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After the death of giant of scientist Qian Xuesen over the weekend, millions of comments have been posted on websites, mourning the loss of the "father of China's space program". In online forums, which usually serve as a barometer of public sentiment, even netizens who grudge lauding great personalities have heaped praise on Qian. They admire the scientist not only because of his great contribution to strengthening China's scientific and military power, but also for his moral integrity. Some of Qian's qualities that came to light in a reminiscence published by his former secretary in the People's Daily yesterday deserve more than mere admiration. His former secretary writes that Qian always shunned fame and wealth, especially when it came to official positions and titles. In 1984, when the China Association for Science and Technology was planning its third plenary session for the following year, Qian applied to get his membership canceled. He did so because he did not want to be elected chairman of the association. It was a common understanding among association members then that Qian was the most suitable candidate to succeed the outgoing chairman, 80-year-old physicist Zhou Peiyuan. Qian said that if he succeeded Zhou as chairman he would also have to take over Zhou's position as the vice-chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, as was the practice in China's officialdom then. "That is exactly the last thing he liked to do," writes Qian's former secretary. | 
