Ji-an Xu's Obituary
In Loving Memory of
Ji-an Xu
October 26, 1939 – August 18, 2025
It is with profound sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved father, Ji-an Xu, on August 18, 2025, in Tucson, Arizona. He was 85.
Born into a scholarly family in Suzhou, Ji-an grew up during the Japanese Occupation and the Chinese Civil War. Despite the hardships of those early years, he nurtured a passion for learning that carried him to the physics department of Beijing University in 1956 and, after graduation, to the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Over the course of more than five decades, he became a world-renowned scholar, publishing nearly 200 scientific papers in leading journals such as Nature, Science, and Physical Review. Among his many scientific contributions, his innovative use of diamond anvil cell (DAC) techniques – including pioneering ruby as a calibrant and achieving record-breaking static pressure – remains especially influential and continues to guide the field today.
Yet Ji-an’s true legacy cannot be measured only in scientific achievement. He lived a life marked by selflessness, integrity, and quiet devotion. Anyone who met him was touched by his warmth and generosity. He was a dutiful son to his parents, and later in life devoted himself wholeheartedly to caring for his wife after her diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease. He remained deeply connected to his siblings, to whom he was a constant source of love and support. From his college days through his career, he built enduring friendships, remembered for the steadfast loyalty and quiet strength he offered throughout the years.
Ji-an also found joy in music, poetry, calligraphy, badminton, and above all, travel. His love of exploration left a lasting mark on us as his children. Through journeys near and far, he opened our eyes to beauty, broadened our horizons, and nurtured in us a spirit of intellectual curiosity – a love of learning that profoundly shaped our lives and careers. As a father, he was endlessly patient – encouraging our interests, supporting our choices, and guiding us gently by example. From him, we learned to live with open hearts: to seek beauty, to act with grace, and to embrace life with joy and purpose.
Ji-an is survived by his wife, Minhua Xu; his children, Lilian Xu and Xiaocun Xu; his grandchild, Belicia Xu; and his brothers, Ji-shi Xu and Ji-chuan Xu – as well as extended family and countless friends across the world who cherished him.
We invite family and friends to join us for a memorial service on Friday, August 29, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Evergreen Funeral Home in Tucson. More information is available at https://www.evergreen-tucson.com. For those unable to attend in person, we welcome you to share memories or leave a message at https://www.evergreenmortuary-cemetery.com/obituaries/ji-an-xu, or send flowers through https://www.evergreenmortuary-cemetery.com/store/funeral-service.
We will remember our father not only for his extraordinary contributions to science, but for the devotion he showed to family and friends, the loyalty he extended to those he loved, and the gentle strength that defined his days. Above all, we will remember the immeasurable love, integrity, and selflessness with which he lived his life.
To us, he will always remain our beloved father, our greatest teacher, and our dearest friend.
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