According to CCTV news, Tsung-Dao Lee, a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, and a Chinese-American physicist, passed away in United States early this morning.
Image source: CCTV News
Let's take a look back at a precious time from 45 years ago.
In the spring of 1979, the famous Chinese-American scientist, 1957 Nobel Prize winner in physics, and professor of Colombia University Tsung-Dao Lee returned to China to give lectures for more than three months, opening two courses of "Statistical Mechanics" and "Brief Introduction of Field Theory and Particle Physics", which played a very positive role in the development of physics after the reform and opening up of the mainland.
他讲学期间的讲义日后也出版成了两部高水平教材，培养了一大批科技人才，并在此次活动中萌生选拔优秀学子赴美留学并付诸实践的中美联合招考物理研究生项目（China-U.S. Physics Examination and Application ，简称CUSPEA）。
Based on the materials and historical documents preserved in the Tsung-Dao Lee Library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, this paper mainly introduces the lecture process of Tsung-Dao Lee's return to China and the impact on the development of physics after China's reform and opening up.
Background of his return to China in 1979 to give lectures
In the 70s of the 20th century, due to the destruction of science and education by the "Cultural Revolution", a large number of outstanding professors were forced to give up scientific research, and students could not receive systematic scientific training in universities, resulting in the slow development of physics.
In order to allow China to recover from this state of educational stagnation as soon as possible and catch up with the pace of the world's scientific and technological development as soon as possible, on August 8, 1977, Deng Xiaoping presided over the famous "88 Symposium" after his return. At the meeting, on the issue of academic exchanges, Deng Xiaoping pointed out: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reported that a group of Chinese scholars have asked to return to China. Comrade Zhou Enlai has considered this issue in the past. We need to create conditions to build some houses and make preparations for the resettlement of them back to China. When they return home, they must have a home, and they must have the necessary working conditions! Accepting Chinese scholars back to China is a concrete measure for us to develop science and technology, and sending people to study abroad is also a concrete measure. We will also invite well-known foreign scholars to give lectures on the mainland. There are many well-known scholars who are friendly with China, and it is a very good way to invite others to give lectures, so why not do it? ”
On March 18, 1978, the National Science and Technology Conference was held in Beijing. At the meeting, Deng Xiaoping put forward the slogan that "science is the primary productive force" and affirmed the lofty status of scientific research work. Guo Moruo, then president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, called the spring of 1978 "the spring of science."
Physics, as a basic discipline, has received due attention and entered a period of rapid development. In order to make up for the gap with the world's frontiers in the development of physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other institutions of higher learning and scientific research institutions have issued invitations to outstanding overseas physicists, and a number of outstanding Chinese physicists have been invited to return to China for academic exchanges and introduce the latest trends in physics, so that Chinese physics researchers have the opportunity to understand the frontiers of the development of physics in the world and catch up with the development of physics in the world.
In March 1979, Tsung-Dao Lee, Fermi Chair Professor at United States Colombia University and winner of the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, was invited by the Chinese Academy of Sciences to return to China to give lectures at the Graduate School of the University of Science and Technology of China.
Lee Tsung-dao is a well-known Chinese scientist who published a paper with Yang Chen-ning in 1956 entitled "Question of Parity Conservation in Weak Interactions", suggesting that the cosmic symmetry may not be conserved in weak interactions, which was subsequently confirmed by experiments. This article has changed all the traditional, deep-rooted, erroneous, and blind outdated views on the concept of "symmetry" in the entire physics community. Since then, "non-conservation of cosmic symmetry" in weak interactions has become a basic scientific principle of universal significance, and he won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957.
Lee and his wife, Qin Huicheng, returned to China for the first time in the fall of 1972, and then returned to China in 1974 and 1977, where they lectured in Shanghai and Beijing on each occasion in addition to meeting with domestic leaders and visiting relatives and friends.
He was very concerned about the development of science, technology and education in the motherland, and in order to change the situation in which young people did not receive good scientific training during the "Cultural Revolution" period, he suggested to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai to select outstanding young people for systematic scientific training, which won their support and became the prototype of the juvenile class.
He also paid great attention to the development of physics in the motherland, helped the journal "Physics" to be republished during the "Cultural Revolution", changed the situation of persecuted physicists (such as Shu Xingbei), and introduced the latest discoveries of the world's physics community to the scientific and technological personnel of the motherland. Therefore, after receiving an invitation from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the spring of 1978, Lee immediately agreed to return to China to give lectures.
