This is a passage excerpted from its author’s memoir written recently. The author recounts the role he played in the establishment of official diplomatic relation between the People’s Republic of China and Israel 20 years ago. The memoir cites the historical records that show a considerable Jewish community who migrated from Mumbai, India 1000 years ago and settled down in Kaifeng, the Capital of Song Dynasty (960-1127). The ensuing emperors, personally concerned about these Diasporas, allowed them to stay in the Capital, conferred Chinese surnames upon them, and made official positions in government obtainable by them. Synagogues had stood in Kaifeng for as long as 700 years until they were finally destroyed by a big flood in 1854. Since then they had never been restored. The Jewish community gradually dispersed nationwide and fully intermixed with other ethnicities via intermarriage. Now millions of Chinese people may have distant lineage from Kaifeng Jews. China is one of a few countries that have always been treating Diasporas graciously as compatriots for a millennium.
Dr. Song Jian is a distinguished scientist in the fields of control theory, system engineering and aerospace technology. He received Candidate of Science (PhD equivalent) in 1960 and Doctor of Science in 1990 from the Moscow National Technical University (MBTU). Dr. Song’s positions include the Vice Minister and Chief Engineer-Scientist of Ministry of Astronautics (1981-1984), Chairman of State Science and Technology Commission (1984-1998), State Councilor (vice premier level) of the government of the People’s Republic of China (1986-1998), Chairman of National Environmental Protection Committee of State Council (1988-1998), Vice Chairman of State Leading Council of Science and Technology (1988-1998), President of Chinese Academy of Engineering (1998-2002), Vice Chairman of the 9th National Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), the national highest political advisory body (1998-2003), and First Vice Chairman of Committee on Academic Degrees of China’s State Council (1998-2003), President of China-Japan Friendship Association (1998-2011). Now he is Honorary Chairman of Presidium of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chairman of All-China Environment Federation.
His academic titles include Member of both the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Honorary Professor of the Academy of Mathematics and System Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Honorary President of Harbin Institute of Technology; Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Engineering, the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the Yugoslav Academy of Engineering; Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Engineering of Mexico, the National Academy of Engineering of Argentina and Member of the International Astronautic Academy.