China News Service, Beijing, July 31, Question: Qiu Chengtong: Why are many Chinese students good at doing problems, but not great mathematicians?

　　China News Agency reporter Chen Yubo

　　Recently, the Fields Medal, which is awarded every four years and known as the "Nobel Prize in mathematics", has been announced. Four young mathematicians from France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Ukraine have won the award.

Among them, the experience of the Korean-American mathematician Xu Xianer, who was very poor in mathematics when he was a child, and even once disliked mathematics is particularly legendary. This is also another Asian scientist after Qiu Chengtong, Tao Zhexuan and Wu Baozhu won this honor.

　　What qualities do you need to be a mathematician?

How can China train more local world-class mathematicians?

In what ways does China need to make efforts in order to transform from a big country in mathematics to a strong country in mathematics?

Qiu Chengtong, an internationally renowned Chinese mathematician and the first Chinese winner of the Fields Medal, pointed out in an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "Dongxiwen" recently that if you want to learn mathematics well, you must have a certain basic talent, be interested, and be willing to work hard.

The true meaning of mathematics is not to do problems, especially not to do problems given by others, but to discover good research directions and good questions by yourself, and find your own way.

The following is a summary of the interview transcript:

China News Agency reporter: You once said that you have a home in China and the United States, and a third home that has been inhabited for half a century - the country of mathematics.

How did you get interested in math?

Qiu Chengtong:

I have been interested in mathematics since I was a child.

My father was a philosopher, but he had a soft spot for mathematics. Although he did not study mathematics, he considered it a very important subject.

Under my father's teaching, I became interested in mathematics very early.

　　My father died when I was 14.

I've always been very interested in mathematics, but I haven't been exposed to real mathematics.

I didn't know what real math was until I went to UC Berkeley.

　　Frankly speaking, Chinese mathematicians at that time saw a relatively one-sided view of the research field, and did not see a grand panorama. I only saw it when I went to Berkeley.

Qiu Chengtong at work.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Bian Zhengfeng

China News Agency reporter: You have a dual experience of studying and teaching in the East and the West, and have lived in the United States for nearly 50 years.

What do you think are the characteristics of East and West mathematics education?

How to solve the phenomenon that Chinese students are good at doing math Olympiad problems but not asking questions?

Qiu Chengtong:

Many people are curious, Chinese children are very good at mathematics, why can't China produce big mathematicians?

In fact, there are many misunderstandings.

Among the children in Europe and America, the best ones in mathematics are also very good. The teachers not only teach them the basic content of mathematics, but also pay attention to stimulate their real interest in mathematics, so that they have a great driving force to find the beauty of mathematics.

　　Many Chinese children don't see the essence of mathematics, thinking that as long as they get the questions right and pass the exam well, they will be happy.

But the true meaning of mathematics is not to do problems, especially not to do problems given by others, but to discover good research directions and good problems by yourself, and find your own way.

　　To solve this dilemma, the first thing is to get rid of utilitarianism, and don't think about relying on mathematics to get promoted and rich, to compete for talent "hats", and to become academicians.

I have seen many young people in the United States who think their research is very interesting, and they are quite satisfied. They don't think about whether they can become academicians and whether they can get high salaries.

For those who are interested in learning, the real reward is the learning itself. Solving difficult problems is the most important thing. The Tang monk must have the spirit of being willing to go through ninety-nine-eighty-one hardships on the way to learn scriptures from the West.

　　Therefore, if you want to learn mathematics well, you must have a certain basic talent, have an interest, and be willing to work hard. This kind of effort takes years and months, and you can't stand it without interest.

In addition, don't count on inspiration, thinking that when inspiration comes, it is impossible to solve a problem that has never been solved in history.

China News Agency reporter: You like ancient Chinese poetry very much, and you have written poems.

You once said that Chinese classical literature has deeply influenced your academic temperament and accomplishment.

What nourishment and inspiration does Chinese traditional culture bring to your exploration in the field of mathematics?

Qiu Chengtong: To

do a good job of learning, you must have a cultural foundation, not only to read ancient Chinese poetry, but also to watch Shakespeare, listen to the opera "Faust", and listen to Beethoven's music.

Poetry is an important part of Chinese culture. Whether poetry or mathematics, the study is all about nature, but the method of description is different.

　　I like the simple style, I like the "Book of Songs", I like Qu Yuan's poems of Chu, I like the poems of Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (such as "Nineteen Ancient Poems"), and my favorite is Fu-Han Fu.

　　I think the more I read bold poems, the more I do math research.

I often encourage students to read more unrestrained poems, Sima Qian's "Records of the Grand Historian", etc. It is very beneficial for doing research, helping to broaden their minds and focus on bigger issues. , the essence of expanding the ancient mind".

China News Agency reporter: What is the role of mathematics?

What kind of problems can it solve for human beings?

Qiu Chengtong:

Mathematics has been the foundation of the entire science from ancient times to the present.

The only language to explain the structure of nature is mathematics.

The fundamental laws of nature can only be deduced by mathematics.

　　The earliest experiments cannot be expressed without mathematics; if they are expressed, a result must be deduced through logic, and this result can be used for large computers, "two bombs and one star", etc.

In fact, all scientific projects cannot be completed without mathematics.

Especially the Internet developed in recent decades is more about mathematics, how to study the network structure and how to transmit information as quickly as possible.

There is hardly a place in the world without mathematics.