Preparation for lectures
In early 1978, the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs jointly asked Deng Xiaoping for instructions and invited Lee Tsung-dao to return to China for short-term work, which was personally approved by Deng Xiaoping. The Chinese Academy of Sciences took immediate action, and Qian Sanqiang, then vice president, sent a letter of invitation to Lee Tsung-dao on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
On May 3, 1978, Lee Tsung-dao wrote back to Qian Sanqiang, agreeing to return to China around April and May 1979 to give systematic lectures. However, due to Qian Sanqiang's visit to France, Belgium and other countries in June, he did not reply to Lee Zhengdao until July 26, 1978, and the subject and duration of the lecture were not determined, indicating that they could be discussed later.
After receiving the letter, Lee Zhengdao replied on August 5, 1978, expressing concern about the development of science and technology in China and the growth of the younger generation of physicists, and introducing his lectures at Colombia University.
On October 7, 1978, Qian Sanqiang suggested to Lee Tsung-dao that he return to China to teach "particle physics", and at the same time, he also welcomed him to teach "statistical mechanics", saying that according to his habit of teaching in United States, he planned to arrange three mornings/afternoons a week, each time for two hours, and two topics would take six weeks. Qian Sanqiang also hopes that Lee Tsung-dao will give some special reports to researchers on some problems in modern quantum field theory. For such a request, the Chinese Academy of Sciences felt that it had arranged "a little more", and I don't know if Lee Tsung-dao is willing.
As for the number of attendees, Qian Sanqiang told his physics colleagues at the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Theoretical Physics, and Peking University, which had just been established at that time, about Tsung-Dao's return to China in July. Since there are no relevant textbooks in China, it is hoped that Lee Tsung-dao would have sent the textbooks or reference materials for the lectures to China first, so that he can be prepared and printed and distributed as soon as possible.
Qian Sanqiang and Lee Tsung-dao|Lee Tsung-Dao Library Collection
After receiving the letter, Lee Tsung-dao replied on November 4, 1978, saying that he had followed Qian Sanqiang's suggestion and added his own considerations, and felt that the title of "particle physics" should be changed to "A Brief Introduction to Field Theory and Particle Physics."
He hoped that the audience would not only be students of theoretical physics, but also experimental physics, and that nuclear and astrophysics would be equally welcome in addition to high-energy physics. Lee hopes that both this lesson and the students of "Statistical Mechanics" have already learned the rudimentary aspects of quantum mechanics. He also estimated the duration of the lessons, which would take a total of seven weeks, with five afternoons per week and two to three hours per afternoon.
For the time being, it is planned to teach "Statistical Mechanics" for six weeks, with two afternoons per week, and "Field Theory and Particle Physics" for seven weeks, with three afternoons per week.
Lee also attached an old manuscript of "Particle Physics and Statistical Mechanics," which he had previously taught at the University of Colombia, as a reference. At the same time, he began to prepare the text of his speech in China for the following year. He expects to make significant changes to the old lecture notes, so he hopes that in the second year of the lecture, students will help to organize notes, shorthand or transcripts, so that they may be available to other students immediately.
Lee Tsung-do was very well prepared. "Now I am collecting some reference materials and related textbooks, especially on particle physics, and I will mail them back to China after they are completed. Due to the long time away from the motherland, there are many physics proper nouns he does not know how to express in Chinese, so he carefully sorted out a few pages of English versions of proper nouns, hoping that the Chinese Academy of Sciences can ask a student to add Chinese next to the attached pages of English nouns for use. During this period, Lee Tsung-dao also sent Qian Sanqiang a large package of books through the Chinese Liaison Office in the United States.
On December 15, 1978, Qian Sanqiang replied, "I saw your opinion, and everyone thought it was very good. It is estimated that your lecture will be warmly welcomed in the country. There will be a large number of people attending the lecture this time, not only graduate students in theoretical physics, but also graduate students in experimental particle physics, astrophysics, and young researchers at or above the corresponding graduate level. Many comrades have pointed out that they have expressed deep admiration and encouragement for people like you who have enthusiastically supported the motherland's scientific and educational undertakings with soaring enthusiasm. ”
In order to do a good job in the two courses of "Statistical Mechanics" and "Brief Introduction to Field Theory and Particle Physics," Qian Sanqiang, together with various units in China, actively handled the preparatory work proposed by Lee Tsung-dao.
