(EST Pub Date) Science and Technology in Communist CHINA Through 1970

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tinue to remain far behind the leading nations of
the world in geophysical science and technology.
136. a. AsTaoNoMY—China has only a few
modest programs in areas of astronomy such as
asteroids, latitude and time, celestial mechanics,
stellar evolution and solar astronomy. There is
also an interest in radio astronomy and in the de-
sign of astronomical instruments. China main-
tains an optical satellite observation program which
is directed by the country’s largest observatory at
Purple Mountain, near Nanking.
137. The largest telescope in China, a 60-centi-
meter reflector, is located at Purple Mountain.
China’s lack of larger telescopes greatly restricts
activities in observational astronomy. The observa-
tory also has a horizontal spectrograph and a Lyot
chromospheric telescope for solar research, as well
as several transit instruments and astronomical
clocks.
138. Although the Peiping Observatory has as
large a staff as that at Purple Mountain, little
observation work is conducted, the emphasis being
on basic astrophysics and teaching. A radio tele-
scope is planned for the next solar cycle peak
(1968-69) and will consist of 32 6-meter dishes.
Observatories at Shanghai and Tientsin are active
in time service and latitude determination respec-
tively.
139. b. UPPER ATMOSPHERE AND SPACE—-R6-
search is conducted in several sub-fields of upper
atmosphere and space geophysics. Greatest em-
phasis has been on ionospheric studies, with most
of the work that is published being on correlation
studies of ionospheric irregularities.
density determinations can be made. The Chinese
have stated their intention to develop rockets and
satellites for upper atmospheric and space research.
140. The development of sounding rockets is the
responsibility of the Academy’s Institute of Geo-
physics, which is responsible for developing an
upper atmosphere rocket research program and
possibly for designing scientific payloads for earth
satellites. l l
141. A few cosmic ray observatories exist in
China, including a new one established near Can-
ton in 1964. This new station was associated with
the IQSY in publicity although China is not an
oificial participant. In the next 5 years, China’s
research will probably be expanded to other sub-
fields, such as aurora, airglow, and meteor investi-
gations.
142. c. ME"rEonoLocY—In China, meteorology is
probably one of the most active and productive of
the earth sciences programs. Nevertheless, the
status of meteorological research is low compared-
with the status of similar research in more ad-
vanced countries. As with most other sciences,
meteorology is expanding in China, and attention
appears to be concentrated on establishing a data
collecting net and on developing forecasting ca-
pabilities to support the military, agriculture, avia-
tion, and industry.
143. Although China has progressed rapidly in
meteorology since 1949, the average quality and
limited quantity of personnel, instrumentation, and
weather communications keeps capabilities lower
than in advanced countries. Minimum operational
requirements of the armed forces, industry, and
agriculture can be met. Better forecasting capabili-
ties and some additional improvement in the ob-
servational network will be accomplished in pro-
grams during the next 5 years. The Chinese have
had research on the theory of numerical weather
prediction under way for several years and are now
using electronic computers for weather forecasting.
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Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420
Approved for Release: 2018/01/30 C00659420 ‘
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