On December 12th, the statue unveiling ceremony of Academician Shen Zhonghou was held at the Tangdaowan campus of the school. Wang Yong, the Secretary of the School Party Committee, Wang Ruihan, former Vice President of the school and 95th doctoral student of Academician Shen Zhonghou, Li Gensheng, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former Vice President of China University of Petroleum (Beijing), and 98th doctoral student of Academician Shen Zhonghou, Ma Guoshun, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Zhang Weidong, member of the Party Committee and Minister of the Organization Department, Zhao Fanghui, member of the Party Committee and Minister of the Propaganda Department, and leaders of relevant departments attended the ceremony. Zhang Zhan, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Petroleum Engineering, presided over the unveiling ceremony. Professor Shen Yue, the son of Academician Shen Zhonghou, and representatives of teachers and students attended the unveiling ceremony.

The unveiling ceremony of the statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou

  Academician Shen Zhonghou (February 1928 - February 2021), male, from Dazhu County, Sichuan Province, was an outstanding expert in oil and gas well engineering technology and a pioneer in the discipline. He was a renowned educator and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Graduating in 1951 from the Mining and Metallurgy Department of Chongqing University, he taught successively at Beijing Petroleum School, East China Petroleum School, Petroleum University, and China University of Petroleum, serving as the head of the Petroleum Development Department from 1979 to 1988. In 2001, he was elected as an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Academician Shen Zhonghou devoted sixty-seven years to teaching, nurturing numerous outstanding talents in the Chinese petroleum industry. He was known for his rigorous scholarship, dedication, humility, and selflessness. He was honored with titles such as National Energy Industry Model Worker, Expert with Outstanding Contributions to National Scientific Research, and Outstanding Communist Party Member of Shandong Province. Engaged in research on high-pressure water jet theory and technology, he pioneered a new field in Chinese petroleum drilling technology and was revered as the father of water jet drilling technology.

Wang Yong, Wang Ruihe, Li Gensheng, Ma Guoshun, Shen Yue, and Xu Mengran unveiled the statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou

The unveiling ceremony was presided over by Zhang Zhan, the Secretary of the College Party Committee

Faculty and student representatives presented flowers to the statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou

Professor Shen Yue, the son of Academician Shen Zhonghou, delivered a speech

   Shen Yue, in his address, expressed sincere gratitude to the school, relevant departments, the School of Petroleum Engineering, the statue donor Yuan Dong, Academician Shen's disciples, and the sculptor Gu Xijia. He shared glimpses of life with his father, Academician Shen Zhonghou, and narrated the subtle but powerful influence of Academician Shen on him. He emphasized that the statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou not only represents him personally but also symbolizes a group, reflecting the dedication of the older generation of petroleum educators. He encouraged the younger generation to inherit and carry forward their spirit of hard work and entrepreneurship, aiming to achieve new glories in their journey.

Academician Li Gensheng, a disciple of Academician Shen Zhonghou, delivered a speech

  Li Gensheng, in his speech,  stated that his mentor, Academician Shen Zhonghou, with his noble character, rigorous scholarly attitude, pragmatic work style, and tireless dedication to teaching, profoundly influenced each of his disciples and would continue to influence generations of students. He highlighted Academician Shen's lifelong dedication to petroleum science research and education, making indelible contributions to the country and the school. He urged future generations to remember Academician Shen's outstanding achievements, embody his spirit of rigorous scholarship, truth-seeking, humility, and selflessness, and transform the power of his example into a strong driving force for progress.

Ma Guoshun, the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, delivered a speech

  Ma Guoshun, in his address,  stated that Academician Shen Zhonghou exemplified the essence of Zhonghou through his extraordinary life. He was a scientist loyal to the country and the people, pioneering a new field in Chinese petroleum drilling technology and helping China's petroleum-related technologies reach the forefront globally, earning him the title of the father of water jet drilling technology. He was also an educator with high moral standards and deep love for his students, nurturing a large number of outstanding talents for China's petroleum industry, creating a remarkable story of teacher-student dual academicians. He pointed out that all teachers and students of the school should take the older generation of Shida people represented by Academician Shen Zhonghou as role models, inherit and promote the spirit of Shida, which includes unity of family and country, hard work, truth-seeking, and pursuit of excellence, and strive to write a new chapter in the development of the school, working tirelessly to build a world-class university in the field of China's characteristic energy.

The statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou

  The statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou was initiated by the School of Petroleum Engineering, donated by Yuan Dong, a 1995 graduate of the School of Petroleum Engineering, and designed by Professor Hu Xijia of the Shandong Institute of Arts and Crafts, a member of the China Artists Association and Vice Chairman of the Shandong Sculpture Association. The casting process took six months to complete. The main body of the statue is a 1.92-meter-tall bronze full-body standing statue, created in a realistic style. The base is made of black marble, 0.6 meters high, with Academician Shen's life story inscribed in golden letters in the center of the front. The bronze statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou stands in front of Building B of the Engineering Building, forever accompanying the school and its students that Academician Shen loved.

Guests visited the exhibition of images and texts of Academician Shen Zhonghou

  The School of Petroleum Engineering held an exhibition of Academician Shen Zhonghou's images and texts in Building B of the Engineering Building, with the theme based on the inscription by former school principal Yang Guanghua, focusing on Academician Shen Zhonghou's life story, research achievements, educational philosophy, and spiritual wealth.

  The unveiling of the statue of Academician Shen Zhonghou has erected a monument of spirit that forever climbs the peak of technology and embraces the greatness of the nation. All teachers of the School of Petroleum Engineering should take Academician Shen as a role model, love the cause of education, be humble and caring towards others, and care for students, embodying noble character and forever being an example of learning to be a teacher, and being upright as a model; every student should also take Academician Shen as a benchmark, forge ahead, innovate boldly, delve deeply and extensively, accumulate steadily, and consciously grow into a new generation of the times who bravely shoulder the great task of national rejuvenation. The entire faculty and students should deeply cherish the important contributions made by Academician Shen Zhonghou to the development of the petroleum industry and higher education, continue his immortal spirit, and gather the strength to forge ahead.