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The famous physicist Tsung-Dao Lee died in the United States on August 4, 2024, local time, at the age of 98. He has been engaged in physics research for a long time and has made pioneering and milestone work in many fields such as quantum field theory, elementary particle theory, nuclear physics, statistical mechanics, fluid mechanics, and astrophysics.

Tsung-Dao Lee

According to the website of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in 1956, the theory of parity non-conservation in weak interactions proposed by Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang completely changed the world's understanding of symmetry, opened a new door for human exploration of the microscopic world, and promoted the development of physics. For this, they jointly won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics. This is the first time that a Chinese has won this world's highest scientific honor, which has greatly boosted the national self-confidence and pride of the Chinese nation. In view of Tsung-Dao Lee's outstanding achievements and great contributions in a wide range of scientific fields, he was elected as a member of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Third World Academy of Sciences, and the Italian National Academy of Sciences. In 1994, he was elected as one of the first foreign academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Li Zhengdao is a patriotic scientist who has deep feelings and attachment to his motherland. He cares deeply about the development of his motherland and devotes his wholehearted enthusiasm to the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. Since 1972, he has returned to China for many visits and lectures. For more than 40 years, he has worked tirelessly and devoted all his energy to promote the development of China's science, technology and education, promote international exchanges and cooperation in China's science and technology circles, expand the influence of China's science and technology circles, and accelerate the training of outstanding scientific and technological talents. He has done a lot of fruitful work and played an important role.

As early as the early 1980s, Tsung-Dao Lee initiated and founded the China-US Physics Examination and Application (CUSPEA), which trained 915 doctoral students and contributed to the training of young Chinese physicists. He then advocated the establishment of the China Postdoctoral Mobile Station and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, and served as an advisor to the National Postdoctoral Management Committee and the Honorary Chairman of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. He actively proposed the establishment of the National Natural Science Foundation and helped propose a specific implementation plan, which promoted the establishment of the Chinese Science Foundation system and had a profound impact on promoting the development of basic science in China.

In order to develop high-energy physics and build high-energy accelerators in China, under the advice and arrangement of Tsung-Dao Lee, dozens of Chinese scholars were sent to the United States and Europe for study and training, and later became the scientific research backbones for the construction of the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider, the Beijing Spectrometer, and the high-energy physics research and experiments. It was under his active efforts and promotion that the cooperation between China and the United States in high-energy physics was facilitated, and the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider project received help and support from the American high-energy physics community in the selection, design and construction of the plan, so that the collider was completed as scheduled. Tsung-Dao Lee always cared about and supported the transformation and upgrading of the Beijing Electron-Positron Collider, making it the most advanced experimental device in the world in the τ-charm physics research energy region. He helped the Shanghai Light Source to establish and build the project, promoted and facilitated the construction of the Chinese Spallation Neutron Source; and organized the Chinese Accelerator School to train young scientific and technological talents for the Shanghai Light Source.

In order to encourage young students to study hard and work diligently, Tsung-Dao Lee agreed to set up Tsung-Dao Lee Lecture Funds in Jiangsu and Gansu. In order to encourage undergraduates to engage in scientific research, in 1997, he also used his personal savings to set up the "Qin Hui-Tsung-Dao Lee Chinese Undergraduate Internship and Further Education Fund", which was specifically used to support outstanding undergraduates from Peking University, Fudan University, Lanzhou University, Soochow University, National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, and Shanghai Jiaotong University to practice scientific research. Over the past 20 years, more than 3,800 "Tsung-Dao Lee Scholars" have been trained, enabling them to become familiar with scientific research across disciplines, have more contact with scientists, and thus understand, know, care about, and love science.

Over the years, Tsung-Dao Lee has devoted all his efforts to the development of China's education and the succession of China's scientific cause. In December 2014, Tsung-Dao Lee wrote a letter to the leaders of the Party and the country, proposing to build a world-class scientific research institution similar to the "Bohr Institute" in Denmark at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, attracting a group of the world's top scientists, forming an academic atmosphere of free exploration, training a group of China's own top scientists, and promoting the major development of physics and its interdisciplinary research. His suggestions were highly valued, and on November 28, 2016, the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute was officially established at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. On April 7, 2018, Tsung-Dao Lee was appointed as the honorary director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute. He has always been very concerned about the construction and development of the institute, constantly providing constructive and guiding opinions for the institute, and making efforts to expand the international influence of the institute.

The Paper noted that on the morning of April 12 this year, Professor Lee Chung-ching, son of Tsung-Dao Lee, and his eldest grandson, Lee Shan-shih, Wang Kuan-cheng Education Foundation directors Wang Kai-yan and Zhang Li-xian, senior advisor and Swire Professor of Engineering at the University of Hong Kong Tian Zhi-nan, and foundation director Xing Fu-zhong visited the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute. Academician Zhang Jie, former president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, and Vice President Zhang An-sheng welcomed Professor Lee Chung-ching and his delegation on behalf of the university.

At the symposium, Zhang Ansheng, on behalf of the university, welcomed the arrival of Li Zhongqing and his party. Zhang Jie gave an overall introduction to the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute. Starting from Mr. Tsung-Dao Lee's wishes, he detailed the background of the establishment of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, the fundamental scientific issues it focuses on, the form of scientific research organization, the introduction and cultivation of international high-level talents and the diversified funding system, as well as the vision for future development. In his report, Academician Zhang Jie fondly recalled his deep friendship with Mr. Tsung-Dao Lee and his deep roots with the Wang Kuancheng Education Foundation. He said that the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute carries the earnest instructions of Mr. Tsung-Dao Lee and the leaders of the Party and the country, and shoulders an important scientific mission. The Tsung-Dao Lee Institute will uphold the "Heavenly Questions" spirit, give full play to the advantages of the big science research paradigm, and strive to produce major original breakthroughs and build a world-class basic science research institution.

Li Zhongqing said that he has always paid close attention to the development of the Institute and is pleased with the scientific research progress the Institute has made. He firmly believes that under the spiritual guidance of Mr. Li Zhengdao, the Institute will continue to achieve more remarkable achievements and make greater contributions to the cause of science.