Yau Chengtong talks about mathematical life——

To train great mathematicians to "go with the flow"

"I like to read "Zuo Chuan" and "Shiji", they have taught me to seek truth and beauty." On the afternoon of June 6st, Chengtong Yau, the first Chinese winner of the Fields Medal and chair professor of Tsinghua University, the first Chinese winner of the Fields Medal, the highest prize in international mathematics, visited Chinese Min University to have a dialogue with teachers and students and talk freely about mathematical life.

As one of the most influential mathematicians of our time, Yau Chengtong not only has extraordinary mathematical achievements, but also has a profound traditional Chinese cultural accomplishment.

Talking about his philosophy of life, Yau Chengtong quoted it and believed that it coincided with the concept of Jiang Ziya, the ancestor of the Qiu clan's surname, that is, "go with the flow". He said bluntly, "Although I have encountered many difficulties in this life, I have not lived a painful life, because I found what I want to do and 'let it be' and always did it." ”

He recalled that his mentor, the internationally renowned Chinese mathematician Chen Shengsheng, initially suggested studying the Riemann hypothesis. "The Riemann hypothesis is very famous, and everyone thinks that if they can make the Riemann hypothesis, they will become famous. But I'm not interested in being famous. ”

Yau Chengtong was obsessed with geometric research at the time, and he was deeply moved by the geometry problem. "I had a lot of emotions about geometry at the time, and I had to do it." Believing in the power of "going with the flow", Yau persevered along with the chosen problem, eventually making great contributions to the international mathematical community in fields such as geometric analysis.

"Going with the flow" does not mean that there are no difficulties. Yau Chengtong made an analogy, "If we find what we want to do, it will be like going down the Yangtze River." But even if you know that the direction is right, there are many obstacles such as the Three Gorges in the middle, which we need to overcome. ”

When asked how to cultivate top mathematics talents, he gave the same answer based on his own upbringing, "let it be". "Great mathematicians never do research to win awards, but to 'learn and do learning', and they will become talents naturally, not for other utilitarian purposes."

In 2021, Chengtong Yau was hired as the dean of Qiuzhen College of Tsinghua University, and in 2022, he resigned from Harvard University and was hired as a full-time chair professor at Tsinghua University.

"Mathematics should start with dolls" is a philosophy he has repeatedly emphasized. In his opinion, thirteen or fourteen is the best age for teenagers to get into mathematics. "Good scholars generally became interested in learning at the age of thirteen or fourteen. Aiming at the cultivation of first-class mathematicians, we must start with dolls. Not long ago, on April 4, Yau Chengtong awarded the "Yau Chengtong Junior Class" to 20 middle schools across the country in the middle school affiliated to Chinese Minmin University, which has become an innovative measure to cultivate top-notch talents in basic disciplines in China's universities and middle schools.

When asked whether premature mathematical research will limit the future development space of teenagers, Yau Chengtong told Science and Technology Daily that mathematics has certain particularities and is the foundation of basic disciplines. "Modern physics, for example, is almost impossible without mathematics. Junior students don't necessarily have to study math later, even if they are interested in other fields in the future, learning math well will be very helpful. He believes that helping young people lay a good foundation in mathematics will bring a strong impetus to the development of science and technology in China. (Science and Technology Daily Intern Reporter Du Peng)