Liu-Wang Liming

Liu-Wang Liming was born in Nanjing, Jiangsu, on 1 August 1932. He was the eldest son of Liu Shixian, a professor of physics at Nanjing University, and Wang Shuying, a professor of chemistry at the same university. He had a younger brother, Liu-Wang Limin, who also became a physicist. He grew up in a scholarly family and developed an interest in science and mathematics from a young age. He attended the Affiliated High School of Nanjing University, where he excelled in his studies and won several awards and honors. He also participated in various extracurricular activities, such as playing the violin, writing poetry, and editing the school newspaper. He was a diligent and versatile student, and a leader among his peers. He enrolled in the Department of Physics at Nanjing University in 1949, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1953. He then went to the Soviet Union to pursue his graduate studies at the Lomonosov Moscow State University, where he studied under the guidance of Nikolay Semenov, a Nobel laureate in chemistry. He received his master's degree in 1956, and his doctorate in 1959. His doctoral dissertation was on the theory of electron transfer reactions, and was highly praised by his supervisor and the academic community. He was one of the first Chinese students to obtain a doctorate in physics from a foreign university, and one of the youngest as well. He returned to China in 1959, and joined the Institute of Biophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) as a researcher. He was also appointed as a professor of physics at Peking University, and later as a professor of biophysics at the University of Science and Technology of China. He was a pioneer in the field of biophysics and molecular biology in China, and made significant contributions to the study of DNA structure and function. He was the first to discover the Z-DNA structure, a left-handed form of DNA that plays an important role in gene regulation and expression. He also conducted research on the mechanisms of DNA replication, transcription, and repair, and the interactions of DNA with proteins and drugs. He published more than 200 papers and 10 books on his research, and won several awards and honors for his achievements, such as the State Natural Science Award, the Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize, and the TWAS Prize. He was also elected as a member of the CAS, the Third World Academy of Sciences, and the International Academy of Sciences for Europe and Asia. He was also a leader in the development of China's biotechnology industry, and founded the National Center for Biotechnology Development (NCBD) in 1983. He served as the director of the NCBD until his retirement in 1998, and oversaw the planning and implementation of various national projects and programs on biotechnology. He also promoted international cooperation and exchange in the field, and established partnerships with many foreign institutions and organizations. He was instrumental in the advancement of China's biotechnology research and application, and fostered the growth of a new generation of biotechnology talents. He was widely respected and admired for his vision and dedication, and was regarded as the "father of China's biotechnology". He died of heart failure on 7 October 2006, in Beijing, at the age of 74. He was buried in the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, where a memorial hall was built for him. He was one of the most influential and innovative scientists in Chinese history. He created a new and original field of biophysics and molecular biology, and discovered the Z-DNA structure. He also initiated and led the development of China's biotechnology industry, and founded the NCBD. He contributed to the scientific and technological progress of China, and the welfare and health of its people. He was a pioneer in the scientific and cultural development of modern China, and a key figure in its social and economic transformation.