Xu Chenyang, a genius with a high reputation in the mathematical community, once rejected the preferential treatment of the United States in 2012 and chose to return to China to teach at Peking University, and is known as a model of patriotic scientists. However, only six years later, he resigned from his position as a professor at Peking University and returned to the United States to teach at MIT and Princeton, causing widespread controversy in society. Some criticized him as an ungrateful traitor, some understood him as a warrior in the pursuit of scholarship, and some questioned him for being treated unfairly. So, why did Xu Chenyang make such a choice?Can his visit to the United States be understood?Does his personal experience reflect the current situation and problems of the Chinese scientific community?
Xu Chenyang, born in Chengdu in 1981, has shown a love and talent for mathematics since he was a child. He won the first prize in the National Mathematical Olympiad at the age of 17, was admitted to the Department of Mathematics of Peking University at the age of 18, completed the bachelor's and master's degree in only five years, received a doctorate from Princeton University at the age of 28, and conducted postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During his stay in the United States, he overcame many difficult problems in the field of algebraic geometry and published a number of high-level articles, which were highly praised by international peers.
He could have stayed in the United States and enjoyed a privileged treatment and a free academic environment, but he chose to return to China and returned to Peking University to become a professor at the International Center for Mathematical Research. He said that he was grateful to the motherland and his love for mathematics, and hoped to contribute to the development of science and technology in China. After Xu Chenyang returned to China, he continued his mathematical research, promoted the development of algebraic geometry in China, trained a group of outstanding students, and founded the school of algebraic geometry. He has also received several honors and awards, such as the National Outstanding Young Person**, the Chern Prize in Mathematics, etc. However, he did not receive the support and respect he expected.
He has twice applied for academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, but was defeated. He has also encountered some academic unfairness and injustice, such as rejection, project difficulty, plagiarism, etc. He felt the impetuousness, utilitarianism, exclusion and corruption of the domestic academic community. He believes that the academic environment in China is not conducive to the growth of young people, the innovation of mathematics, and the progress of science. So, he made a surprising decision in 2018, he resigned from his position as a professor at Peking University and returned to teaching in the United States, successively serving as a full professor at MIT and then Princeton. He said that he was in order to pursue higher mathematical goals, to do better academics, and to explore the truth more freely.
After Xu Chenyang went to the United States, he continued his mathematical path and achieved more academic achievements and influences. His research in the field of algebraic geometry has reached the world-class level, and he has proved some important conjectures and theorems, such as the equivalence of the definition of k-stability and the generalization of Bogomolov's inequality. He has also received several international awards and honors, such as the Cole Algebra Prize in Mathematics and a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. He is the first Chinese recipient of the Coldai Prize in Mathematics and the youngest Chinese to be a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society. His research not only promotes the development of mathematics itself, but also provides theoretical support for applications in other fields, such as physics, chemistry, biology, etc. He also continued to train a group of outstanding students and postdoctoral fellows, and sent fresh blood to the international mathematical community.
Xu Chenyang's personal experience reflects the mental journey of an excellent scientist, as well as the current situation and problems of China's scientific community. His return to China reflects his patriotic feelings and mathematical ideals, and his visit to the United States reflects his academic pursuit and mathematical beliefs. His choice is based on both personal subjective factors and objective environmental factors. Whether his behavior in the United States can be understood may vary from person to person, but his academic achievements cannot be denied. He was a real mathematician, a real scientist, a real talent. His mathematical journey is still continuing, and his mathematical dream is still shining. Perhaps, one day, he will return to his homeland again and use his mathematical talent to make greater contributions to the country's scientific and technological development.