How did the "Father of Spaceflight" Qian Xuesen maintain his health at the age of 98?

Qian Xuesen was born in 1911 and died in 2009 at the age of 98. Qian was not only an outstanding scientist and aerodynamicist renowned both at home and abroad, but also the founder of my country's manned space flight, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a recipient of the Two Bombs and One Satellite Medal of Merit. He was known as the "Father of Chinese Spaceflight" and the "Father of Chinese Missiles". The author read books such as "Selected Letters of Qian Xuesen", "Biography of Qian Xuesen", and "Listening to the Curator Telling the Story of Qian Xuesen", and felt that Qian not only had outstanding achievements in scientific careers, but also had a lot of experience in health preservation. His health preservation concepts and practices are in line with the theory of traditional Chinese medicine and are worth learning from.

Regular life and healthy eating habits

Qian Xuesen worked from 7 am to 11 pm every day, strictly abided by the rules of life, and followed the health-preserving concept of "day and night, morning and evening, daily life" in the Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic. In terms of diet, Qian Xuesen did not avoid meat and vegetables, and believed that "four dishes and one soup are good". The Yellow Emperor's Internal Classic says: "Five grains are for nourishment, five fruits are for assistance, five animals are for benefit, and five vegetables are for filling. Take them with the right flavors to replenish the essence and qi." Paying attention to eating in moderation and balanced nutrition can, on the one hand, make the spleen and stomach function normally and not cause it to be too burdened; on the other hand, it can maintain its high-intensity brain function so as to better devote itself to scientific research. This is exactly the realm of "carefully harmonizing the five flavors, the bones are straight and the tendons are soft, the qi and blood flow, the pores are dense, and if so, the bones and qi are refined. Carefully follow the law and you will have a long destiny."

Qian Xuesen's son Qian Yonggang once said: "My father never smoked or drank. This is the principle he adhered to throughout his life." The Qing Dynasty's "Gu Songyuan Medical Mirror" says "Cigarettes are the most pungent and hot, and alcohol is the most damp and hot." Cigarettes are dry and hot, and they are easy to refine liquids and produce phlegm, which first affects the spleen and lungs. Modern research has found that cigarettes contain more than 4,000 chemical substances such as tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide, including a variety of carcinogens. 25 life-threatening and health-threatening diseases including chronic bronchitis, chronic obstructive pneumonia, coronary heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, lung cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, etc. are all related to smoking. Smoking can be said to be harmful but not beneficial. Alcohol is warm and dry in nature. Reasonable use has the functions of warming yang, unblocking meridians, and promoting qi and blood circulation. However, excessive consumption can easily increase the metabolic burden of liver function, damage the spleen and stomach, and harm physical health. The famous doctor Li Shizhen recorded in "Compendium of Materia Medica": "Drinking a little can harmonize the blood and circulate qi, strengthen the spirit and resist the wind, and relieve sorrow and excitement. Drinking heavily can damage the mind and consume blood, damage the stomach and kill the spirit, and produce phlegm and stir up fire. Drinking excessively and without restraint can kill people in an instant." Qian Xuesen was self-disciplined throughout his life, which provided an important guarantee for his physical health.

Simple and honest life style and indifferent to fame and fortune

"I don't envy other people's decorations. A professor's home should be like this: full of books." Qian Xuesen once said this when answering questions from reporters. Qian Xuesen's home is decorated in a simple and generous manner. The most eye-catching thing is the bookcases around the four walls and a piano brought from abroad. Many of the furniture and floors in the house are even a little shabby due to their age. In the 1990s, my country's economy developed rapidly. Because Qian Xuesen made great contributions to the motherland, the leaders specially arranged a villa for him to improve his living environment, but Qian Xuesen flatly refused and replied: "Don't talk about this anymore. I'm used to living here. If you let me live in a small building, I will feel uncomfortable all over. How can it be good for my health?"

"Suwen: Ancient Innocence" says: "Therefore, the mind is relaxed and desires are few, the heart is at peace and not afraid, the body is tired but not exhausted, the qi is smooth, each follows its desires, and everyone gets what they want. Therefore, their food is delicious, their clothes are free, their customs are happy, and the high and low do not envy each other. Therefore, their people are simple... Therefore, they are in line with the Tao." Qian Xuesen contributed his life to the country, rarely considered his own private affairs, often had few private desires, and was calm and empty. It is this kind of indifference to fame and fortune, simple and generous values ​​that enabled him to restrain his thoughts and cultivate his mind, concentrate on scientific research, and calmly face various difficulties and setbacks.

Hobbies that appeal to both the elite and the masses and are beneficial to the body and mind

Qian Xuesen's wife Jiang Ying is a famous vocalist, educator, and professor at the Central Conservatory of Music. Influenced by his wife, Qian Xuesen's biggest hobby is listening to music and playing the piano, which is also his favorite way of leisure and health.

While studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Qian Xuesen showed great interest in music. Between 1935 and 1936, Qian Xuesen attended 20 performances of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In his later years, he recalled with emotion: "This is my only form of entertainment." After returning to China, a piano took up a quarter of the space in his small living room. Qian Xuesen once said: "When I was puzzled by a work, it was often Jiang Ying's singing that made me suddenly enlightened and inspired... One point I want to emphasize is the interaction between literature and technology." "The poetic and picturesque meanings and the profound understanding of life contained in music art have enriched my understanding of the world and allowed me to learn the broad thinking methods of art. In other words, it is precisely because I have been influenced by these artistic aspects that I can avoid being stubborn and mechanical materialism, and think more broadly and more lively."

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the five tones regulate the five internal organs, which is a special method of health care and disease treatment in ancient times. "Lingshu·Xieke" says: "There are five tones in the sky, and there are five internal organs in the human body." Music therapy can harmonize qi and blood, and then achieve a state of yin and yang balance, while harmonizing the functions of the internal organs and preventing all diseases. Sima Qian mentioned in "Historical Records·Book of Music" that music "stirs up the blood, circulates the spirit and harmonizes the heart." Zhu Danxi also pointed out that "music is also medicine."

Another hobby of Qian Xuesen was tea. In his opinion, "I would rather go without food for three days than go without tea for one day", and he especially liked Longjing tea from his hometown of Hangzhou, Zhejiang.

"Supplement to Materia Medica" states: "All medicines are for different diseases, but tea is for all diseases." It can be seen that tea plays an important role in health. "Compendium of Materia Medica" states: "Tea is bitter and cold, and it can reduce internal heat the most. Internal heat is the cause of all diseases, and when internal heat is reduced, the body becomes clear. When drinking warm tea, internal heat is reduced by the cold air, and when drinking hot tea, internal heat is used to disperse, and it also has the function of sobering up." Modern research shows that tea contains rich active substances such as tea polyphenols, tea polysaccharides, tea pigments, and theanine, which can eliminate free radicals and have a good health-care effect.

Qian Xuesen's longevity is closely related to his regular living habits, moderate diet, and proper work and rest. His positive attitude towards life is also worth learning from. As stated in "Suwen: Ancient Innocence", "Those who know the truth follow the laws of yin and yang, are in harmony with the art of numbers, eat and drink in moderation, have regular daily routines, and do not overwork. Therefore, they can keep their bodies and spirits together and live out their natural lifespans, passing away at the age of 100." (▲Song Tianli)