翁文灏（1889～1971）浙江宁波人，地质学家，曾任北京大学教授、清华大学代理校长。

地质学家翁文灏的科学生涯，多半是在路上。上世纪20年代，甘肃发生8.5级特大地震，他带着病，坐上骡车，完成了中国科学家对地震现场的第一次考察。

作为中国地质科学的开创者，这个来自浙江的小个子经常手足并用，“爬过从没有路的路”。他在野外考察时，不是步行，就是骑毛驴。在人烟稀少的矿区考察，随身背的柳条包里还总带着凿子和矿石。

当时的知识分子，许多埋头于书斋做学问，翁文灏却把“担斧入山，披荆斩棘”当成科学研究者的本分。他和同时代的一批先行者，将这一传统深深植入当时的中国科学界。直到不久前，北京大学一名年轻教师，在课堂上向学生传授实地考察的技巧时，仍然忍不住一边感叹浮躁时代里践行者越来越少，一边怀念起翁文灏。

而此时，“翁文灏”在哪里？在北京市兵马司胡同15号院的2层小楼，一条昏暗嘈杂的走廊里，搬开积满厚厚灰尘的垃圾和纸箱，在一面斑驳的黑板上，依稀看得见刻有“翁文灏”三个字。这里曾是翁文灏担任所长的“地质调查所”办公地点。

离小楼不远，就是热闹的西单市场。与陈寅恪、梁思成并称为当时三大国宝级人物的翁文灏，和他领导的中国最早的科研机构，在热闹中保持着静默。

而就在约90年前，这个人曾参与创造了“中国乃至世界历史上的一道奇观”。当时，很少有人知道地质学到底是干什么的，北京大学地质学系就曾因招不到学生而停办。翁文灏却于1913年奋而发起成立地质调查所，并将其办成“中国第一个名副其实的科学研究机构”，成为中国现代科学的源头。中央研究院评出的第一批院士里，地学界的6位院士中，有4位出自这个调查所。

有评价称：“地质调查所的成绩，在（上世纪）二三十年代，在中国科学事业中，确是一颗明珠。”

作为先行者，翁文灏和同事们几乎每一次调查和每一篇学术文章，都在创造“第一”。

他的《甘肃地震考》是中国地震科学考察的序幕，确立了比较接近事实的地震带分布。他创立了“燕山运动说”，撰写了《中国东部中生代造山运动》。他广泛进行地质、矿产勘察，组织地质学家进行中国地质科学史上的首次石油地质实地考察。

从无到有的中国地质学，在翁文灏们的努力下，形成了一个小小的高潮，令国际学界刮目相看。而这一段中国科学思想史上很难再现的辉煌，则是在一步一步的考察途中慢慢写就。

“以实地调查为宗，室内研究为辅。”这是地质调查所一开始就定下的规矩。地质调查所的同事还记得，翁文灏甚至希望“所有搞地质的人都要下矿井看一看”。在他的主持下，地址调查员们背着经纬仪和无线电收报机，一点点测绘地质图。在路上，有人用毛驴代步，有人干脆推着独轮手推车赶路。

在找到北京周口店有原始人存在的证据之前，许多人先后放弃了挖掘，只有翁文灏坚持要求调查员裴文中“身居陋室，白天挖掘，夜晚挑灯自修”，最终发现了“北京猿人”头骨。

人们惊异地发现，“中国地质学如火山喷发般一下子冒出来”。而翁文灏领导的地质调查所，被称作在1949年以前的岁月里“中国人伟大的骄傲”。

这个骄傲似乎渐渐被埋没。“文革”前期，一户姓郑的普通人家，搬到已成为招待所的地质调查所办公楼。女主人眼睁睁看着曾经的黄色小楼被刷成青灰色，看着嘈杂的人群将所有房间隔断，变成住宅。而如今，这里的楼道潮湿肮脏，院子里种满葡萄和柿树，甚至在大白天，也能看见黄鼠狼来回奔跑。

关于翁文灏的记忆也越来越稀少。当人们意识到他的重要，试图再现他的风采时，除了他的一篇篇论文和种种科学成就，关于这个“人”的描述，很难见到。

能找到的描述，处处显示出这位科学家钟情山野。其中有这样一个细节：在老家宁波时，翁文灏往往孤身一人，身着长衫，徘徊在田间阡陌之中。

W. H. Wong (1889 ~ 1971), Ningbo, Zhejiang people, geologists, a former professor at Peking University, Tsinghua University Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

Geologist W. H. Wong's scientific career, mostly on the road. The last century, 20 years, 8.5 large earthquake occurred in Gansu, he took sick, and replace Luoju completed by Chinese scientists for the first visit the earthquake site.

