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Hou Debang(1890-1974), born in Fuzhou City of Fujian Province,was a famous chemical expert and the founder of China's modern chemical industry. He was famous at an early age for his diligence, intelligence and hard study. Graduated from Tsinghua University in l912, he was recommended to study in Massachusetts Institute of Technology one year later and got the doctor degree of Colombia University in the United States.

In the 1920s, China solely depended on importation for all pure alkali consumption. To establish the national pure alkali industry, Hou Debang came back to China. With his guidance, Tianjin Alkali Plant, then the biggest one in Asia, was established at the coast of Bohai Sea in Tanggu District, Tianjin City, and developed the Red Triangle brand pure alkali. In 1926, Red Triangle won the highest honor, Gold Prize, at the International Exhibition in Philadelphia, USA.  Instead of selling his patent for huge profits, Hou Debang wrote a book titledProduction of Pure Alkali, introducing the techniques of pure alkali production to the world, and shared his knowledge with professionals in the circle of the international chemical industry.

In 1937, Hou Debang helped establish the Nanjing Ammonium Sulphate Factory under Yongli Chemical Industrial Company, which was up to the world level in terms of technology, ushering in a new era for China's chemical fertilizer industry. In 1943, he initiated the unique production technologies of pure alkali and ammonium chloride, which was called theHou Pure Alkali Production Method.This method established new ways for pure alkali production in the world and drew much attention from the international academic circle. Since then, China's pure alkali production industry has entered a new stage.

Hou Debang was once Vice Minister of Chemical Industry, vice chairman of China Association for Science and Technology, president of China Chemistry Academy and the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China. He became a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955.