First, they photocopied or typeset the manuscripts sent by Lee so that the audience could have a copy at their disposal. With regard to sorting out Lee Tsung-dao's speeches, "We have already organized a small group to handle this matter, and we will strive to sort it out soon after you finish your speech, and I ask you to review and publish it quickly; there is a shortage of teaching materials in China, especially teaching materials that can reflect the world's advanced level and are suitable for guiding young comrades to quickly move toward scientific research work, and your speech will play a positive role in promoting the education of graduate students in China." The Chinese translation of the scientific term has been translated, and the translation name written here is not conclusive in China, but more people use such translations. We have arranged the lecture plan and schedule according to your suggestions, and in addition to the lectures, you would like to introduce some of your recent scientific work or give a lecture on the development of modern theories (please decide the topic and content). In addition, can you hold some discussion meetings with some colleagues in China, so that we can ask you for advice and discuss some issues of interest together, especially young comrades who want to hear your valuable opinions. Get benefits from you. ”
On February 9, 1979, Lee Tsung-dao wrote back to Qian Sanqiang, saying that he had prepared some more books and articles on "field theory and particle physics" and "statistical mechanics" to send to the Academy of Sciences.
"These materials were originally collected for the students who came to Beijing to give lectures this spring, (some of them are out of print, so we can only find copies), and I hope that they will be able to take the trouble to put them in the reading room where the students of these two courses can be reached, so that they can use them for their reference and study." In addition, Lee Tsung-dao attached three boxes of lecture notes, books, and stationery, with the words "Please leave it to me" written on the boxes, hoping to ask someone from the Academy of Sciences to take care of them.
At that time, there was no transparency projector in China, and they had never even seen it, so the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences organized personnel to go to Shanghai and ask relevant units to make a special one according to the sketches provided by Tsung-Dao Lee. Most of the videos used to shoot the course are old tapes, and some of the videos show the video of the foreign professor's lecture in the first few minutes, and some can see the introduction of the scenery and scenic spots of the motherland at the end. This shows how difficult the teaching conditions were at that time.
But there are always more ways than problems, and with a lot of careful and patient preparation by Lee Tsung-dao and Qian Sanqiang, the two-month course officially kicked off.
The course of the lecture activity
On the afternoon of April 2, 1979, Lee Tsung-dao gave his first lecture. The address of Tsung-Dao Lee's return to China to give lectures is in the lecture hall of the Science Hall of the Friendship Hotel in Beijing. The audience included graduate students, teachers and researchers from more than 100 scientific research units and colleges and universities across the country, and more than 1,000 people attended the lectures.
Tsung-Dao Lee in teaching|Collection of Tsung-Dao Lee Library
At the pomp and circumstance of the lecture that year, Gu Mainan, a senior reporter of Xinhua News Agency, wrote a documentary literature "Professor Lee Tsung-dao on the Chinese Stage", in which he described his class as follows:
Among those who attended the lecture were Tsung-Dao Lee's teachers, classmates, and friends in his early years, as well as a new generation of graduate students trained after the founding of the People's Republic of China. Some of them sat on the floor near the pulpit; Some sat in the back row, holding binoculars, listening and reading the handouts.
In the basement of the lecture hall and at the Graduate School of the University of Science and Technology of China, many people gathered around the CCTV sets, listening intently. On stage, Lee Tsung-dao wore a gray suit and spoke in Mandarin with a Shanghainese accent about the past, present and future of particle physics. In the spring of that year, he taught two courses: "Statistical Mechanics" and "Introduction to Field Theory and Particle Physics".
In the United States, he only teaches these two courses for 28~30 hours a year, and these two courses are generally taught for two or three years. He thought that China urgently needed scientific and technological talents to achieve modernization, so he decided to finish the course in two months.
In order to do a good job in this lecture, he began to prepare for it as early as a year ago. During the lecture, he lectured for more than 3 hours a day, and it usually took 5~6 hours to prepare for class, and he got up at 3 o'clock in the morning every day to start preparing for class, he kept talking, kept writing, he was sweating profusely, took off his coat, and then continued to speak. He was thin and his voice was hoarse, and he persuaded him to rest, and he smiled and said, "With so many people listening carefully, it is worth my labor." Many people told reporters: "It is no accident that Lee Tsung-dao is very knowledgeable, rigorous in his studies, and tireless in teaching, and his lecture has caused an unprecedented sensation." Premier Zhou Enlai once commented on him: "Li is good at learning."