As the pioneer of the geological sciences, this little man from Zhejiang, hand, foot and used often, "there is no road climb from the road." Inspection in the field, he is not walking, is riding a donkey. In the sparsely populated mining inspection, carry-back of the wicker bag with chisels and also the total ore.

Intellectuals at that time, many buried in his study scholarship, W. H. Wong but the "Tam ax into the mountains, blazing new trails" as scientific researchers part. He and a group of contemporary pioneers in this tradition is deeply implanted in the then Chinese scientific community. Until recently, Peking University, a young teacher in the classroom to teach students skills of field trips, we still can not help but lament impetuous while fewer and fewer persons era practice while nostalgic W. H. Wong.

By this time, "W. H. Wong," Where? Maybe Mars in Beijing Hutong 15, House of two-layer small building, a dark noisy corridor to move away the thick dust arises on the accumulation of rubbish and cartons on the blackboard at the side of the mottled, faintly visible inscribed " W. H. Wong "in the name. Here was a W. H. Wong as director of the "Geological Survey" office location.

Not far away from the small building is bustling Xidan market. And Chen Yinke, Liang known as national treasures were three figures W. H. Wong, and his leadership of China's earliest scientific research institutions, have maintained silence in the noise.

Just at about 90 years ago, this person had participated in the creation of a "China and the world in the history of a spectacle." At that time, few people know the geology in the end is doing, Geology Department of Peking University, by claiming not hire students suspended. W. H. Wong Fen was launched in 1913, the establishment of Geological Survey and its Ban Cheng, "China's first truly scientific research institutions", becoming the source of modern science in China. Fellow of Academia Sinica's Top first, the six academicians in academia, there are four from this survey.

People say: "Geological Survey results, in (last century) on behalf of two to three decades in China, the cause of science is indeed a pearl."

As a pioneer, W. H. Wong and his colleagues in almost every survey and every one scholarly article, are creating "first."

His "Gansu earthquake test" is a prelude to China Earthquake scientific investigation establishes the fact that seismic zone closer to the distribution. He founded the "Yanshan movement said," to write the "Mesozoic orogeny in eastern China." His extensive geological, mineral survey, organizational geologists Geology in China for the first time in the history of petroleum geology field trips.

Geology in China from scratch, in the W. H. Wong their efforts to form a small wave to the international academic admiration. This section of the history of scientific thought in China is difficult to reproduce the glory, it is step by step in the examination of the way slowly written.

"To the field survey cases, supplemented by indoor studies." This is a geological survey of the rules laid down in the beginning. Geological Survey colleagues may recall, W. H. Wong and even hoped that "all persons engaged in geological look at mine for everything." Under his auspices, address, investigators were carrying a theodolite and radio receiver, a little bit of mapping geological map. On the way, some people travel with the donkey, it was simply pushing wheelbarrow hurry to get somewhere.

Zhoukoudian, Beijing has found evidence of the existence of primitive people before, many people have abandoned the excavation, and only insisted that investigators W. H. Wong Pei Wenzhong, "reside in their shabby homes during the day digging, night burning the midnight oil self-study" and ultimately discovered "Peking Man" skull.

People are surprised to discover, "Geology of China such as volcanic eruptions like suddenly emerge." And W. H. Wong led Geological Survey, called in the years before 1949, "the great pride of the Chinese people."

This pride seems to have been buried. "Cultural Revolution" the early stage of an ordinary family surname Zheng moved to become guest houses, office buildings Geological Survey. Watched once the mistress story buildings are painted yellow and blue gray, the crowd looked at all the rooms will be divided, into a house. Now, here is the dirty wet corridors, the courtyard is full of grapes and persimmon trees, even in broad daylight, but also be able to see the weasel running back and forth.

With regard to the memory of W. H. Wong is also becoming scarce. When people realized that he was the importance of trying to reproduce his style, in addition to his papers and a variety of scientific achievements, with regard to this "person" described, it is difficult to see.

Description can be found everywhere shows that the scientist love mountain. In which there is such a detail: in his hometown, Ningbo, the W. H. Wong is often alone, wearing a gown, wandering among the fields of terraced rice paddies.