Farewell ceremony held for ‘father of China's nuclear submarines’ featuring floral tributes shaped like submarine and ocean waves

Farewell flowers were arranged in the shape of a submarine and ocean waves at the farewell ceremony for China's first-generation nuclear submarine chief designer Huang Xuhua. (Photo/Hubei Daily)

The farewell ceremony for China's first-generation nuclear submarine chief designer Huang Xuhua was held at Wuchang Funeral Home in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province at 10 am on Monday. Huang, the "father of China's nuclear submarines" passed away at the age of 99 on Thursday evening. Mourners from across China paid tribute to Huang's lifelong dedication to the country's nuclear submarine program.

In Wuhan, people have been lining up to pay their respects in recent days at the general building of the 719 Research Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Group, where a memorial ceremony was held for Huang. Floral tributes lined the walls, stretching along the entire path.

At the entrance to the farewell ceremony, flowers sent from all over the country including East China's Shanghai and Shandong Province, South China's Guangdong Province, and Northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, were neatly arranged with message cards conveying heartfelt tributes to Huang, Hubei Daily reported.

In front of Huang's portrait, the farewell flowers were arranged in the shape of a submarine and ocean waves, symbolizing his lifelong dedication to China's nuclear submarine development during which he remained away from home for 30 years.

Besides sending flowers to mourn their national hero, people also placed items related to Huang's lifelong work with nuclear submarines to honor him, including a model of a nuclear submarine and a marine adventure book Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea.

"We must tell our children about Huang's deep love for his country, to help them appreciate history and inspire them to contribute to the nation. Without the selfless dedication and sacrifices of our predecessors, we wouldn't have the wonderful life we enjoy today," said Xu Liang, a Wuhan resident who came to mourn Huang with his son and grandson.

On Sunday, many people came to visit the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy Museum in Qingdao, Shandong. Outside the main building of the museum, the Changzheng-1 nuclear submarine, developed by Huang and his colleagues, rests quietly by the shore.

"This is the soldiers' dormitory with bunk beds…This is the submarine's kitchen, where the soldiers' meals are prepared…" museum staff led a few visitors into the Changzheng-1 and introduced to them how Huang and his team conducted various technical and tactical experiments.

At Huang's alma mater Shanghai Jiao Tong University where he studied at the Shipbuilding Engineering Department from 1945 to 1949, memorial ceremonies have been held in the Minhang campus and the Xuhui campus separately on Friday and Saturday. Many faculty and students paid their respects by placing condolence flowers under the "Xuhua Road" street sign on the Minhang campus.

The university also held "Diving deep for the country – special exhibition on academician Huang Xuhua" in the School of Ocean and Civil Engineering. Beneath a large photo of Huang, flowers were placed around the model of the nuclear submarine Changzheng-1. On the online "cloud memorial" website set up by the school, more than 10,000 faculty, students, and alumni visited the site to light candles, leave messages, and express their condolences.

Huang's former residence is an unassuming three-story building located at Sancun village in Shanwei in Guangdong. Flowers were filled in front of the building and many people came to mourn him, bowing and offering flowers.