A 40-year historical review of the foundation stone of the new Chinese chemical fiber industry

In October 1990, the last year of the "Seventh Five-Year Plan", Yizheng Chemical Fiber Factory, the largest state-owned chemical fiber production base at that time, was fully completed and put into operation. In that year, China's chemical fiber output was 1.45 million tons, entering the forefront of the world.

New China's chemical fiber industry started from zero, with 40 years, for China's today's global leading chemical fiber industry cast a solid cornerstone, is the world's chemical fiber industry history miracle. How did such an achievement come about? Answering that question requires us to revisit this 40-year journey.

I. Review of major events in the construction and development of New China's chemical fiber industry

From 1949 to 1990, the new China's chemical fiber industry started from the restoration of the two man-made fiber factories left over from old China, and it took 15 years to independently establish the man-made fiber industry; Starting from the introduction of equipment, with more than 10 years, the establishment of coal-based Vinylon and chemical fiber machinery industry; Starting from the "2348 project", in 25 years, six state-owned petroleum chemical fiber production bases have been built, casting the cornerstone of new China's chemical fiber industry.

The 40-year history is divided into three major periods:

(1) The period of the creation of artificial fiber industry (1949-1965)

(1) The first state-owned chemical fiber enterprise in New China resumed production. Andong man-made Fiber Factory (Dandong Chemical Fiber Factory) was built in 1939 by the Japanese occupying the Northeast. During the liberation of Northeast China, the factory was severely damaged due to the war and could no longer produce. In 1948, the Northeast Textile Administration Bureau took over the factory and organized forces to resume production, and New China had the first state-owned chemical fiber enterprise. The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 delayed its resumption. In the summer of 1956, the factory began to resume production again, and it was officially put into operation in just over a year.

(2) The first public-private joint chemical fiber enterprise began production. Shanghai Anle artificial Silk Factory was founded in 1937 by national capitalist Deng Zhonghe who bought second-hand equipment from France. The French merchants did not deliver key equipment due to the war, so the factory never produced before liberation. In 1950, the Ministry of Textile Industry funded a public-private joint venture with the factory and organized the resumption of production. In 1951, the factory spun the first bunch of rayon silk in New China, and exhibited at the Shanghai local production Exchange Conference. The Shanghai municipal health department refused to allow the plant to be produced in the urban area because of the environmental pollution caused by volatile gases, so construction was suspended in 1953. In 1956, the Shanghai health department agreed to resume production after the technical transformation, and the factory was officially put into operation on May 1, 1958.

The resumption of production of Dandong chemical fiber Factory and Shanghai Anle synthetic Silk Factory is the starting point of new China's chemical fiber industry.

(3) In September 1954, The State Council issued the "Order on the Planned Purchase and Supply of Cotton Cloth", and the state began to issue cloth tickets to the urban population at the standard of 16-20 feet per person per year.

(4) The Ministry of Textile Industry set up a chemical fiber industry preparatory group. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Ministry of Chemical Industry was responsible for the construction of chemical fiber industry. However, chemical fiber ranks last among the 13 chemical industries, and its development is slower. In 1953, the Ministry of Textile Industry reported to the central government the idea of leading the development of chemical fiber industry, and in the autumn of 1954, the "Chemical fiber Industry preparatory Group of the Ministry of Textile Industry" was established. The preparatory team led the resumption of production of two man-made silk factories in Dandong and Shanghai and the construction of a number of man-made fiber factories.

(5) In 1954, East China Textile Institute set up the major of chemical fiber Technology. At the beginning of 1954, two professors, Qian Baojun and Fang Bairong, proposed the establishment of the chemical fiber major, and Chen Weizi, vice minister of the Ministry of Textile Industry in charge of education, attached great importance to it, and made every effort to promote the "chemical fiber technology" major of East China Textile Institute of Technology in the summer of that year. Vice Minister Chen Weiji studied printing and dyeing in the United Kingdom in his early years. As early as 1950, he proposed to build Shanghai Anle Rayon Silk Factory into a base for researching chemical fiber technology and training talents.

(6) Put forward the idea of artificial fiber industry development and the construction of Baoding chemical fiber factory. In 1956, the amount of artificial fibers in developed countries has accounted for more than 30% of the amount of textile fibers, and the proportion of China is very small. The Ministry of Textile Industry plans to introduce four large chemical fibre plants from the Soviet Union, including one nylon, two viscose staple fibres and one viscose filament, during the period of 2005, to lay the foundation for the development of the man-made fibre industry. But the Soviets weren't keen, so they let me import it from the GDR. In September 1956, China and Germany signed an order contract. In December of the same year, The State Council approved the construction plan of Baoding chemical fiber factory. Baoding Chemical fiber plant began construction in October 1957 and was completed and put into operation in July 1960.