He Lucheng

He Lucheng, originally named Mao Chucheng, was born in 1935. He was the nephew of Mao Zedong. During his childhood, his father sacrificed himself, and his mother, He Yi, placed him in the care of relatives and friends due to difficult circumstances. In 1949, He Lucheng reunited with his mother; however, shortly thereafter, she died in a car accident, which dealt him a significant blow. Subsequently, his aunt, He Zizhen, took him to live in Shanghai. Under his aunt’s care, he gradually recovered and continued to study diligently. Despite his distinguished family background, he remained humble and low-profile, striving to live as an ordinary student. In 1956, he entered Shanghai Jiao Tong University to study electrical engineering and graduated with excellent results. He was selected as a graduate student in the Soviet Union, but due to the changing relations between China and the USSR, the plan was not realized. Eventually, he was assigned to the national defense research sector, becoming a missile engineer. He Lucheng participated in China’s missile research and made significant contributions to the country’s military technological development, devising several important technical solutions. Despite experiencing the political turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, he remained committed to his profession and ultimately became the first senior professional to be awarded a high-level credential in the General Staff System in 1980. His life was always closely linked to national interests; he also actively participated in social welfare, supporting economic development in revolutionary old areas, and caring about education and sports development. Toward the end of his career, He Lucheng served as a leader in several technology companies and used his personal savings to support social causes. He maintained a respectful attitude toward history within his family, deciding to have his son revert to the family’s original surname, “Mao,” in honor of his ancestors’ contributions to the nation. His life and career fully embody the perseverance and dedication of an outstanding technical talent.