Background
Mr. Kao Lu was born at Chang Le Hsien, Fujian Province in 1881.
Mr. Kao Lu was born at Chang Le Hsien, Fujian Province in 1881.
Mr. Kao graduated from the Naval Architecture Department of the Naval Academy at the Fuzhou Naval Dockyard.
After graduation Mr. Kao worked for three years in railway survey and construction and then went to Belgium as a government student. He studied in the University of Brussels and graduated from there with the degree of B. Sc.
From Belgium Mr. Kao went to Germany and France. In both of these countries he was admitted to a number of factories where he received much practical training. He spent altogether nine years in Europe. While in France, Mr. Kao wrote a book on aviation and aircraft.
Mr. Kao returned to China in 1911. He arrived at Guangzhou in November just in time to join the revolutionary activities as he was a Kuomingtang member. He was immediately engaged by the Canton Provincial government to plan an air fleet. In January 1912 the Provisional government in Nanjing appointed Mr. Kao a Secretary to President Sun Yat-sen. After a permanent government was established in Peking, he became Director of the Cadastral Department in the Ministry of the Interior.
In 1913 upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Education Mr. Kao was appointed Director of the Government Observatory in Peking. In that capacity he introduced scientific methods regarding operation and also publications of the observations. Since his time the Observatory has been publishing a Year Book and a monthly meteorological magazine.
In 1920 Mr. Kao again visited Europe to study the progress of modern science. Subsequently the Ministry of Education appointed him Director of the Educational Mission in Europe. In February 1921 Mr. Kao received the Second Class Paokuang Chiaho. In February 1922 he was recalled to China and resumed the directorships of the Peking Observatory.
Mr. Kao was president of the Chinese Astronomical Institution and author of The Principle of Einstein’s Theory of Relativity and Absolute Integral Calculus.
