(ENCS) — A farewell ceremony for Huang Xuhua, China’s first-generation nuclear submarine chief designer, was held on Monday in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province.

Flowers were arranged in the shape of a submarine and ocean waves, symbolizing Huang’s lifelong dedication to China’s nuclear submarine course.

Su Zilong, a young man from Fuyang, Anhui Province, said that he was deeply moved by the national hero’s story told by the TV series Medal of the Republic so that he came to Wuhan by train just to show his respect.

Huang Zun, along with his mother from Xinyang, Henan Province, rushed to Wuhan on Monday morning to bid farewell to Huang, who devoted his entire life to China’s nuclear submarine cause.”, His achievements have been inscribed in history, inspiring countless young students.

Huang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, recipient of the Medal of the Republic, and chief designer of China’s first-generation nuclear submarines, passed away at 99 on Thursday due to illness in Wuhan, according to an obituary on Friday.

Born in 1926 in Shanwei, Guangdong Province, Huang led the research and development of China’s first nuclear submarines – the Type 09I nuclear-powered attack submarine and the Type 09II nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine – from the 1950s to the 1980s, earning him the name of “the father of China’s nuclear submarines.”

China launched its nuclear submarine development project in 1958 when it was in the midst of rebuilding from the ruins. At that time, everything had to be figured out through its own exploration.

Huang resolutely decided to join the development project.

In 2014, Huang was awarded “Person Touching China for 2013”. He donated over 20 million yuan (about $2.74 million yuan) of his earnings to scientific research and educational institutions for the country’s submarine research and talent cultivation.