Seminar commemorating centennial of the birth of Joan Hinton held in Beijing

Liu Yi

O n Oct 19， the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries held a seminar to commemorate the centennial of the birth of Joan Hinton in Beijing. Eighty people attended the seminar， including CPAFFC President Lin Songtian； Fred Engst， son of Joan Hinton； Tang Wensheng， former vice-chair of the All China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese； several retired ambassadors； overseas students； media representatives from People’s Daily， Xinhua News Agency， China Foreign Languages Publishing Group， Global Times， Beijing Weekly， People’s Pictorial， and China Today； and experts and scholars from a variety of institutions —Tsinghua University， Peking University， the International Committee for the promotion of Chinese Industrial Cooperatives （Gung Ho-ICCIC）， the Chinese National Academy of Arts， China Society for People’s Friendship Studies and the China Internet Information Center.

A short film about Joan Hinton’s life， Our Beliefs Brought Us Here， was played at the seminar. It was produced for the event by China Foreign Languages Publishing Group.

Hinton was born in the United States in 1921. She was a nuclear physicist who participated in the development of the world’s first atomic bomb. After learning that her scientific research results were used in the war， she resolutely gave up the study of nuclear physics.

In 1948， she came to China and arrived in Yan’an. She married Erwin Engst， an American agricultural expert in China. From then on， the couple worked and lived in Xi’an， Shaanxi province， and Beijing for more than 60 years， devoting their efforts to China’s socialist construction and making outstanding contributions to the development of animal husbandry， mechanization and talent training. People said they were “true farmers and communists”.

In 2004， Hinton became the first foreigner to obtain a Chinese green card. In 2010， she died in Beijing at the age of 89. Some of her ashes were scattered on the grasslands of Otog Front Banner of Ordos， Inner Mongolia， where she worked.

In his speech， Lin of the CPAFFC called Joan Hinton a participant and pioneer in the great cause of Chinese socialism. She was also a practitioner of the lofty revolutionary spirit of China， he said， always with a clear goal of creating a better and happier life for all mankind. She was brave， persistent and courageous， never caring about personal gains and losses， and thus had lived a great life.

To commemorate Hinton， Lin said， we should remember her noble quality of upholding justice， pursuing truth and peace and devoting her life to striving for human happiness. He added that we should live by her noble commitment to do-it-yourself innovation， science for the people and improvement of people’s livelihoods and thank her for her sincere friendship and great contribution to enhancing mutual understanding， friendship and trust between the Chinese and American people. We should also learn from her spirit of selfless work for the well-being of the people and her unswerving fight for the liberation of all mankind， he said.

This year marks the centennial of the founding of the Communist Party of China. From the start， the CPC has taken the pursuit of happiness for the people， rejuvenation of the nation and progress for mankind as its highest aspiration and mission. The interests of the country， the nation and the people are considered the Party’s highest interests and primary goals. This just cause and goal has not only been widely recognized and supported by the Chinese people but has long been understood and supported by a large number of international visionaries， including Hinton.

In his reply to the families of certain international friends on Sept 14， General Secretary Xi Jinping said that， since its founding 100 years ago， the CPC has lived up to the call of the times， the expectations of the people and the trust of international friends. The Party has united and led the Chinese people in a long-term struggle and achieved the first centenary goal of completing the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects. The Party is now leading the Chinese people toward the second centenary goal of building China into a great modern socialist country in an allaround way and continually promoting world peace and development， he said. Our international friends made the right choice back then， Lin said.

The CPAFFC president said that as we embark on a new journey in the new era， it is important for us to carry forward the spirit of our international friends， represented by Joan Hinton， in pursuing truth， upholding justice， dedication and boundless love. We need to enhance friendship and cooperation between the Chinese people and people around the world and promote the building of a human community with a shared future.

Lin said the association will continue to uphold the common values of mankind， take the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its mission， and unite all forces that can be united.“We will，” he said， “devote ourselves to the great cause of promoting mutual understanding and affinity among peoples of different nations and the building of a human community with a shared future. We should live up to the dedication and expectations of our international friends.”

Hinton’s son， Fred Engst， a professor at the University of International Business and Economics， said that an in-depth review of World War II convinced Hinton that imperialism was a threat to human existence. It was the Chinese revolution， led by Chairman Mao Zedong， Engst said， that allowed his parents to find a new path in life， stay in China and remain committed to the cause of China’s socialist construction.

He said： “My mother regarded the liberation of the Chinese people as her own cause. She considered herself a part of the Chinese people. She combined her own interests with the needs of the people and gradually morphed from a pacifist into an internationalist and a communist. Throughout her life， my mother， with a clear conscience， fought against imperialism and hegemony. Her spirit has influenced multiple generations. I believe that the seminar will help pass on the spirit of international communism.”

A number of participants spoke during the seminar， including Tang Wensheng， former vice-chair of the All China Federation of Returned O verseas Chinese； Gu Pin’e， executive vice-president of the China Society for People’s Friendship Studies； Wang Hui， professor at School of Humanities， Tsinghua University； Li Xiguang， professor at the School of Journalism and Communication， Tsinghua University； Zhao Yuezhi， distinguished visiting professor at the School of Journalism and Communication， Tsinghua University； Michael Crook， chair of Gung Ho-ICCIC； Zhu Dongli， a researcher with the Chinese National Academy of Arts； Li Shuxi， former president of Guangming Daily Press； Hosam Ahmed， foreign expert at the China Internet Information Center； and Alexandra Pozhidaeva， a master of arts student from Russia at the Peking University’s School of Journalism and Communication. They covered topics in depth， including the life story of Hinton， outstanding contributions Hinton and her husband made to China’s revolution and construction and the need to inherit and carry forward the spirit of internationalism in the new era.

The Chinese and foreign participants spoke highly of Hinton’s noble moral character in pursuit of peace and justice throughout her life and her firm beliefs， plain lifestyle， love of truth and service to the people. They called Hinton an outstanding internationalist and a staunch communist. She loved China and the Chinese people， always regarded herself as an ordinary working person and closely connected her personal career with the destiny of China and the Chinese people.

She insisted on the use of science for the people and always maintained flesh-and-blood ties with the people. She is an exceptional individual in the eyes of the Chinese people. Today， embarking on a new journey in the new era， what she stood for is of great practical significance and value to the continuance of the internationalist spirit and to the building of a human community with a shared future.

Ahmed and Pozhidaeva spoke on behalf of foreign experts and overseas students. They said that as foreigners working and studying in China they have witnessed China’s great development and tremendous achievements， and deeply felt the CPC’s governing philosophy that “the nation is composed of people， and people are all that matter to the nation”. They said they will try their best to inherit Hinton’s spirit and tell China’s story well， spread the Chinese voice and present a true， three-dimensional and comprehensive image of the country to the world.

Lin said that over the years the CPAFFC has always taken it as an important mission to promote peopleto-people diplomacy， publicize the historical contributions of international friends and carry forward the spirit of internationalism. The association is looking forward to cooperating with experts and scholars attending the seminar， he said.

“We will continue to explore the touching stories of international friends and publicize and inherit their noble qualities. We will implement what General Secretary Xi called for in his reply with concrete action. We will build a home for international friends in the new era and tell the Chinese story from three bases — a base to introduce the history of the CPC’s exchanges with foreign partners， a base to publicize the touching deeds of international friends and an education base for the spirit of internationalism. We will unite with and encourage more international friends in the new era and make positive contributions to the building of a human community with a shared future.”