Postgraduates from the Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry laid flowers at the statue of Woo Sho-Chow, the former director of the institute and paid their respect to him on the morning of Friday, ahead of Qingming Festival which falls on April 5 this year.

The ceremony reminds us of the historical role of the older generation and encourages the young to strive for the revival of the nation, said Wang Lu, Secretary of the Student Union.

The ceremony has been held for 6 years since the statue was built in 2008.

Woo Sho-Chow

A physical chemist and pioneer in molecular spectroscopy in China. He graduated from Southeast University in 1924 and received his Ph.D. degree from the California Institute of Technology, USA in 1931. He served as director of the institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, director of Institute of Physical Chemistry, and director of Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was elected Academician of the Academia Sinica in 1948 and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955.

Qingming Festival

It is a traditional Chinese festival usually occurs around April 5 of the yea, which is often marked by people paying respects to the ones that made great contributions for the nation when they were alive. It is also a day for people to remember and honour their families at grave sites.