On April 4, 2018, Tianjin University's original drama "Hou Debang" was performed at Qiu Shi Hall on Peiyang Park campus. Zhong Denghua, the president of Tianjin University, Mr Hou's grandchildren, and more than 1,000 teachers and students watched the performance.

Hou Debang was a professor of Peiyang University, a famous chemical engineer in China, and a pioneer and founder of the nation's modern chemical industry.

The drama was directed by China’s First-class director Xu Ruisheng and was written by Gaoshen. Composer Feng Gongrang created the background music. Tianjin Symphony Orchestra and the Peiyang Art Troupe performed the music. Students from Peiyang Drama Club and professional actors performed the drama together.

The drama "Hou Debang" has 15 scenes in total. It began with how Hou Debang pursued his study in his youth and displays his struggle in building a caustic soda industry in the early 20th century.  The audience was greatly inspired by Professor Hou's patriotism, his ambition to build a modern chemistry industry in China and his persistence and his  courage to overcome all kinds of difficulties in realizing his dream.

Li Xuan, a student from the School of Chemical Engineering and Technology said, "Right in front of our dorm on Peiyang Park Campus, there is the road named after Hou Debang. I used to wonder what Professor Hou was like whenever I was walking on that road. After seeing the drama, I am deeply impressed by Mr Hou's patriotism and I will follow his suit and pursue my dream of scientific research."

“Some people were called Master of a certain area because they showed great scientific spirit. For Hou Debang, he lived in a time when the country was weak and backward. Consequently, he and many people of his time took the responsibility and strived wholeheartedly to strengthen the country through enterprise and industry ”, the director, Xu Ruixian commented when asked about his inspiration in directing the drama. “This sense of responsibility has been passed down from generation to generation and plays a key role in realizing the Chinese Dream. Hou Debang is a perfect embodiment of this spirit with his life story. That’s why we deem Hou Debang and people like him as the backbone of the country.

By Zhang Xinyuan

Editors: Yin Wei & Doris Harrington