Yang Zhenning – the genius of physics, the bridge between civilizations
For most Polish readers, the name Yang Zhenning (also known as Chen-Ning Yang) may sound unusual – for example, due to the fact that in Poland there is seldom talk about Chinese Nobel Prize winners. Meanwhile, in mainland China, Yang Zhenning is simply a legendary figure: not only 1 of the most prominent physicists of the 20th century, but besides a symbol of patriotism, strategical wisdom and bridge between China and the technological world. His death on October 18, 2025, at the age of 103, was declared with the same respect as usually written and spoken in China about the death of members of the highest circles of power—which in itself tells a lot about his importance.
Who was Yang Zhenning?
Born October 1, 1922 in Hefei (Anhui Province), Yang grew up in an academic environment – his father was a mathematics lecturer at Tsinghua University in Beijing. His education turned into an intellectual journey through the most hard times in China's history: the Chinese-Japanese War, an escape to Kunming, a survey at South-West University (so-called Southwest Associated University), and then a journey to the United States in 1945 as a scholarship from the Chinese Government.
In 1957, together with Tsung-Dao Lee, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics for discovering parity violations in weak interactions—a revolutionary discovery that undermined the existing beliefs of symmetry in the universe. This was the first time the Chinese (though with American citizenship) were honored with Noble in science.
Even more crucial for the improvement of modern physics, however, was his earlier accomplishment – the 1954 Yang-Mills theory, developed jointly with Robert Mills, a student of Yang. This explanation became the foundation of the Standard Model of particle physics, combining electromagnetic, weak and strong impacts. Today, Yang-Mills' explanation is considered 1 of the 3 pillars of modern physics – alongside Maxwell's equations and Einstein's general explanation of relativity.
Patriotism Without Propaganda
Although he lived in the United States for decades, Yang never forgot China. Already in 1971 – long before normalization of Chinese-American relations – as the first known student of Chinese origin visited People's China. He met a childhood friend, Deng Jiaxian, 1 of the “fathers of the Chinese atomic bomb”.
Since then, he has become the main initiator of technological exchange between China and the West. In the 1980s and 1990s, he organized scholarships, helped Chinese scientists to travel to the West, and later – to return to China. In 1997 he helped make the Center for Advanced investigation at Tsinghua University, which in 2009 became the Yang Institute for Advanced investigation – present 1 of the most crucial theoretical centres in Asia.
In 2015, at the age of 93, he officially renounced American citizenship and became a full associate of the Chinese Academy of Sciences – a symbolic motion which in China was received as a final return to its roots.
Voice of Reason in technological Debate
Yang Zhenning was besides not afraid to hold controversial positions. In 2016, he publically advocated the construction of a giant particle collider (CEPC) in China, arguing that the cost of over $20 billion would be a "bottomless well" in a country where millions of people inactive live in poverty. His open letter sparked a stormy debate in the Chinese technological community – and yet influenced the authorities' decision not to accelerate the implementation of the project. This showed that Yang was not just a "living relic", but an active, strategically reasoning national advisor.
Yang's legacy in China
The Institute of Advanced investigation in Tsinghua educates generations of young theoretical physicists. investigation on Yang-Mills theory, Yang-Baxter equation (key in statistical physics and quantum theory) and geometric structures inspired by his work are actively developed in centres specified as:
- Institute for advanced Energy Physics (IHEP) in Beijing,
- Nankai University in Tianjin,
- Sun Yat-sen University in Canton.
Chinese scientists regularly print works referring to his achievements – both in particle physics and theoretical mathematics. Moreover, his technological ethics, emphasis on modesty, simplicity and social work have become a model for young scholars.
Yang Zhenning for Contemporary China
For China, Yang Zhenning is more than a Nobel laureate. This is:
- a symbol of the success of the Chinese head on the planet stage,
- bridge between tradition and modernity,
- voice of reason in the era of national overgrowth of ambition,
- living proof that patriotism does not should be noisy – it can be quiet, constructive and based on knowledge.
In times of expanding tension between China and the US, his life – divided between 2 civilizations, but always with a heart in China – takes on even deeper meaning. Yang has shown that discipline can be a tool of reconciliation, not just competition.
For Poles it may be unknown – but in China his name is pronounced with the same respect as Confucius's or Qin Shi Huang's names. Not due to the fact that he rules the empire, but due to the fact that he built the planet of cognition – and always remembered where it came from.
Source:
- Xinhua News Agency, "The Life of Mr. Yang Zhenning", 18 October 2025
- The Paper (Shanghai), an article “Yang Zhenning: China Should Not Build a Super Large Collier present — It Would Be a Bottomless Pit”
- Official website of the Institute of Advanced Research, University of Tsinghua
- Nobel Prize Archive – Chen-Ning Yang's interviews and speeches
- Chinese Academy of Sciences – Yang Zhenning student biogram
- "Tsinghua University Bulletin", reports from 2015-2025 on prof. Yang's activities
Leszek B. Glass
Email: [email protected]
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