news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

Summary:[Attached is a personal letter from Tsung-Dao Lee] While studying physics, one must enjoy life. Why let fame and fortune hinder one's life?

On the evening of the 5th, Beijing time, the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the Tsung-Dao Lee Library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the China Advanced Science and Technology Center issued an obituary: Mr. Tsung-Dao Lee, a world-renowned scientist, Nobel Prize winner in Physics, Chinese-American physicist, foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, academician of the Third World Academy of Sciences, academician of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, academician of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, academician of the Italian National Academy of Sciences, lifelong director of the China Advanced Science and Technology Center, honorary professor of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and honorary director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, died at 2:33 a.m. local time on August 4, 2024 at his home in San Francisco, USA, at the age of 97.

Tsung-Dao Lee.

"One must enjoy the study of physics; why bother with fame and fortune?" From the completion of the Tsung-Dao Lee Library to the opening of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, the octogenarian Tsung-Dao Lee was unable to come to China to witness it in person due to his advanced age, but he fulfilled three long-cherished wishes in his birthplace.

The "Ballroom" of the Tsung-Dao Lee Research Institute. Photo by Xu Ruizhe

① Establish world-class scientific research institutions

2016 marks the 60th anniversary of the discovery of "parity non-conservation". In 1956, 29-year-old Tsung-Dao Lee and his collaborator Chen-Ning Yang first proposed the theory of parity non-conservation in weak interactions involving elementary particles. This revolutionary theory was confirmed by the beta decay experiment conducted by Lee's colleague Chien-Shiung Wu and her collaborators at Columbia University at the end of the same year. A series of subsequent experiments fully verified the theoretical predictions of Lee and Yang, overturning the dogma that has been universally established since ancient times about "parity conservation".

In late November of that year, Tsung-Dao Lee, who had just celebrated his 90th birthday, wrote a letter to congratulate the establishment of the institute named after him, the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Due to health reasons, he could not fly long distances and was unable to return to China from the United States. However, he entrusted his eldest son, the director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Library and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Chair Professor, Li Zhongqing, to express an invitation and expectation to scientists at home and abroad: He hoped that the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute would become a brand that attracts top international scientists and also cultivate a group of top international scientists in a few years.

Tsung-Dao Lee (Photo taken on July 30, 2017)

Almost two years ago, Tsung-Dao Lee wrote a letter to the central leadership, in which he expressed his proposal to establish a world-class cutting-edge scientific research institute. He said in the letter: "Building a strong country in science and technology requires first-class talents. I hope to establish an international scientific research institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, mainly engaged in the most cutting-edge scientific research in physics and astronomy in the 21st century, including the research of dark matter and dark energy, looking for the connection between the largest and the smallest in the universe, exploring the most basic and profound mutual laws in nature, building a first-class international academic and living environment, attracting the world's best scientists, and allowing them to discuss and work together with the most outstanding young scholars in China. I think that in a few years, more top scholars of our country will be trained." This letter received important instructions from the leaders of the Party and the country.

Today, attracted by Tsung-Dao Lee's influence in academia and Shanghai's efforts to build a science and technology innovation center with global influence, the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, led by Academician Zhang Jie, former president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and director of the Institute, is gathering more than 100 scientists from 16 countries and regions on six continents, of which foreign researchers account for about 40%.

Zhangjiang "Lisuo Bay". Photo by Xu Ruizhe

②Donated Nobel Prize Medal Certificate to the Library

Li Zhengdao is not an alumnus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, so why did he suggest setting up the institute here? In fact, Li Zhengdao's family has a deep friendship and indissoluble bond with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. A reporter from Jiefang Daily and Shangguan News learned that in 1911, Li Zhengdao's father-in-law Qin Mengjiu graduated from Jiaotong University and became one of the well-known early graduates of the school. He was also one of the earliest alumni to support the development of Jiaotong University. In 1926, Qin Mengjiu donated his property in Beijing to his alma mater, and used the funds to build the Jiaotong University Industrial Hall, which is now the Engineering Hall of the Xuhui Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He said, "I studied at Jiaotong University for 7 years, and spent a lot of time in the Engineering Hall."