　　Recently, many mathematicians are discussing the epidemic, and mathematical models can predict the number of future infections; the deep learning and artificial intelligence involved in the "Alpha Go" (Alpha Go) that defeated humans in the Go matchup are closely related to mathematics.

On July 18, 2022, Qiu Chengtong shared the extensive application of mathematics in the first lecture of the national tour of "Seeking Truth".

Photo by China News Agency reporter Qu Honglun

China News Service reporter: What is the history of the development of mathematics in the East and the West?

What is the current level of Chinese mathematics in the world?

Qiu Chengtong:

Ancient Chinese mathematics developed quite well for a period of time, but since the great development of mathematics in Greece, there is no country in the world whose mathematics can compare with it.

The mathematical achievements made by Greece in the seven or eight hundred years from 500 BC to 200 AD are unparalleled.

At that time, ancient civilizations such as Babylon, ancient India, and ancient China all studied mathematics, but they did not find a perfect logical method to deal with mathematics. Only Greek mathematicians completed it.

　　China did not officially start the research of modern mathematics until the early 20th century. It has developed quite well today, but it is still far from the most advanced mathematics in the world.

There are a few Chinese mathematicians who have done well, but there is a huge team of mathematicians in the West, and there is still a gap.

　　At present, China is more focused on applied mathematics, and the development of theoretical mathematics needs to be strengthened. The latter requires a painful and isolated thinking process.

China News Agency reporter: You said in your autobiography that mathematics has magical powers that can break down distance, language, and cultural barriers, and bring people together immediately to exchange common knowledge.

How do you think mathematics can facilitate East-West communication?

Chengtong Yau:

Mathematics follows the basic idea of ​​logic, which is applicable everywhere.

My Russian friend and I both use the same mathematical language and communicate without any barriers.

Each nation has its own characteristics, and each era has a different environment, which will affect the development of mathematics, but mathematicians all pay attention to logic. Although our steps and methods of solving problems are different, it does not prevent us from appreciating and integrating with each other. .

　　A good mathematics institute must accommodate many mathematicians from different countries and nationalities.

I basically know all the great mathematicians after the 1950s, and I have learned a lot from them and their attitude towards learning.

I also learn a lot from physicists, so a lot of my research is related to physics.

In 2006, world-renowned scientists Yau Chengtong (left to right), David Gross, Stephen Hawking and Andrew strominger attended the International String Theory Conference.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Xu Xiyi

China News Service reporter: The 9th Chinese Mathematician Conference was held recently. What was your original intention for initiating this conference?

What unique role can Chinese mathematicians play in promoting East-West exchanges?

Qiu Chengtong:

The Chinese Mathematician Conference was first launched in 1998. At that time, China's mathematics was relatively backward, so I hope to gather the strength of Chinese mathematicians from all over the world to improve China's mathematics level and facilitate their communication with each other.

I think I did.

Many outstanding Chinese mathematicians have come to China, and many Chinese mathematicians have had the opportunity to visit and exchange abroad. This conference has played a very good role as a bridge.

　　We have also launched many important awards, such as the "Morningside Mathematics Award" known as the "Chinese Fields Medal". Basically, the most important mathematicians in China have won this award.

In 1998, the level of mathematics in China was quite different from that of overseas countries, and they did not know much about the progress of overseas mathematics research. Through the speeches of these Chinese mathematicians, local Chinese mathematicians had the opportunity to learn about the most cutting-edge mathematics research.

After more than 20 years of development, China's mathematics level has been greatly improved.

At present, the direction in which we lead Chinese students to do research is much clearer than before, and we can grasp the key points.

China News Service reporter: You once predicted: "The 19th century was the century of mathematics in Europe, the 20th century was the century of mathematics in the United States, and the 21st century must be the century of mathematics in China." What do you think China needs to do in order to become a mathematical power? work hard?

Qiu Chengtong:

I really hope that the world's first-class mathematics will be produced in China within ten years.

In the future, China will undoubtedly occupy a very important position on the world stage. China's population is larger than other countries, and the Chinese people attach more importance to knowledge.

The number of college graduates in China this year has exceeded 10 million. If one can select "good seedlings" who can become world-class mathematicians from among them, 10,000 first-class mathematicians can be trained in 10 years. This is equivalent to The size of the entire pool of top scientific talent in the United States.

In June 2015, Qiu Chengtong was invited to give a lecture by celebrities in Nankai, which was warmly sought after by students of Nankai University.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Daozheng

　　Specifically, the talent selection mechanism can be appropriately innovated, and not all "good seedlings" need to be screened through the college entrance examination.

Tsinghua Qiuzhen College can independently recruit 100 students each year, which is only a small proportion compared to the 10 million in the college entrance examination, but these students are expected to become leading talents in the Chinese mathematics field.

To change the academic direction of mathematics in China, it may depend on this small number of people.

(Finish)

Interviewee Profile:

　　Qiu Chengtong, male, is an academician of the National Academy of Sciences, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and a foreign academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Tenured professor of the Department of Mathematics and Physics of Harvard University, chair professor of Tsinghua University, director of Qiu Chengtong Mathematical Science Center of Tsinghua University, and dean of Qiuzhen Academy.

Graduated from the Department of Mathematics of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and obtained a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, under the tutelage of Chen Shishen, a famous differential geometer. The first Chinese winner of the Nobel Prize Fields Medal.