progress."

From 1927 to 1937, Wynn's annual output of soda ash has more than tripled, and the "Red Triangle" soda ash has been exported to Japan, India and Southeast Asia. In Tianjin, Yongli Soda Plant, Nankai University and Ta Kung Pao were collectively referred to as “Tianjin Sambo”, representing the highest standards of industry, university and journalism in that era. The high-rise building of the main plant of Yongli Soda Plant towers into Yuntian. The carbonization plant is 32 meters high and has 8 floors. The steaming plant is 47 meters high and reaches 11 floors. It is not only the tallest building in North China, but also the landmark building in Tanggu and even Tianjin. . Fan Xudong’s science of saving the country is very hot. He once said in a speech: "If China does not have a group of people, it will be calm: not to be hot, not to be annoyed, not to be confused by the fame and fortune of the world. China is creating new academic skills, and China will not produce new life."

Since 1930, he wanted to build China's sulfuric acid industry. He submitted a report to the Nanjing Ministry of Industry. He hoped that the government would allocate 20 million yuan, 6 million alkali plants, 8 million nitric acid plants, and 6 million sulfuric acid plants. However, the official documents given by the government were empty words, and no one was implemented, which made his hopes completely lost. In the following three years, he traveled between various banks and tried his best to finance the project. He was finally approved to set up a Nanjing plant in 1933 with a design capacity of 50,000 tons of ammonium sulfate per year. On February 5, 1937, the Nanjing plant was officially put into operation, producing the first batch of domestically produced ammonium sulfate. Ammonium sulfate can produce nitric acid to make explosives. At that time, the state affairs had been arrogant, and the news was released. Fan Xudong wrote in his diary: "The strong ammonia industry of the strong powers of the tyranny of the dynasties is realized in China." China has soda ash and caustic soda, which can only be said to have a wing; now there are synthetic ammonia, sulfuric acid and nitric acid. Another wing. With two wings, China's chemical industry can take off."

At the moment when Fan Xudong was ambitious, the Sino-Japanese war broke out. On the eve of the Lugouqiao Incident, Japanese warships had already entered Tianjin Tanggu Port, and Fan Xudong was afraid of major changes. He immediately organized personnel to demolition equipment and exit the factory. The engineers burned some of the drawings left in the factory, and some secretly kept them, so that they would be technically prepared for future reconstruction. The workers dismantled the splitter turntable and remote control instrument at the top of the lime kiln, the distillation tower temperature sensor representing the state of the art, and some of the pipelines of the carbonization tower. The instruments and drawings that were removed were taken to the south in batches, and they were transferred to Wuhan and Changsha via Hong Kong. Later, they were transferred to Sichuan, becoming an important asset for the reconstruction of the rear.

After the outbreak of the war, Fan Xudong’s factories all broke into the enemy. In the autumn of 1937, the North China Development Corporation of the Japanese Military Ministry instructed its Xingzhong Company to seize the Yongli Soda Plant. Since the Yongli Soda Plant is internationally renowned, the Japanese hope to obtain property rights through legal procedures and “justified”. On behalf of Khmer, the representative of Xingzhong Company had “visited” Li Huachen, who stayed behind, and talked about “Japanese-Chinese goodwill” in an attempt to cooperate with Wynn. Li candle dust turned a deaf ear. Knife and other people asked Mitsubishi to come forward to discuss and propose that Mitsubishi will provide technology and funds in the name of the private consortium. Li Huachen refused on the grounds that the company’s articles of association clearly stated that “it must be Chinese nationals to take shares”. The Japanese side was still not good enough to stop, and found Fan Xudong several times and asked to buy the Yongli Soda Plant. Fan replied: "I don't sell the factory. If you want to take it, take it." The Japanese military finally lost patience. On December 9, 1937, Knife held the text of the agreement that was handed over to the Xingzhong Company in advance, forcing Li Wenchen to sign the text. Li Wenchen couldn't bear it anymore. He changed his past style and refined style and angered: "Where there are robbers in the world who have to rob the things and sign the owner! You are too brave to be a robber." The next day, the Japanese army ordered the forced takeover of the Yongli Soda Plant. . Knife and the personnel of Japan Xingzhong Company entered the factory. Fan Xudong’s industry in Tanggu has all fallen to the hands of the Japanese.