Coincidentally, 1926 was also the year that Tsung-Dao Lee was born in Shanghai. Since the reform and opening up, Tsung-Dao Lee has maintained close academic exchanges with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The "China Center for Advanced Science and Technology" he founded has attracted many professors from Shanghai Jiao Tong University to join, and dozens of Jiao Tong University students have become beneficiaries of the Sino-US Joint Physics Graduate Program (CUSPEA) and postdoctoral system promoted by him.

Thematic exhibition board of Tsung-Dao Lee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Photo by Haishar

In 1987, Tsung-Dao Lee was hired as a visiting professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and has visited the university to give lectures many times since then. In 1998, Tsung-Dao Lee donated his personal savings and named it after his wife and himself to establish the "Qin Hui-Tsung-Dao Lee Chinese Undergraduate Internship and Further Education Fund", also known as the "Tsung-Dao Lee Fund", to support outstanding undergraduate students in colleges and universities to carry out scientific research internships.

It is worth mentioning that in 2011, Tsung-Dao Lee donated all his lifelong scientific documents, research manuscripts, correspondence, calligraphy and painting works, as well as Nobel Prize medals, certificates and other award certificates to Shanghai Jiao Tong University. They are displayed in the Tsung-Dao Lee Library on the Minhang campus of Jiao Tong University, which has become an important base for cultivating the scientific spirit and patriotism of teachers and students.

Innocent feelings, between "fish and water". In the Tsung-Dao Lee Library, there is a doggerel written by Tsung-Dao Lee: "Basic science is as clear as water, applied science is like swimming fish, and product science is like a fish market. None of the three can be missing." Regarding the relationship between basic research and applied research, Tsung-Dao Lee often compares the relationship between the three to "water, fish and fish market", among which basic scientific research is the foundation: without water, there will be no fish; without fish, there will be no fish market.

Li Suo's "Heavenly Questions Spirit". Photo by Xu Ruizhe

③ Organize a series of activities integrating science and art

"My father has always been known as a scientist and educator. However, he also has a deep connection with art." In a series of activities for the Tsung-Dao Lee Science and Art Lecture Fund, which was established with a donation of over one million US dollars, Professor Li Zhongqing, the eldest son of Tsung-Dao Lee and the director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Library, revealed through a video that his father used his spare time to paint for decades and accumulated a large number of works. After retiring in 2012, painting became an indispensable part of his life. "Almost every one or two days, he would go out to walk and exercise, and paint to cultivate his mood."

In 2020, 94-year-old Tsung-Dao Lee sent a personal letter to the annual science and art activities. He said that "truth" is the pursuit of science, and "beauty" is the goal of art - goodness is achieved through beauty, and beauty is achieved through truth. The common foundation of science and art is human creativity; the two are integrated and interconnected, becoming fertile soil for stimulating human unlimited creative potential.

Tsung-Dao Lee (Photo taken on June 9, 2020)

Li Zhongqing said that his father actually had no professional art training, nor did he have lofty artistic pursuits. He painted only to express his feelings and to record the little bits of true fun in life like a diary. The scenery of the four seasons, the scenery of the city, the wild flowers in front of the door, and the rabbits next door were all the subjects of his paintings. Li Zhengdao also gave paintings to friends and sent his friends hand-made greeting cards during the New Year. In his son's view, art and science are the basis of Li Zhengdao's creativity and vitality. "But his art is not as difficult as scientific research, but simple and pure, like Feng Zikai's cartoons, which enter the true feelings and tastes of life in bits and pieces."

In fact, Tsung-Dao Lee also forged deep friendships with many Chinese painters. As the painter Wu Guanzhong said, Tsung-Dao Lee's paintings "are actually derived from his deep love for truth and emotion". As the saying goes: "Science explores the mysteries of the universe, and art explores the mysteries of emotion. There is a hidden path between mysteries."

The theme of the science and art event that year was "Spin". In his letter, Tsung-Dao Lee revealed that the theme was chosen by Frank Wilczek, Nobel Prize winner in Physics and director of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute. Tsung-Dao Lee himself thought the theme was very good, "I am honored to be able to provide such an opportunity to interpret spin through art and find a way for the two to connect. I very much hope that the sparks generated by our science and art exchanges can illuminate a further path of exploration."

[The 92-year-old Tsung-Dao Lee wrote a letter to congratulate the start of construction of the Tsung-Dao Lee Institute’s laboratory building]