Yang Zhenning went to the United States to study in 1945, but due to the ban issued by Truman in the United States "prohibiting all Chinese who have obtained a doctorate in science and technology in the United States from returning to China" and other reasons, he has not returned to China. Until 1971, when Sino-US relations had just shown signs of thawing, Yang Zhenning was eager to contact and return to China. In July of that year, he finally returned to his homeland, and since then, he has become a bridge between Chinese and American cultures!
01 In the 1970s, he returned to China 6 times.
One day in April 1971, Yang Zhenning read in the newspaper that the United States had announced the lifting of restrictions on American citizens' visits to China. He wrote a letter to his father Yang Wuzhi and proposed to return to China to visit relatives, and Yang Wuzhi's request was answered. At that time, Sino-US relations had not yet thawed, so he could only apply for a visa through the Chinese Embassy in France.
Yang Zhenning returned to Beijing, and he was received by Yue Daiheng, then deputy general manager of China International Travel Agency. The reception staff asked him to list the itinerary, and he made a long list of old friends he wanted to see for the reception staff, among which Deng Jiaxian was the first in line. He and Deng Jia were friends since childhood, and more importantly, he wanted to verify how China's "two bombs and one satellite" were studied.
The first thing Yang Zhenning did was to go to the Great Wall, see Tiananmen Square, and return to Tsinghua Garden, where he lived in childhood. fulfilled his wish for 26 years. Since then, he has returned to China every year, and in the 70s alone he returned to China 6 times. Each time, he was received by the top leaders. This time, because he returned to China for the first time, he didn't know anything about New China, so Yang Zhenning didn't say much. After a few days of socializing in Beijing, he went to Shanghai to visit his family, and Wang Hongwen invited him to dinner at the Shanghai Mansion.
02 Received by the chairman.
In February 1972, Nixon's visit to China broke the ice between China and the United States, and exchanges between the two countries gradually increased, and the domestic atmosphere also changed. In June of the same year, Yang Zhenning visited China for the second time, this second time, he felt more familiar, and encouraged him to put forward his opinions, on July 2, Yang Zhenning boldly expressed his views, and proposed that China should attach importance to basic teaching and theoretical research.
On May 12, 1973, his father Yang Wuzhi died, and he temporarily returned to China to attend the funeral. On 12 July, he visited China as originally planned. This time, Mrs. Du Zhili accompanied her and stayed at the Beijing Hotel. On July 17, he was suddenly taken by his old friend Zhou Peiyuan into the residence of Zhongnanhai "swimming pool"**, and met Yang Zhenning in the study. He and Zhou Peiyuan attended the meeting and talked with him for a whole afternoon, talking about elementary particles and his "Theory of Contradiction" and talking about many things in the United States.
During the conversation, the staff came in to remind the time, and everyone stood up and said to Yang Zhenning, you pull me. Yang Zhenning hurriedly stepped forward to pick him up, walked to the door, he shook hands with Yang Zhenning and said goodbye: "Thank you, a natural scientist, you have contributed to the world." I also wanted to be able to contribute to the world, but I couldn't do that. Yang Zhenning said movingly, I wish *** long life without borders!Say "It's not scientific!".”
03 Become a bridge between Chinese and American cultures.
**The day after the meeting with Yang Zhenning, the front page of "People**" published the news of the meeting and distributed **. Immediately attracted the attention of foreign media: The Times said that this was an important development in China's policy of "appeasement" toward overseas Chinese and Taiwan. Reuters said that it was then that he sent a signal to the United States that he welcomed Nixon's visit, and as a result, "the meeting was considered significant," Reuters said.
Every time Yang Zhenning returned to China, the staff responsible for receiving Yang Zhenning had to ask: "Who does Professor Yang want to meet and what unit does he want to visit when he comes back this time?"Yang Zhenning has more contact with universities and scholars such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Nankai University and Shanghai Jiaotong University. Since meeting with Yang Zhenning, Yang Zhenning has become a bridge of communication between China and the United States, exchanging as much as possible to convey educational information.
Every time Yang Zhenning returns to China, he will take time to meet with him, regard him as an "information intelligence officer", ask him a lot of questions every time he meets, and learn some information from him, such as the situation of American universities, the treatment of college professors, the treatment of students, and the United States. Yang Zhenning will exchange information and provide reference without reservation.
04 Conclusion.
In 1973, ** was no longer in good health, except for the head of state and ** head, he generally rarely received guests. However, in July of this year, he met with Yang Zhenning in Zhongnanhai and met with Chinese scientists for the first time. During the interview, ** was sincerely pleased with Yang Zhenning's achievements in the field of physics, which shows the degree to which Yang Zhenning is valued.
Yang Zhenning returned to China and was received by great people such as ***. From 1971 to 1973, he returned to China four times, and the prime minister invited him to dinner. When he came back in 1974, he was sick and invited him to dinner. In his unique capacity, he promoted friendly exchanges and academic exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples.
Yang Zhenning is a great patriot and a great scientist. He was always concerned about the construction of the motherland, the development of China's science and technology, and the education of China, and in his later years, he returned to the motherland and rejoined the Chinese nationality. He has achieved the ultimate in every item of "morality, meritorious service, and speech". His scientific exploration achievements will shine through the ages, and his love for his family and country will forever be recorded in history.