A Glimpse of the Initial Conditions for the Development of Science and Technology and Soviet Specialists in the PRC:1949–1955

This article aims to analyze the so-called“starting point”when modern scientific and technological successes in China were in their infancy,and to provide the reader with insight on how various challenges were overcome in their development.The period under review is 1949–1955.The information about this period was obtained from Soviet archives and special literature.The first part of the article describes the state of affairs in the People’s Republic of China(PRC)in the early years of its formation,focusing on education,science,industry(including military),communications,and rail transport.The second part turns to the Soviet specialists working in the PRC during these years,focusing on their profession,number,cities of residence and living conditions.Issues regarding Chinese specialists’internship in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR)are also touched upon.The article selects several lesserknown areas in which professional competencies were established in this very weak post-war country to discover the origins of the most important science and technology in the contemporary PRC,thereby contributing to readers’understanding of the initial conditions for the development of science and technology in China.

Russian Scientific Investigations in China in the Nineteenth Century

This article aims to study the history of scientific investigations in China in the nineteenth century,made by Russian scientists who ranged in status and position including official agents,the directors of the Russian Magneto-Meteorological Observatory in Beijing,the members of the Russian Orthodox Mission(ROM),and others.The article gives a detailed analysis of the unique expeditions of H.Fritsche(1839–1913),director of the Russian Magneto-Meteorological Observatory in Beijing,and Archimandrite Palladius(1817–1878),head of the ROM to the northeast part of China.During those expeditions,existing maps were corrected and new maps were made.The article also covers the history of natural science investigations,made by other members of missions,doctors,and attached persons.This article employs sources from Russian archives(Saint Petersburg Branch of the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences,Russian State Historical Archive,Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire),which were rarely used by the scientific community,and adopts an empirical approach based on objectivity and historicism to the sources and research.

Creating technical heritage object replicas in a virtual environment

The paper presents innovative informatics methods for creating virtual technical heritage replicas, which are of significant scientific and practical importance not only to researchers but to the public in general. By performing 3D modeling and animation of aircrafts, spaceships, architectural-engineering buildings, and other technical objects, the process of teaming is achieved while promoting the preservation of the replicas for future generations. Modem approaches based on the wide usage of computer technologies attract a greater number of young people to explore the history of science and technology and renew their interest in the field of mechanical engineering.