The newspaper at the time commented on Tsung-Dao Lee's lecture and said: "Only a scientist of Chinese descent like Tsung-Dao Lee regards China as his motherland, and he can give lectures so hard!" "His kung fu is very deep and he speaks very well." An old scientist with a deep knowledge of elementary particle physics said. "In physics terms, Professor Tsung-Dao Lee lectures on a short-range line, and he can quickly bring people to the forefront of modern science." An old professor said with admiration. "As a professor, he shares the same heart with his students. He always pays attention to the level of understanding of the listeners, and teaches them according to their aptitude. A graduate student said.
At the end of class, Lee always likes to be with his classmates, asking them about their learning results, what confusion they have about the problems in class, and also chatting with them about ideals, the future, and food.
Lee's wife, Qin Huicheng, said: "In the past, Zhengdao was never interested in this kind of thing (referring to organization and liaison work). Last year, in order to train high-energy physics talents for China, he personally made many, many long-distance phone calls in the past four months to contact him about the training. Everyone else said that politics had changed, and even lectures on politics had changed, but he had never lectured so intensively in the past. ”
At the end of the last lecture, Lee Tsung-do modestly said, "In the past seven weeks, the first week was relatively unaccustomed to me, but later it became easier and easier. For you, it may be the opposite, the beginning is probably simpler, I'm afraid it's getting more and more complicated, so I'm afraid that the labor price you pay is greater than mine. Since the first week was only one-seventh, there were more than 500 of them, so I spent more than 500 copies of the effort I did. I ask for your forgiveness for the misrepresentation, and let me thank you for your patience and perseverance. ”
During the seven-week course, Lee Tsung-dao not only taught the knowledge of professional courses, but also imparted his methods of study and his experience in research work over the years, which cannot be learned from reading books and articles. This lecture is undoubtedly a long drought for Chinese physics researchers, who have experienced the demeanor of the Nobel Prize-level master of science up close, and at the same time accept new knowledge, they also feel his academic demeanor.
Yan Keats, vice president and dean of the Graduate School of the University of Science and Technology of China, once humorously said: "We should be happy to be able to listen to Mr. Lee Tsung-dao's class, which is equivalent to letting everyone go abroad once and study in United States for three years." ”
Foreign affairs outside of lecture activities
with lecture activities
Due to the special timing, the great attention paid by all parties, the long duration, the wide audience, and the good effect of the lecture, the lecture had a great impact and was highly appreciated by the party and state leaders.
During the lecture, Deng Xiaoping spoke highly of his lecture activities when he met him: "I heard that your lecture is very intense, and you have to be busy for more than ten hours a day, can you withstand it? Everyone has reported that you have spoken very well, and the response has been very strong. Don't talk about thanks, and you don't need us to thank you. Your contribution is great. Hua Guofeng, Deng Yingchao, and Fang Yi also expressed their heartfelt thanks to Professor Lee Tsung-dao for his hard work in coming to the mainland to give lectures.
In 1979, Deng Xiaoping met with the representatives of the first Sino-US High Energy Physics Talks|Collection of Tsung-Dao Lee Library
On June 11, after the lecture, Lee attended the first meeting of the Sino-US Joint Commission on High Energy Physics, which he facilitated.
The meeting began in early 1979, during Deng Xiaoping's visit to the United States, Vice Premier Fang Yi and United States Secretary of Energy Schlesinger signed an executive agreement on Sino-US cooperation in the field of high-energy physics.
In accordance with the above-mentioned agreement, US members came to Beijing to attend the first meeting of the Sino-US Joint Commission on High Energy Physics. The U.S. side of the Joint Commission is chaired by Professor James E. Leiss, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy's Office ·of Energy Research, and is composed of United States leading scientists and heads of major high-energy centers.
The Chinese side attended the meeting with Professor Zhang Wenyu, Chinese Chairman of the Sino-US Joint Committee on High Energy Physics and Director of the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; The members of the joint committee are: Lin Zongtang, deputy director of the State Science and Technology Commission and chief engineer of the High Energy Physics Experimental Center, Professor Zhu Hongyuan, deputy director of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Professor Hu Ning of Peking University, Professor Xie Jialin and Professor Xiao Jian of the Institute of High Energy Physics.
