2018 marks the 40th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up. Textile industry is a pioneer and firm practitioner of China’s market-oriented reform and opening-up. After 40 years of trails and hardships, it has made a series of remarkable development achievement and emerged a number of outstanding figures rooted in the industry and dedicated their lives to its development. 

On October 16, the outstanding contribution award of textile industry in the past 40 years of reform and opening-up was announced in Shanghai by the China Textile Industry Federation. Professor Zhu Meifang, head of MengTai group, was awarded the honor, and academician Yu mingfang and professor Wang Huaping from the school of materials were selected. 

Zhu Meifang is director of the state key laboratory of fiber material modification and dean of the school of materials science and engineering of Donghua University. She is one of the academic leaders in the research direction of functional fiber and low-dimensional materials, the chief scientist of the national key research and development program, and the leader of the innovation team in the key field of the innovation talents promotion program of the ministry of science and technology and the innovation team of the ministry of education.She has been carrying out systematic research in the field of fiber material science and engineering for a long time, especially in the fields of the functionalization and high performance of polypropylene fiber, new nanocomposites and special functional materials as well as fiber forming technology (biomedical fiber, phase change materials). She has presided over more than 30 national, provincial and ministerial-level research projects, including the national key research and development program, the national natural science foundation of China, and the national 863 program. She has published more than 280 SCI papers, 7 monographs and over 170 Chinese invention patents and 6 PCT patents, and won more than 10 prizes as the first finisher, such as the second prize of national science and technology progress award and the first prize of Shanghai technology invention award. She has been awarded the special prize of outstanding teacher of baosteel, the four have good teacher of Shanghai (model of teaching and educating), the leader of national huangdanian teacher team and many other honorary titles.