Xia Peisu was a computer scientist born in Chongqing, China. A year after attaining her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 1945, she met her husband Yang Liming. She then pursued postgraduate studies at the Telecommunications Research Institute of National Chiao Tung University. In 1947, she began her PhD in electrical engineering at the University of Edinburgh.
She was best known for her achievement in computer science and technology. She has been considered as the female computer pioneer who shaped a new field of science and a new industry in China. In 1950, Xia Peisu completed her PhD program and returned to China. In 1953, a male mathematician Hua Luogeng recruited her into Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS). Following her appointment as a founding professor of the Academy’s Institute of Computing Technology, she led the evolution of Model 107 which was China’s first locally designed general-purpose computer.
Xia Peisu’s great contributions to computer technology was significant and impactful. Unfortunately, her dedication and devotion has not been widely known. However, Hua Luogeng was comparatively more well known to the public. It is undeniable that they all went down in history as great computer scientists. This phenomenon reminded people that stereotypes of women in the field of innovation still exist, because people often think that male practitioners have dominant knowledge over females in the domain of computer science.
Works Cited
“Xia Peisu (1923-2014).” The University of Edinburgh, 24 Feb. 1970, www.ed.ac.uk/information-services/about/international-womens-day/xia-peisu.
“The Computer Pioneer Who Built Modern China.” BBC Future, BBC, www.bbc.com/future/article/20200219-xia-peisu-the-computer-pioneer-who-built-modern-china.
Vitae, China. “China Vitae.” China Vitae : Biography of Xia Peisu, www.chinavitae.com/biography/Xia_Peisu/bio.
Thank you for writing about Peisu! I had considered writing about her, but I think you did a much better job 🙂
I think this is impressive! I feel like these women designers were underappreciated even though as you wrote ‘She was best known for her achievement in computer science and technology.’