Li Desheng personifies the best kind of geologist. During his 77-year long career as petroleum geologist, Li made critical contributions to the discovery and development of vast petroleum reserves in China, and he always had the courage to challenge the geologic dogma of the day. He is the key founder of the theory of continental petroleum geology of China, and the main founder of the theory on continental sandstone oilfield development. He pioneered the theory development on petroleum-bearing basin tectonics, and multi-energy and three-dimensional explorations in petroleum-bearing basins. A world renowned petroleum geologist, Li became a hero of the century for laying the foundation of China's petroleum industry. His excellent leadership led to the success of many petroleum exploration endeavors across China. His career will be the envy of many geologists who follow him. As geologists, we all dream of field adventures and someday finding one significant oil and gas field; but rarely one can claim the great number of field experiences and discoveries that Li has to his credit. More importantly, Li's career demonstrates the tremendous vitality of Geoscience. Li's mentor, Prof. Zhu Sen, emphasized “a good geologist must be a lifelong learner”, and Li did just that. He launched an extraordinary career.
Li Desheng was born on October 17, 1922 in Shanghai, and his family root is traced to Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. He graduated in 1945 from the National Central University Department of Geology, Chongqing, China. During his career, Li was elected a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1991, and he is a member of the Third World Academy of Sciences. In 2001 he was elected a member of the Sixth National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. From 1945 to 1977, Li engaged in petroleum geological exploration and development in oil and gas fields, including Yumen in Gansu; Taiwan; Yanchang, Shaanxi; Daqing, Northeast China; Sichuan; Shengli, Shandong; Dagang, North China; and Renqiu. Since 1978, He has been the chief geologist at the China Petroleum Exploration and Development Research Institute, a professor-level senior engineer, and a doctoral advisor.
Li has devoted his entire career to petroleum exploration and development and geological research. He is one of the key geoscientists for the discovery of the Daqing Oilfield in China. He won the first prize of the National Natural Science Award in 1982. As one of the main contributors, the two research projects he participated, entitled “Waterflooding technology for long-term high, stable petroleum production in Daqing Oilfield” and “Compound oil and gas accumulation belt/area of Bohai Bay Oilfield: Theory and exploration practice—taking the exploration and development of complex fault block oilfields in Jiyang and other depressions as an example”, won the National Science and Technology Progress Special Prize in 1985. In 1994 Li was awarded the Outstanding Achievement Medal in Petroleum Geology and the Honorary Membership Medal by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). In 1997 he was awarded the He Liang He Li Foundation Science and Technology Progress Award. And he won the Jiageng Chen's Science Award in 2010. Li has published more than 140 papers in Chinese and International geoscience journals, 7 monographs in Chinese, and 2 monographs in English. Since China reopened its postdoctoral education program in 1978, Li has trained a total of 25 master's, doctoral and postdoctoral students. His representative books (in Chinese) include “Petroleum exploration underground geology”, “An anthology by Li Desheng (Volumes 1 and 2)”, and “Tectonics of multi-cycle superimposed petroliferous basins in China.”
Li is rigorous and meticulous in his scholar life. He has a life long habit of diary writing. After decades of accumulation, letter by letter, his hundreds of notebooks, thick and neatly recorded, condensed into knowledge of petroleum geology, and solid foundation and clear context of the theory of Chinese continental petroleum geology and deep marine petroleum geology. The theory comes from the long-term exploration and development practice, and in turn is applied to the discovery of oil and gas fields, which has spawned a series of discoveries, including the Daqing Oilfield and the Bohai Bay Oilfields, ending China's “oil poor” status. We salute the pioneer geologists!
Li is truth-seeking and pragmatic, not detracted by praise or criticism. Through life's ups and downs, he never forgets his original mission and vision, indifferent to fame and fortune. He seeks truth from facts and follows the motto “Dedicate yourself to the motherland and petroleum geology.” We salute his patriotic spirit!
Li is committed to a learning-led life journey. As early as in the early 1980s, based on systematic mapping and long-term practice in petroleum-bearing basins in China, he systematically put forward an innovative idea of delineating China's petroliferous basins into three structural types—“eastern extension, western compression and central transition” types—to clearly reflect the superposition characteristics and multi-cycle development of sedimentary basins in China, and underline the strong transformation characteristics of sedimentary basins since the Cenozoic. This idea has since been validated consistently during 40 years of research and exploration practice, which provided deeper insights into the tectonics of China's petroliferous basins. In the past 20 years, he has been concentrating on issues related to national energy security and the reality of oil and gas exploration and development, focusing on the science of energy frontier, devoting himself to the theoretical innovation of petroleum geology, and calling for and promoting the development of energy diversification, with extraordinary results. We salute his forward-looking mindset!
Li loves nature. He not only has a rigorous academic and work attitude, but also has high artistic attainments. In addition to studying and living in exile during the Anti-Japanese War and arduous oil geological exploration, he used landscape sketches and woodcut prints to record the magnificent mountains and rivers and scenes he saw. His sketch collection “From nature to nature” collected more than 130 drawings and prints from 1941 to 1952, which, in the days when ordinary people did not have cameras, left us with precious paintings of magnificent landscapes. A series of photo albums Li collected recorded his life footprint: his real, legendary, struggling and exciting life journey. We salute his pragmatic and truth-seeking spirit!
Academician Li Desheng and his wife, Madam Zhu Qichang, lead an example of love and devotion to each other and to their family. They abide by “where there is oil, there is my home.” and together they crossed vast deserts and snowfields, climbed the hills in central Sichuan and the Qilian peaks, and lectured in domestic lecture halls and at international summits, devoting their lives to petroleum exploration. Among Li's students, there are several members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and a member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. He took great comfort knowing his talented Master's and PhD students are taking part in the increasingly vigorous development of China's petroleum geology field. We salute him for being generous, benevolent, and an academic role model!
Li's rigorous scholarship, pragmatic dedication, magnanimity and benevolence, with his diligence and talent, portray a wonderful and legendary life. On the occasion of his 100th birthday (October 17, 2022), Earth Science Frontier publishes this special issue on “Research Progress on the Tectonics of Petroleum Basins in China and Oil and Gas Distribution: A 100th Birthday Celebration for Academician Li Desheng”. We thank the group of Chinese scientists who contributed their research papers in this issue to discuss recent progress in frontier energy science and promote China's energy development.
This special issue reflects recent progresses and developmental trends in energy geology research around the country. It includes 39 articles (4 also in English), one of them was written by Li Desheng, with topics covering petroleum geology innovation and energy diversification development; basin structure theory and oil and gas distribution law; foreland basin structure theory and exploration practice; theory of internal strike-slip fault in cratonic basins; prototype basin restoration theory and methods; theory of structural control on oil and gas pool formation and new domains of petroleum exploration and development; continental shale oil exploration and development theory and practice; and application of new technologies and methods in basin structural analysis. And contents cover theory, practice, frontier, and technology studies. I believe these research achievements and frontier studies will make an important contribution to the theoretical innovation for China's energy development.
As Editor-in-Chief, I want to express my respect and gratitude to Academician Li Desheng and to scientists and geologists in the energy sector! And I wish Academician Li Desheng a most healthy and prosperous life!