The Nanjing factory also failed to escape the fate. This newly built factory has reached international standards and is capable of producing the chemical products needed to make ammunition. When the Japanese army approached Nanjing, they intended to preserve this first-class Asian factory. They used various channels to force Fan Xudong to submit. He is willing to cooperate to ensure the safety of the factory. Fan categorically refused, and replied: "I would rather be mourned and not behave."

After the war in Nanjing, Fan Xudong ordered that all the machine materials, drawings and models that had been taken away would be rushed westward. The equipment that could not be removed should also be removed from the equipment. The main equipment should be buried or as much as possible. The Yangtze River, so as not to be used for tough. On August 21, September 7, and October 21, the Japanese plane bombed the Nanjing plant three times, and the factory had a total of 87 bombs. Together with Fan Xudong, the scientist Hou Debang, who built the factory painstakingly, is unhappy. He wanders around the destroyed workshop every day, touches it here, touches it, like crazy, everyone knows his heartbreak, and dare to persuade. Until the eve of the fall of Nanjing, Hou Debang was the last ship to board the evacuation. The followers later recalled that it was raining that day. Hou was obsessed with the factory and was completely wet.

After the Japanese army entered the city, Mitsui Company took the Nanjing factory as its own. In 1942, the Japanese unloaded the equipment of the plant to Japan and installed it at the Yokosuka Plant of the Ogata Toyo High Pressure Co., Ltd. in Kyushu to produce explosives for the Japanese army.

After the factories in Tianjin and Nanjing fell into the enemy, Fan Xudong and his colleagues moved some of their equipment to Sichuan. On September 18, 1938, the "June 18" anniversary, the new Jiuda Salt Factory was announced in Zigong. The following year, Wynn and Huanghai were rebuilt in Wutong Bridge. To commemorate the Tanggu headquarters, Fan Xudong renamed Wutong Bridge "Xintangyu". Today, 70 years later, the three walls of "Xintangyu" are also engraved on the steep wall of the Wutongqiao cliff. On the wall of the Chongqing Jiuda and Yongli Joint Office, a picture of the Tangji Soda Plant was hung, and Fan Xudong personally wrote the words “Yan Yun is looking forward to the future”. He often stands in front of the photo and says to his colleagues: "We must fight back." However, Fan Xudong's career has not reappeared before the war. His salt and alkali company has suffered many difficulties and obstacles. Really open the situation.

Shortly after the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, Fan Xudong died in Chongqing due to sudden illness. The time was October 4, 1945, and he was only 61 years old. Before his death, in a coma, he grabbed his hand and grabbed it in the air, shouting in his mouth, "Iron Chain--", his last words are "coming together and working hard."

Fan Xudong’s colleague Hou Debang recalled that “Mr. When the company’s general manager has been in the company for more than 30 years, he’s not going to the car, he’s not living in the building, he’s all in his life, he’s focused on his career, and he’s hard-working, and he knows Mr. Fan is a person, and he can do it.” His son Fan Guoheng recalled that even in the Tianjin period of successful business, the life at home was quite restrained. At that time, the rice that was eaten daily at home was shipped from the hometown of Hunan, because it would be more expensive than buying food in Beijing and Tianjin. cheaper. In Chongqing, Fan Xudong’s income was often not enough to support his family, and he relied on his wife’s dowry jewelry to help his family. After Fan Xudong’s death, more than 20 groups in Chongqing organized a memorial service. Both the leaders of the Kuomintang and the Communist Party sent the squad, and Mao Zedong wrote “Industry Pioneer, Contributing to China”, and Chiang Kai-shek wrote “Improvement”.

Fan Xudong struggled for the revitalization of China's chemical industry, and he was born to worry about it. It is really a big man in the history of Chinese enterprises. He devoted himself to business with a book business, thinking about it all day long, all for the country, and he has been operating bleak for decades, and he has never been able to give birth to China's chemical industry. Surrounded by Hou Debang, Chen Tiaoyu, Li Huachen, Sun Xuewu and many other scientific and technological elites, they are either from European and American universities, or in large multinational companies. They all have a comfortable and comfortable career. They are all moved by Fan Xudong. Following him drifting around the world, he has tasted all the hardships in the ruin of the cold. In the past 30 years, these people have been the leaders of the national chemical industry.

"The big man of business, for the country for the people", is talking about people like him.

Editor in charge: Zhang Yifan 1