Chen Ning Yang, the celebrated Chinese theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner, passed away in Beijing on Saturday at the age of 103.
One of Yang’s most influential achievements came in 1954 when he collaborated with American physicist Robert Mills to develop a theoretical framework that would later revolutionise modern physics.
Beyond his scientific legacy, Yang is also remembered for inspiring a new era of confidence in Chinese science.
Chen Ning Yang, the celebrated Chinese theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winner, passed away in Beijing on Saturday at the age of 103.
Born in 1922 in Hefei, located in eastern China’s Anhui Province, Yang’s remarkable academic journey took him to the United States in the 1940s, where he pursued advanced studies and held several teaching positions at prestigious institutions. In 1957, his groundbreaking contributions to physics earned him the Nobel Prize, as reported by Chinese state media.
One of Yang’s most influential achievements came in 1954 when he collaborated with American physicist Robert Mills to develop a theoretical framework that would later revolutionise modern physics. The equations they produced, now known as the Yang–Mills theory, proved as foundational to particle physics as Einstein’s theory of relativity had been to gravity and spacetime.
Their work provided the essential mathematical underpinnings for what is now known as the Standard Model, a unifying theory that describes how three of the universe’s four fundamental forces (the electromagnetic, weak, and strong interactions) govern the behavior of subatomic particles. The theory remains a pillar of contemporary physics.
“Yang was one of the greatest theoretical physicists of the 20th century,” said Shi Yu, a physics professor and associate director at the Wilczek Quantum Centre, part of the Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, she emphasised the immense impact of his work: “Without Yang–Mills theory, there would be no Standard Model.”
Beyond his scientific legacy, Yang is also remembered for inspiring a new era of confidence in Chinese science. At a time when many in China questioned their place in the global scientific community, Yang’s achievements served as a powerful reminder that Chinese scientists could compete and collaborate at the highest international levels.
“His greatest contribution may well be the shift in mindset he inspired,” Shi noted. “He showed generations of Chinese scientists that they were capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with the best minds in the world.”
With PTI inputs
