Bei Shizhang

Chinese scientist. Bei Shizhang, Manager of the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Science, was one of three senior scientists that formulated the plans for China's first manned spacecraft in April 1966.

Educated Tongji; doctorate from Tubingen in 1928. He was a pioneer of Chinese cytology, embryology and the founder of Chinese biophysics. The asteroid 31065 Beishizhang was named in his honour on the occasion of his 100th birthday. He died in Beijing at the age of 106.

Official Chinese Academy of Sciences Biography

Bei Shizhang (Pei Shih-Chang, Sitsan Pai, Sie-Tsang Pai)

Cytologist. Born in Zhenhai, Zhejiang Province. Graduated from the premedical course of Tongji Medical and Technical College in 1921. Received Sc.D. from Tuebingen University, Germany in 1928. Research professor and honorary director, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

During the intersex changing of Chirocephalus, Bei observed the phenomenon of cell reformation and investigated cell reformation in the early development of chick embryo, hemopoietic system of mice (bone marrow), nodule bacteria and Chlamydia trachomatis. He proved that the existence cell reformation is an objective reality, especially in yolk granules and cytoplasm of early development of Chirocephalus and chick embryo and extracted chromatin from yolk granules. Formerly, he studied life history, development, cell-constancy, regeneration, structure and behavior of chromosomes of nematode. He also studied chromatophore activity of crustacean in relation to different temperature and different concentrations of Eyestalk-extract, structural and functional changes of Corpus allatum and Corpus cardiacum of Chironomus larvae during metamorphosis, and annelid regeneration, relation between regeneration and natural fission, relation between fission and disintegration at different temperatures, etc..

He became Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955.