The father of photographic paper

On June 2, 1949, China’s first original chlorine photo paper was successfully developed in a simple chemical laboratory at No. 86 Dexing Road, Shantou City, Guangdong. The developer was 28 years old. Lin Xizhi (1921-1969).

Lin Xizhi’s original name was Lin Yingxi, also known as Lin Chi. He was born into a wealthy businessman family. His grandfather once acted as a shipping agent for the British merchant Swire Shipping Company and founded the "Taikoo Nanji Line" in Shantou City. In 1946, Lin Xizhi studied in the Chemistry Department of St. John's University in Shanghai. While studying, a foreign teacher once ridiculed China's industrial backwardness in front of him. This incident always stung his heart. He said: "What foreigners can do, can't the Chinese do it? I must fight for the Chinese in terms of photosensitive materials." In 1948, Lin Xizhi returned to his hometown of Shantou and began to concentrate on photosensitive materials. Working in chemical experiments, his idol was the great American entrepreneur George Eastman, who invented roll-type photosensitive film in 1880, thus completely changing the history of human photography. Lin Xizhi and a few like-minded people set up the "AD Laboratory" using simple materials. The name "A.D." has an air of Genesis about it. The laboratory had no funds, so Lin Xizhi made some Western medicines and sold them to pharmacies to supplement current needs.

After the liberation of Shanghai, many of Lin Xizhi's relatives fled abroad, but he decided to stay and serve New China. In October 1952, AD Laboratory produced China's first photosensitive printing paper whose performance was close to that of imported photo paper. Half a year later, on April 1, my country's first photosensitive enterprise, Shantou AD Photographic Chemical Factory, was established. Lin Xi He was appointed deputy director and chief engineer. Initially, there were only 15 people in this factory. Later, they bought all 53 private houses in a section of Yong'an Street in Shantou City, and installed a 1.1-meter-wide photo paper coating machine, a 60-meter-long hanging rod-type drying tunnel, and a barium drying tunnel inside. Ground paper coating machine, super calender, embossing machine and other equipment, with an annual output of 350,000 boxes of photographic paper.

In July 1954, the privately owned AD Factory was the first batch to participate in the public-private partnership. Lin Xizhi successfully designed and developed the "air conditioning drying method" production process, replacing the crude "lime moisture absorption drying method". In April 1955, China's first portrait film was successfully trial-produced. In 1956, the organization successfully developed black-and-white film, black-and-white film positive (negative) film, black-and-white high-speed photographic film, X-ray film, printing plate series film and water-soluble positive color film. It was thanks to the efforts of Lin Xizhi and Gongdian Factory that my country's situation of relying on imported photographic sensitive materials was gradually reversed. Soon, photo paper and film were exported to foreign countries. Lin Xizhi also initiated the establishment of a vocational amateur school and Shantou Photochemical College. In 1959, the Ministry of Young Industry hosted the first national professional conference on photosensitive materials, announcing the formation of my country's photographic photosensitive materials industry and including production in the national plan.

Lin Xizhi was in frail health and suffered from tuberculosis in his early years. The heavy scientific research and business work made his health very poor and he was almost disabled. His wife recalled that Lin Xizhi rode a bicycle to and from work every day. Due to weakness in his right arm, he often fell off the bike. He got up from the ground and continued on his way. This is a scene in Shantou. Due to long-term overuse of his brain, he often suffered from insomnia. For a period of time, he often stayed up all night. Especially when he was working on a scientific research project, he could not sleep at all. He had to rely on sleeping pills to force him to rest every day. Later, the amount of sleeping pills he took increased day by day, so he had to An electronic hypnosis machine was imported from abroad. Through machinery, help him get a short period of sleep.

When the Cultural Revolution broke out in 1966, Lin Xizhi, who had both foreign relations and a "reactionary authority", was brutally persecuted from the beginning. He was imprisoned in the "cowshed" and his home was ransacked again and again. , scientific and technological materials were destroyed, and equipment was smashed. At that time, a tumor in his throat gradually grew in size, and eventually became as big as an egg, making it difficult for him to eat. He often vomited blood, had night sweats, had convulsions, and was in coma...

In June 1969, The guard was afraid that he would die in the "cowshed", so he let him out. When Lin Xizhi returned home, he endured the severe pain and immersed himself in work. He disassembled several radios at home into parts and reassembled them. He disassembled and reassembled them and dismantled them again, and began to research a new technology to improve the sensitivity of film. His wife couldn't bear it, so Lin Xizhi said, "You have to work while you're alive. Let me do it. I don't have much time left to work."

In October, 48-year-old Lin Xizhi passed away in his hometown. In a small dark room without sunlight under the stairs of his house, his life and career have reached the darkest end. His last words were, "I have not completed the task."

To In the 1980s, Shantou A.D.'s main products have developed to 42 varieties in five categories, including black and white photo paper, portrait film, film, X-ray film and printing plate film. The output of photo paper ranks first in the country. In 1986, the state invested a huge investment of more than 900 million yuan to introduce the color photosensitive material production line of Japan's Fujifilm Company. Due to various factors, the color line fell into a halt or semi-stop production less than a year after it was put into production. By the early 1990s, AD's debt reached 4.8 billion yuan. In 1994, the State Council made a decision to transfer the color production line to the American Kodak Company for US$180 million. The founder of Kodak is Lin Xizhi's idol-George Eastman. In August 2005, Kodak announced the permanent closure of the AD plant due to consecutive years of losses.

Du Lianhua, male, born in 1954, is a member of the Communist Party of China and an engineer. Graduated from South China University of Technology in January 1982, majoring in polymer chemical engineering. Assigned to Shantou Gongyuan Photosensitive Factory to engage in production technology marketing management, and successively served as deputy director of the general manager's office and deputy manager of the sales company; on National Day in 1994, he contracted the Guangzhou Exhibition and Sales Department of Shantou Gongyuan Photosensitive Materials Industry Corporation. After the closure of the AD Factory, Mr. Du Lianhua organized the establishment of Shantou Huatianfu Photosensitive Materials Co., Ltd., which was later renamed Shantou Huatianfu Industrial Development Co., Ltd., taking over the legacy of the AD Factory, and working with Lucky *** It assumes the important historical responsibility of the domestic photosensitive material industry and continues to keep pace with the times and pioneer and innovate. The company has developed well so far, and its products have been unanimously recognized and praised by domestic and foreign merchants and consumers.