The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) witnessed a double success for China on July 23rd, when the once-every-four-years Fields Medal was awarded in Philadelphia to two Chinese mathematicians, Wang Hong and Deng Yu.
The Fields Medal, often described as the Nobel Prize for mathematics, has only had two female recipients in nearly a century, and Wang Hong becomes the third. In 1982 and 2006, Chinese mathematicians Yau Shing-Tung and Terence Tao won the award, but Wang Hong and Deng Yu represent a breakthrough for Chinese nationals. Both are alumni of the School of Mathematical Sciences at Peking University.
In January of this year, Wang Hong and Deng Yu had already jointly received the Gold Medal in Mathematics from the International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians (ICCM), initiated by the world-renowned mathematician and dean of the Qiuzhen College at Tsinghua University, Yau Shing-Tung. At that time, the "Emperor of Mathematics" was flanked by the two young scholars at a press conference, unable to hide his delight and admiration.
Today, Yau Shing-Tung is smiling even brighter. He gave an interview discussing the excitement and insights from a famous mathematician's perspective, witnessing Wang Hong and Deng Yu jointly achieving another breakthrough for the Chinese people in the field of mathematics.
Hope Both Will Return to China to Teach, Expecting Future Locally-Trained Chinese Scholars to Win the Fields Medal
When asked about his feelings upon hearing the news of their wins, Yau Shing-Tung expressed great joy, stating it was a decades-long aspiration for the Chinese mathematics community. He noted that he won the Fields Medal as a Chinese person in 1982, and Terence Tao won in 2006. While they had hoped a new generation of Chinese mathematicians would win by 2026, the pleasant surprise arrived early with two winners. He was especially thrilled about the female mathematician. Both have made extremely important achievements with significant impact on their fields.
He reiterated his hope that they would return to China to teach. He emphasized their return is important for China and expressed a desire for the talented young people at Qiuzhen College to follow the example of Wang Hong and Deng Yu, anticipating that locally-trained Chinese scholars will win the Fields Medal in the future. He believes this is the most desired goal for the Chinese mathematics and scientific communities.
Hope to Establish an Asian Mathematical Union, Time is Now Ripe
Regarding the milestone significance of the win and the development stage of China's mathematics community, Yau Shing-Tung reflected on his return to China in 1979. At that time, domestic work, such as that of Chen Jingrun, did not receive widespread international recognition. Subsequently, many students studied abroad in Europe and America, and the mathematics community became richer. By the 21st century, a large group of overseas students matured and solved important problems. Now, a new generation has developed further, mastering the most advanced mathematical ideas and producing first-class scholarship, culminating in the achievements of Wang Hong and Deng Yu. However, their main training and work were completed overseas.
The final and most important step is to cultivate scholars who receive their training and complete their most crucial work on Chinese soil. He cited the historical example of major developed countries sending students abroad before returning to cultivate a group of important scholars. He hopes China follows the same path, now nurturing a large number of young scholars on its own soil. He anticipates seeing young people trained in China winning the Fields Medal at the ICM in 8 years.
Yau Shing-Tung cautioned that the Fields Medal is not the only method for evaluating scholars. Many great scholars, including his mentor Chen Xingshen, did not win it but founded important fields influencing mathematics for decades or even centuries. He hopes that within ten years, China can produce such a mathematician who can establish a school on Chinese soil leading the world for decades or even a century.
He stated that Chinese mathematics has progressed since reform and opening up, getting much closer to international levels through generations of effort. He believes that in five years, Chinese mathematics can reach the world's most advanced level, and in ten years, it can lead the world.
He proposed establishing an Asian Mathematical Union, similar to the European Mathematical Union founded 40 years ago, which contributed to European mathematics. With Asian mathematics rising over the past 20 years, especially as many Chinese overseas scholars return, he believes the time is ripe to create a united force to compete with Europe and America.
Expect to See Many Female Scholars Emerge as Leaders in China's Mathematics Arena
Regarding Wang Hong being the first Chinese female Fields Medalist and the future of female mathematicians, Yau Shing-Tung expressed great satisfaction. He recalled collaborating with American female mathematician Karen Uhlenbeck over 50 years ago, whom he admires as a brilliant scholar. He noted that female mathematicians have often lacked confidence, so seeing a new female Fields Medalist is gratifying. He has organized the Yau Shing-Tung Girls' Mathematics Competition and has female mathematicians and students at Qiuzhen College doing important work. He is pleased to see some girls initially lacking confidence but gradually building it. He expects to see a large number of female scholars emerge in the coming years, becoming leaders in China's mathematics arena. While there are many female applied mathematicians, he hopes the number of theoretical mathematicians will grow quickly.
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