China Focus: Chinese people pay tribute to late Nobel laureate Chen Ning Yang

A file photo of Chen Ning Yang. Renowned physicist Chen Ning Yang, a Nobel laureate and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, died in Beijing on Saturday at 103, according to Tsinghua University. (Tsinghua University/Handout via Xinhua)

BEIJING, Oct. 18 (Xinhua) -- Grief and heartfelt tributes flooded China's social media as the world learned of the passing on Saturday of renowned physicist Chen Ning Yang, Nobel laureate and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

One of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, Yang has been revered as a role model by generations of Chinese scientists, with his achievements greatly boosting national confidence as the country pushes for national rejuvenation and scientific development.

Chinese netizens expressed deep sorrow online, wishing Yang peaceful rest and honoring his contributions. "He is a giant in science who proves that the Chinese are not inferior in frontier science," one comment read. Another netizen wrote: "Yang serves as an academic bridge connecting Chinese and Western civilizations."

According to an obituary from Tsinghua University, Yang died in Beijing on Saturday at age 103. It said Yang was "one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century, having made revolutionary contributions to the development of modern physics."

The obituary noted that Yang had achieved numerous breakthroughs in particle physics, quantum field theory, statistical physics and condensed matter physics -- "profoundly shaping the development of these disciplines."

Yang was born in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province, in 1922, when China was mired in warlord warfare, poverty and imperialist encroachment. After earning a master's degree from Tsinghua University in the 1940s, he went to the United States to pursue further academic studies and subsequently held teaching positions.

Yang is best known for his work on the so-called parity laws together with Tsung-Dao Lee, which proved that the law of parity conservation, once considered an absolute law in physics, could be violated in weak interactions. For this groundbreaking work, they were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957.

The Yang-Mills gauge theory, which he proposed with Robert Mills, laid the foundation for the subsequent Standard Model of particle physics. It is regarded as one of the cornerstones of modern physics -- and one of the most important achievements of physics in the 20th century.

Shi Yigong, a renowned biophysicist and academician of the CAS, once said in an article that the achievements of Yang and Lee have inspired many generations of Chinese youth to respect science and strive for greatness, thus helping generate many prominent figures in fundamental research.

In retrospect, Yang himself also said his greatest contribution might be to "boost the confidence of the Chinese."

In 1999, Yang assumed the position of professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing. Before this appointment, he had been named Honorary Director of the university's newly established Center for Advanced Study (now named the Institute for Advanced Study) in 1997.

"Since returning to China, Yang had regarded nurturing China's brightest minds as his foremost mission -- the endeavor to which he has devoted more time and energy than any other," noted Zhu Bangfen, a condensed matter physicist, academician of the CAS and professor at Tsinghua, who shared a close relationship with Yang.

To staff and students at Tsinghua University, this renowned scientist was always energetic, humble and composed, with a clear mind. Students would sometimes see him on campus and share photos of these encounters on social media.

Even at the age of 82, Yang stepped up to the podium to teach general physics to freshmen.

"He was a highly respected scientific master with a broad vision and no prejudice. He always offered selfless support and encouragement to young scholars," said Wang Xiaoyun, a cryptography expert and professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Tsinghua University.

"What Mr. Yang has expected most is that more Chinese will participate in world-class research and help solve real problems in China using our own technologies," Wang said.

Yang devoted "immense effort" to advancing fundamental disciplines like physics and cultivating talents at Tsinghua, thereby "making tremendous contributions" that greatly impacted the reform and development of Chinese higher education, according to the obituary. It also mentioned him as "the pioneer in building the bridge of academic exchange between China and the United States."

Yang's century-long journey, from a young physics student at Tsinghua University, to a Nobel-winning scientist and then to a dedicated educator back in his homeland -- also mirrors modern China's trajectory from the depths of crisis in modern times to the path of great rejuvenation.

His hometown, Hefei, now houses several national labs and large scientific facilities, including the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), the "artificial sun" that tests the prospects of harnessing nuclear fusion for electricity generation.

People in Hefei also expressed their admiration for Yang and drew inspiration from his patriotism.

"In his later years, Yang resolutely returned to China to contribute to its scientific development. His devotion to science and love of his motherland will be passed on to the younger generation of scientists," said Kuang Guangli, academic director of the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science under the CAS.

At the age of 99, Yang donated his personal collection -- comprising more than 2,000 books, manuscripts and letters, to Tsinghua University.

"What I hope will stay in Tsinghua's archives is not just my scientific work, but the whole truth of who Chen Ning Yang is," he said. ■