The meeting signed the "Annex to the Implementation Agreement on Cooperation between the State Science and Technology Commission of the People's Republic of China and the Department of Energy of the United States of America in the Field of High Energy Physics", and the United States said that it would assist China in building a 50 billion electron volt tron synchrotron ring accelerator.
Before the lecture and on weekends, Lee visited the University of Science and Technology of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and other institutions of higher learning. He also walked into the class of the first class of Yan'an Middle School in Shaanxi Province, listened to a physics class, visited the laboratory, and talked with the teachers of the school about his opinions on the teaching of physics in middle school.
At the University of Science and Technology of China, Tsung-Dao Lee specially went to the junior class and had extensive conversations with the leaders, teachers, and students of the University of Science and Technology of China on the issue of how to train scientific and technological talents.
The junior class of the University of Science and Technology of China began with Tsung-Dao Lee's suggestion to Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai in 1974 to select outstanding teenagers for systematic scientific training, which was supported by them, but due to the limitations of many factors, it was not realized immediately.
In March 1978, the University of Science and Technology of China established the Junior Class, the purpose of which was to explore the law of cultivating outstanding talents in China, cultivate outstanding figures in the fields of science and technology, and promote the development of China's education and economic construction. In the lecture, Lee Tsung-dao explained why he wanted to set up a junior class:
"People in the world who can make big achievements in theoretical physics are generally in their 20s. Einstein wrote his theory of relativity at the age of 26, Heisenberg, the founder of quantum mechanics, proposed the concept of quantum mechanics at the age of 23, and the early work of Schrödinger and Planck was also outstanding...... So I want college students to graduate and start doing research work around the age of 19. According to this age, I should go to university around the age of 15. After graduating, you will work for a few years, and at the age of 23 or 24, it is possible to make a difference. ”
Lee Tsung-dao also put forward his academic viewpoint: "Whether the exam is good or not is only a technical question, and those who respond quickly may do a little better in the exam, but the fast response is not decisive (for scientific research achievements), and the most important thing is whether they will ask questions themselves." This is Lee Tsung-dao: "Seeking knowledge, learning is needed." Only learn to answer, not to learn" is the prototype of the idea of "learning". "We have to nurture children's curiosity and encourage them to ask questions," he said. ”
He also encouraged the students to read more: "Read a wide range of books, be interested in any problem when you are young, dare to ask questions, not only read business books, science and technology books, but also read literary and science fiction novels." You can watch "Water Margin" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", as well as the works of Dickens and Alexandre Dumas, which are beneficial to students. ”
Facing the classmates in the junior class, Lee Tsung-dao improvised a question: "There are five monkeys, and they share a bunch of peaches, but they can't be divided equally, so everyone agreed to go to bed first and talk about it tomorrow." During the night, a monkey got up and threw a peach down the hill to divide it into five parts, and he collected his share and went to sleep. The second monkey got up and threw one in exactly five parts, and also collected his own one. The third, fourth, and fifth monkeys are all like this, and if they throw one, they can be divided into five parts, and ask how many peaches are there? There's a clever solution to this problem. Lee Tsung-do did not answer this question on the spot, but it was widely circulated, and in 1985 and 1988 there were articles dedicated to the question.
On March 26, 1979, Tsung-Dao Lee visited the collection of Tsung-Dao Lee Library of Shanghai Jiao Tong University
On March 26, 1979, Tsung-Dao Lee visited Shanghai Jiao Tong University and was warmly welcomed by the university's leaders. The school newspaper at the time also reported on it.
The reason for the visit was that on December 18, 1978, Deng Xuchu, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Zhu Wuhua, President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Zhang Shou, Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, jointly sent a letter to Colombia University hoping to carry out academic cooperation. The president of Colombia University forwarded the letter to Lee Zhengdao, who replied on March 21, 1979, that he would use the opportunity of this return to China to discuss the matter and promote exchanges between students and scholars at Colombia University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Li Zhengdao said at the forum that Colombia University can accept four to five scholars from Shanghai Jiao Tong University to participate in their research this year, and the specific list will be determined after the university's president and dean of the engineering school visit China in July this year after talking with the scholars to be sent. Students who go abroad will be selected by him from a lecture class he holds in Beijing. After the symposium, Lee also visited several laboratories of the Department of Engineering Mechanics and the Department of Shipbuilding of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He enthusiastically presented a small computer to the Department of Engineering Mechanics.
