Xiaoguang Yan (, sometimes written as Xiaoguang Yan or Xiao Guang Yan, – ) was a Chinese petrochemist who researched catalysts used in petroleum processing. He was born in Japan to Chinese parents. When he was young, he moved to the United States to study and work, earning a B.A. in chemistry from Pomona College in 1942 after transferring from Pasadena City College in 1940, and later a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He returned to China in 1951 after the establishment of the People's Republic of China. He became one of the pioneers of petrochemical research in the PRC, researching various catalysts for hydrocracking, hydroisomerization, and other petroleum processing techniques. He fell out of favor during the Cultural Revolution and committed suicide in 1968 along with his wife and daughter, but was posthumously rehabilitated in 1972.
Biography
Early life and US years
Xiao Guangyan was born in Tokyo Prefecture, Great Japanese Empire, September 15, 1920. His father was Xiao Quanxuan, a military attache at the Embassy of the Republic of China in Japan , and later served as minister in the Wang Jingwei regime. Xiao Guangyan studied at Shanghai Nanyang Model Middle and Primary School from 1928 to 1937, and in February 1937 moved to the United States. Xiao Guangyan entered the Pasadena City College, completed high school in 1938, and completed the freshman and sophomore courses with honors in 1940; he entered the Chemistry Department of Pomona College in 1940, and graduated as a senior in 1942. In the fall of the same year, he became a graduate student in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago, studying for a Ph.D. under James Franck. During this period, he served as a teaching assistant in organic chemistry, physical chemistry and advanced physical chemistry courses. He received a doctorate in physical chemistry in March 1946.
After graduation, Xiao Guangyan was employed as an assistant researcher in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Chicago from January 1946 to August 1946. From September 1946 to October 1950, he was a researcher at the Metallurgical Laboratory of the University of Chicago. During November, he worked in the basic research catalysis group of Mobil.
While in US Xiao Guangyan participated in the North American Chinese Student Christian Association and other student club activities. The club gatherings were often held at his home. Through these activities he was exposed to Marxism-Leninism and other ideas, and he was increasingly yearning for the newly established People's Republic of China. In addition, at that time Chinese overseas students discussed whether to return to China and participate in the construction of the new China. Xiao Guangyan was acquainted with some students who returned to China, who influenced him to take the same decision. The US immigration officials tried to retain Xiaoguang Yan, explaining that they would complete the formalities for him to live in US within two to three months, but he refused to stay.
Relocation to China
Therefore, in 1950 Xiao Guangyan traveled to China as a literature student at the University of Chicago (not as a PhD, so as not to be obstructed by the Immigration Bureau). He set off in November 1950 and boarded the President Wilson cruise in Los Angeles, USA, passing through Honolulu and Manila, in late December he arrived to Hong Kong, and to Beijing in March 1951.
Once in China, Xiao Guangyan was assigned to work in the Ministry of Petroleum Industry of the People's Republic of China. After living in Beijing for some time, Xiao Guangyan moved to Dalian and worked in the Dalian branch of the Northeast Institute of Science (Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics). After the outbreak of the Korean War, the Chinese society began to distrust of intellectuals who had returned from the United States; with the development of the ideological reform movement in 1951, and people started to reject Xiao Guangyan, and later questioned his motives for returning to China, and was criticized for talking about his previous life in the United States, and for "worshiping foreigners and wooing foreigners". Facing criticism, Xiaoguang Yan developed a strong sense of anger. Xiaoguang Yan was anxious, experiencing mood swings, some days he would miss work to protest, and on occasions took large doses of sleeping pills. After the ideological reform movement ended, Xiao Guangyan's life calmed down, and the leader of the institute apologized to him for his unfounded suspicion, and Xiao worked hard to resume work regardless previous suspicions.