1957, Li Zhengdao and Li Zhengdao jointly put forward the theory of parity non-conservation and won the Nobel Prize in physics. They are the first China people to win the Nobel Prize.
Regarding his achievements, Ding Zhaozhong, another Chinese Nobel Prize winner, once said: When it comes to the milestone of physics in the 20th century, we first think of three things, namely, relativity (Einstein), quantum mechanics (Dirac) and gauge field (Yang Zhenning). Chen Moxi, another Zhihu netizen whose real name is registered as a researcher of China Academy of Sciences, even said: "Yang Zhenning is a person who is qualified to win two Nobel Prizes. His achievements in science not only put aside Hawking's position, but also surpassed another protagonist, Li Zhendao, who often appeared in street literature. " ? There is no doubt about Yang Zhenning's achievements in physics, but why was he criticized after he returned to China?
On February 24th, 2004, 82-year-old Professor Yang Zhenning and 28-year-old Weng Fan, a graduate student of Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, went through the marriage registration formalities in Shantou Civil Affairs Bureau. In the face of this "eighteen brides and eighty lang, gray hair and red makeup" style of marriage and love, some people bless, some people question. Yang Zhenning described his fiancee Weng Fan as "the last gift from God". Yang Zhenning said that youth is not only related to age, but also to spirit. Although he is old, his spirit is still young.
As for why he didn't return to China after his studies, Mr. Yang's answer was: Before me, all China people went abroad to study and returned to China after their studies. But when I got my doctorate, the Korean War broke out, and the United States did not allow doctors of science and engineering to return to China, so I stayed in the United States. Why did you become an American citizen? Yang Zhenning's answer is that his ROC passport is very inconvenient to travel abroad, so he became an American citizen. Some people in China said that they could not understand why they changed their nationality because of the convenience of travel. Zhang Zhenning himself said: My father didn't forgive me for abandoning my hometown and country before I died. Join China nationality, serve the country, fulfill my father's last wish, and it won't be too embarrassing to meet again.
First of all, his marriage with Weng Fan is uncomfortable. An 80-year-old man, whose wife just died, remarried so soon. The object of remarriage was actually a young woman who was enough to be her granddaughter. In any case, this is unacceptable to China's traditional ethics. Because of doubts about Yang Zhenning's character, when he joined the United States, he did not choose to return to China when the country needed it most, like his classmate Deng Jiaxian. When he returned to China at the age of 80 and said that he would "continue to make greater contributions to the Chinese nation", it also became a handle for people to criticize him. After all, for China people, ten thousand icing on the cake is far less unforgettable than the last one.