After the reform and opening up
The impact of the development of physics in China
Tsung-Dao Lee's return to China in 1979 to give lectures was of great significance to the development of physics after the reform and opening up, which was mainly reflected in two aspects: the dissemination of academic achievements in China and the cultivation of physics talents.
1
Published textbooks "Statistical Mechanics" and "Introduction to Field Theory and Particle Physics".
The textbooks used by Lee Tsung-dao to give lectures in China in 1979 took into account the academic standards of the students attending the lectures. He prepared his lectures on the basis of lectures in particle physics and statistical mechanics that he taught at United States Colombia University, and also combined them with the latest developments in world science at that time.
Republished in 2006 in Particle Physics and Field Theory and Statistical Mechanics
Some lecture notes on particle physics were compiled into a monograph on particle physics and field theory, which was published in English and Chinese.
The first draft of the book "Particle Physics and Field Theory" was compiled by Chen Chongguang and Zhao Baoheng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Professor Zhu Chongyuan of the Institute of Theoretical Physics, based on the manuscript of Tsung-Dao Lee's lectures and the transcripts of Qiu Mingming, Xia Renli, Cao Nanwei, and others. After that, Lee published "A Brief Introduction to Particle Physics and Field Theory" in the United States.
According to Li Zhengdao's suggestion, Ruan Tongze of the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tang Zhifei of the Graduate School, and Professors Qing Chengrui and Zhu Chongyuan of the Institute of Theoretical Physics translated the English book into Chinese and published it in China in 1984. In 2006, it was reorganized and published by the Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The brief introduction to field theory is divided into 7 chapters, and the particle physics part has 18 chapters. Most of the physics presented in this book was developed during the Second World War, and Lee Tsung-do created or participated in or witnessed the whole process. Therefore, his interpretation and understanding of these theories have their own uniqueness, and the textbooks written through his thinking are the precious spiritual wealth of mankind.
Lecture notes on statistical physics have never been published. It wasn't until 2006 that Lee was told by colleagues at the China Advanced Science Center that some of his lecture notes on statistical physics had been published under the title Statistical Mechanics. Although the book has only four chapters, it contains almost all the essence of statistical mechanics, and is the experience and result of Tsung-Dao Lee's research on statistical mechanics.
Some of the content is related to his research at the time, such as the estimation of the critical mass of white dwarfs in the example in Chapter 1, which comes from his doctoral dissertation, and the condensation theory and cooperative phenomena in Chapter 3 are based on two papers he and Chen-Ning Yang co-published.
It can be used as an introductory textbook for statistical mechanics, and can also be used as a reference and supplementary material for learning when using other textbooks. Tsung-Dao Lee's rigorous academic style, in which all derivations are based on the most basic assumptions, is fully reflected in this book.
2
Cultivation of physics talents
During the lecture period, Lee Tsung-dao gave lectures in the morning and afternoon, and ate and discussed with the students at noon. He found that in the situation of a shortage of scientific research talents in China, there are still some graduate students with good quality.
When witnessing the serious crisis situation in which the motherland was facing a shortage of qualified personnel at that time, he was deeply worried: "In order to speed up the training of scientific and technological personnel in the motherland, it is far from enough to hold lectures and supplementary classes in China. From my own upbringing, I deeply feel that it is necessary to create opportunities for a group of young people in the motherland to study and develop systematically as soon as possible, especially to enable them to systematically study in United States world's first-class research institutes and universities, which is a long-term plan for cultivating talents. ”
Lee Tsung-dao with students|Lee Tsung-Dao Library Collection
However, at that time, China was still in a closed state, the channels for studying abroad were different, and the national finances were also very difficult, so it was impossible to come up with a large amount of foreign exchange funds to support studying abroad. There are also many voices of opposition at home and abroad. Admission to a university or graduate school in the United States must first pass the GRE test, and non-United States foreign students must pass the TOEFL test.
