China and Albert Einstein: The Reception of the Physicist and His Theory in China, 1917-1979. Danian Hu

China and Albert Einstein: The Reception of the Physicist and His Theory in China, 1917-1979, by Danian Hu. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2005. xiv + 257 pp. US$39.95/£25.95/euro36.90 (hardcover). Albert Einstein became known in China during the period of the May Fourth Movement (1917-21), the first occurrence of a student movement in Beijing calling for science and democracy. Since then the history of the reception and rejection of Einstein and his theory has been an indicator of the ups and downs of science and democracy in China. China and Albert Einstein by Danian Hu provides rich material on the story of Einstein and China from 1917 to 1979. The book begins with the early development of physics in China. The first department of physics was established in 1917, headed by Dr Xia Wenli, who was the first Chinese physicist to introduce Einstein's theory into China. Einstein's theory attracted the attention of Chinese students because of his short visit to Shanghai and his lecture on relativity on New Year's Day of 1923. When he went sightseeing in the old city of Shanghai, Chinese students recognized him, carried him on their shoulders, and paraded. Einstein gained the admiration of the Chinese students not only because of his scientific achievements but also for his constant concern about injustice, suppression and human rights abuses in China. In 1931, the Japanese army invaded and occupied three provinces in Northeast China. Einstein urged all nations to impose economic sanctions on Japan, hi October 1932, Chen Duxiu, the former dean of the College of Humanities of Beijing University, was arrested. Along with Bertrand Russell, Einstein telegraphed Chinese military authorities and asked for Chen's release. That was the first time that Chinese scholars had received support from international intellectual circles with regard to issues of human rights. Again, in March 1937, seven intellectuals who advocated resistance against the Japanese invasion were arrested. Einstein, together with sixteen leading American intellectuals, telegraphed the Chinese government and demanded that it respect freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. The book rightly shows that Einstein's strong sense of social responsibility provides an illustrious role model for Chinese intellectuals, especially physicists, who advocate the universal principle of human rights. In 1937, the Chinese edition of Mein Weltbild (The World as I see It) was published, showing Einstein's opposition to the Nazis. The words "the state should be our servant, we should not be slaves of the state" resonated with many young Chinese, who were facing a crisis similar to that of Fascism in Europe as a result of Japan's full-scale invasion of China. For instance, Professor Xu Liangying, at that time a Zhejiang University student, said that Einstein's book "opened up my vision, my mind, my heart and guided me into serious thinking of many fundamental questions in life". …