Fostering a new generation of China's mathematical experts

"Chern devoted all of his time in his later years into education, with the mission of cultivating China's top mathematicians. This is my teacher's dream and also what we younger generations need to inherit," Yau said.

In 1979, Yau set foot in Beijing for the first time and discovered that China had a long way to go in terms of subject construction and talent cultivation compared to the West.

However, the situation soon improved as China started to send a large number of students abroad and invest more funds in science and technology, which was a farsighted decision in Yau's opinion.

In recent years, many of Yau's students have returned to China and a lot of them are active in domestic mathematical study. He has also established multiple mathematical research institutions in China and organized mathematical competitions with different objectives and evaluation methods.

"Only by connecting with the international community can young scholars break free from mental constraints and follow the forefront of world development to forge their own path," Yau said.

Two years ago, in order to ensure the implementation of the YAU Mathematical Sciences Leaders Program, Tsinghua University's Qiuzhen College was established, with Yau serving as its dean.

His goal is to cultivate a group of top talent in China through this training program. And such talent should be able to lead the world's mathematical development and change the development of basic science.

To achieve this, Yau visited middle schools and even primary schools across the country to select students with outstanding comprehensive capabilities, mathematical potential and expertise as he found that almost all mathematical masters in history began to excel at the age of 13 or so.

To stimulate middle school students' curiosity about mathematical issues, Yau initiated the Shing-Tung Yau High School Science Award. In addition, he launched the Shing-Tung Yau College Student Mathematics Contest, which encourages college students to independently study basic mathematics not narrated in the classrooms or textbooks, aiming to cultivate their true ability to conduct scientific research.