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Translated by: Blerta Haxhiu
- 18 October 2025 11:55
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Renowned Chinese physicist and Nobel Prize winner Chen Ning Yang died in Beijing on Saturday. He was 103 years old.
The prestigious Tsinghua University, where he had studied and later taught as a professor, said in a statement that Yang died of an illness, without giving further details.
"Professor Yang is one of the greatest physicists of the 20th century. He has made revolutionary contributions to the development of modern physics," the university said in a statement, also praising his contributions to science and education in China.
Chen Ning Yang won the Nobel Prize in 1957 along with fellow Chinese scientist Tsung-Dao Lee. They were recognized for their study of the laws of symmetry in nature, which led to important discoveries about elementary particles, according to the official Nobel Prize website, AP reports.
They were the first scientists of Chinese origin to win the Nobel Prize in physics.
In his speech during the Nobel Prize dinner, Yang said he was as proud of his Chinese origins as he was committed to modern science, which is an important part of Western civilization.
Yang, also known as Frank or Franklin, is also known for the famous Yang–Mills theory, which he developed together with American physicist Robert Mills.
He was born in 1922 and grew up on the campus of Tsinghua University, where his father was a mathematics professor.
After completing his undergraduate studies, he received his master's degree from Tsinghua University.
In 1946, he went to the United States to pursue his doctorate at the University of Chicago, where he was greatly inspired by the renowned Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1938.
According to a 2017 report by the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua, Yang had obtained American citizenship.
He said then that it was a painful decision and that his father had not forgiven him for it.
In 2015, Yang renounced his American citizenship. He said the United States was a beautiful country that gave him good opportunities to study science. The official Nobel Prize website says Yang had three children.