Shao Xianghua

Shao Xianghua was a Chinese metallurgist and engineer who made significant contributions to the development and use of steelmaking, rare earths and rare metals in China. He graduated from Tsinghua University in 1932 and obtained his PhD from the University of Munich in 1938. He returned to China in 1950 and worked at the Anshan Iron and Steel Group, where he served as the chief engineer and the director of production technology. He was responsible for the resumption of production and the establishment of the technical system for the first generation of large steel mills in China. He also participated in the design and construction of the new open hearth steelmaking plant and the formulation of the technical operating procedures and inspection standards for steel products. He later joined the China Iron & Steel Research Institute, where he served as the deputy chief engineer, the deputy director of the academic committee, and the technical advisor. He was a pioneer in the study of rare earths and rare metals, and developed various methods and technologies for their extraction, separation, purification, and application. He also supervised the research and development of other metallurgical fields, such as alloy steel, stainless steel, titanium alloy, and superalloy. He was awarded the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award in 2005, which is the nation's highest scientific prize, and the International Meteorological Organization Prize in 2003, which is the highest award in meteorology. He was also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. He died in 2012 at the age of 99 and was honored as a pioneer, a visionary, and an inspiration to many.