About Qian Sanqiang
Lived 1913 – 1992 (aged 78). Qian Sanqiang was a Chinese physicist and nuclear physicist.
Qian Sanqiang (; October 16, 1913 – June 28, 1992), also known as Tsien San-Tsiang, was a Chinese nuclear physicist and among the leading scientists of the Two Bombs, One Satellite program. Due to his central role in the development of China's nuclear industry and nuclear weapons program, he is referred to as the "father of China's atomic bomb".
Qian returned to China in 1948 with his wife, the nuclear physicist He Zehui, where he took up a professorship at the Tsinghua University and in 1950 founded the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), today known as the China Institute of Atomic Energy. and honorary Chairman of the China Association for Science and Technology.
Qian made outstanding contributions to the establishment of nuclear science in the People's Republic of China and to the development of the PRC's atomic and hydrogen bombs under the Two Bombs, One Satellite program. In 1999, he and 22 other Chinese scientists and technologists who had made significant contributions to the program were awarded the Two Bombs, One Satellite Meritorious Service Award Medal (Chinese: 两弹一星功勋奖章).
After the end of the Cultural Revolution, Qian was appointed to become a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He was also permitted to resume his work in the atomic energy industry.
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Important facts
People in Qian Sanqiang's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Qian Sanqiang's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Qian Sanqiang?
Chinese nuclear physicist (1913–1992)
When was Qian Sanqiang born?
Qian Sanqiang was born on 16 October 1913 in Shaoxing.
When did Qian Sanqiang die?
Qian Sanqiang died on 28 June 1992 in Beijing.
What was Qian Sanqiang's occupation?
Qian Sanqiang was a physicist and nuclear physicist.
What nationality was Qian Sanqiang?
Qian Sanqiang was Chinese.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Qian Sanqiang. https://biography.guide/qian-sanqiang/
MLA: "Qian Sanqiang." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/qian-sanqiang/.
Chicago: "Qian Sanqiang." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/qian-sanqiang/.
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