而此时，中国还没有 GRE 和 TOEFL 考试，想按照正常程序是走不通的。 要让中国学生去美国留学只能另辟蹊径。 中美联合招考物理研究生项目（China-United States Physics Examination and Applicaion Program,CUSPEA）由此创始。
During Lee's lecture in Beijing, he contacted professors in the physics department at Colombia University where he worked, asking them to send a test that met the criteria for admission to the graduate school of the physics department at Colombia University.
With the assistance of Dean Yan Jici and Vice Dean Wu Tang of the Graduate School of University of Science and Technology of China, the first PRE-CUSPEA pilot examination was held, from which five students were selected: Tao Rongjia, Chen Chengjun, Qiu Mingming, Wu Zhen and Chen Tianjie. Lee then sent their papers and resumes to Colombia University and asked the physics department to meet to decide whether the five students could enter Colombia as graduate students, and if they could enter Colombia graduate school, whether the physics department would cover all the funds they needed until they received their Ph.Ds.
Due to the excellent grades of these five students, they all received admission to the physics department of Colombia University. Lee asked the Department of Physics to apply to the Colombia University Admissions Office for the five students, so that they could successfully enroll. With such a concrete practice, it is easier for him to persuade the leaders and colleagues of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Education to gain their support.
At the end of 1979, Tsung-Dao Lee struck while the iron was hot and held the second PRE-CUSPEA pilot exam. The participating schools expanded from one Colombia University to eight schools: Colombia University, City College of New York, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Oregon, University of Pittsburgh, Virginia Institute of Technology, University of Virginia and University of Utah, and selected ten students including Ren Haicang and Li Daxi to study in the United States, and bear all their education and living expenses until they obtained their doctoral degrees.
On February 1, 1980, Lee began sending more than 200 identical letters to the heads and professors of physics departments at 53 high-level universities in the United States. Since then, CUSPEA has only officially begun.
From the beginning of Pre-CUSPEA in 1979 to the end of enrollment in 1989, CUSPEA selected and trained a total of 915 students to study in the United States.
Over the years, CUSPEA scholars have gathered as a fire, scattered as a starry sky. Some of them shine in the field of physics, such as Shen Zhixun and Wen Xiaogang became academicians of the United States Academy of Sciences, Xie Xincheng, Wang Zhonglin, Tang Chao and others became academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and some moved to other fields with remarkable achievements. They recalled the impact of CUSPEA on their lives, and the most used thing is: CUSPEA was a turning point in their lives and changed their life destiny. In order to better unite and connect CUSPEA scholars, the CUSPEA Scholars Association was established.
On November 28, 2020, in order to inherit and carry forward the spirit of scientist Tsung-Dao Lee and cultivate scientific and technological innovation talents, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and CUSPEA Scholars Association will jointly establish the "CUSPEA Home". There is the warmth and warmth of "home", condensing the strength of CUSPEA scholars, devoting themselves to the cause of China's scientific and technological innovation and development, and passing on the torch of serving the country with science and technology held high by Tsung-Dao Lee.
Conclusion
Tsung-Dao Lee's return to China in 1979 to give lectures was very timely and beneficial to help the resumption of scientific research in China. He has helped the recovery of domestic research in particle physics and other related fields, so that researchers engaged in this field can quickly keep up with the pace of foreign counterparts. His field trips to secondary schools and universities in China not only brought cutting-edge lectures by world-class masters to these institutions, but also gave him an in-depth understanding of the current situation of science and education in China. On this basis, he found the direction to help the development of China's science and education in the future. He carefully prepared before the lecture and actively searched for materials, and published two influential textbooks in China, filling the gaps in the textbooks in these two fields at that time. The CUSPEA program he advocated has cultivated a large number of leading talents in science and technology for China and the world.
After that, Lee Tsung-dao deeply devoted himself to helping the motherland build the "four modernizations"; he devoted himself to the development of the motherland's science and education, helped China build the Beijing Positron Collider, the Shanghai Light Source, and other basic scientific facilities, suggested to the leaders of the Party Central Committee the implementation of the postdoctoral system, the natural science fund system, donated funds to set up the Qin Huicheng-Lee Tsung-Dao Chinese College Student Internship and Training Fund, and a series of systems to encourage scientific research, and also strongly advocated the construction of the Beijing Modern Physics Research Center, the China Advanced Science and Technology Center, Zhejiang Modern Physics Research Center and other basic scientific research bases. The 1979 lecture was the beginning of all of this.