Yao Tongbin

Yao Tongbin (Chinese: 姚桐斌; September 3, 1922 – June 8, 1968) was a Chinese scientist and one of China's foremost missile engineers. He was beaten to death during the Cultural Revolution in 1968. In 1999, he was posthumously awarded the Two Bombs, One Satellite Meritorious Award.

In this Chinese name, the family name is Yao.
Yao Tongbin

Biography

Yao was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. He graduated from the department of metallurgy of Shanghai Jiao Tong University in July 1945, and obtained a doctorate of engineering from University of Birmingham in UK in 1951. After returning to China in September 1957, Yao served in the Fifth Academy of the Ministry of National Defense, headed by Qian Xuesen. He helped found the Institute of Materials and Technology (later affiliated to the Seventh Ministry of Machine Building and became the director.

After the eruption of the Cultural Revolution, the young engineer Ye Zhengguang (a son of General Ye Ting) overthrew the Seventh Ministry leadership and removed Minister Wang Bingzhang and Vice Minister Qian Xuesen. Two rival factions in the ministry battled each other, and Yao was killed by a mob on June 8, 1968. After this loss of one of China's foremost missile engineers, Zhou Enlai ordered special protection for key technical experts.[1]

Because of his significant contribution to China's astronautical materials and technology, Yao was posthumously awarded the Two Bombs, One Satellite Meritorious Award in 1999 by Chinese government, over three decades after his murder.

References
  1. Stokes, Mark A. (July 2003). "The People's Liberation Army and China's Space and Missile Development". In Laurie Burkitt; Andrew Scobell; Larry Wortzel (eds.). The Lessons of History: The Chinese people's Liberation Army at 75 (PDF). Strategic Studies Institute. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-58487-126-2.
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