Sa Benmao, a pioneering naval chemist and distinguished alumna of Fujian Hwa Nan Women's College, passed away in Shanghai on October 31, 2025, at the age of 102. On behalf of all faculty, students, and alumni worldwide, representatives from the College Council, the University Leadership, the Alumni Association, and the Department of Health Services presented wreaths and extended condolences to her family.
Born into a renowned naval family in Fuzhou, Sa graduated from the Hwa Nan in 1950. Leading China's naval applied chemistry research, Sa completed 67 major projects. Among her breakthroughs were key purification methods and advanced protective coatings that significantly outperformed existing benchmarks. Several of these innovations filled critical domestic gaps in naval technology, earning her three National Science Conference Awards. Her seminal work on maintenance and innovation remains a foundational text in the field. Dubbed the Madame Curie-style Heroine of the People's Navy and decorated by the Central Military Commission in 2019, her contributions continue to support China's maritime navigation beacons and aircraft carriers today.
Deeply devoted to her alma mater, Sa donated a total of 400,000 RMB over the decades to establish scholarships and a grain science laboratory for the Food Nutrition and Inspection program. She returned to Fuzhou from Shanghai for key milestones: the 1985 reopening ceremony, the centennial celebration in 2008, the 105th anniversary in 2013 (well into her 90s), and the unveiling of the grain science laboratory in 2017. In 2012, she delivered the final lesson to that year's graduating class. Through these acts, she tirelessly inspired generations to uphold the Hwa Nan spirit of Self-reliance, Enterprise, Diligence, Simplicity, and Devotion. She often said that this motto was the driving force behind her decades of scientific research and the creed she followed throughout her century-long life.
Her legacy of scientific excellence and selfless dedication will forever inspire the Hwa Nan community. May she rest in peace; her dream of a strong nation lives on through us.