CUHK invites public to pay tribute to Professor Yang Chen-ning
23 October 2025
Professor Yang Chen-ning, the first Chinese Nobel Laureate, Distinguished Professor-at-Large and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics at CUHK, passed away on 18 October, at the age of 103. The CUHK community is profoundly saddened and conveys its deepest condolences to his family.
To let the public express their condolences for the loss of Professor Yang, CUHK invites members of the public to visit the Memorial Room at the History Gallery of the University Library, where visitors can sign and leave messages of condolence, and pay tribute to the scholar’s life and legacy.
Details for visiting the Professor Yang Chen-ning Memorial Room are as follows:
| Date: | From 23 October (Thursday) to 30 October (Thursday) (Closed on public holidays) |
| Opening hours: | 9:00 am to 8:00 pm, Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Saturday 12:00 nn to 6:00pm, Sunday |
| Venue: | LG Floor, CUHK History Gallery, The University Library, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin |
| Transportation: | Shuttle bus services are provided for mourners taking passengers from University MTR Station (outside Exit A) to the University Library. (20-minute interval) |
| Public enquiries: | 3943 8603 |
Placement of flowers: Visitors bringing flowers are invited to place them at the lawn of the rooftop garden of the Lady Shaw Building, where Professor Yang’s statue is located.
The Department of Physics has also opened a webpage for the public to write messages expressing their condolences, which can be found here.
About Professor Yang
Widely recognised as a preeminent scientist, Professor Yang was instrumental in shaping the development of physics, especially particle and statistical physics, from the latter half of the 20th century onwards. In 1954, Professor Yang formulated the theory of non-Abelian gauge fields along with Robert Mills. This theory, known as the Yang-Mills theory, was groundbreaking work that laid the theoretical foundation for modern particle physics.
Professor Yang won the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics with his co-researcher, Professor Lee Tsung-Dao, for their theory of parity non-conservation for the weak interactions, the first time that Chinese scholars had received this honour. From the 1970s, Professor Yang visited China frequently, working tirelessly to advance Chinese physics as well as promote Sino-US relations. He took up the Honorary Directorship of the Tsinghua University Center for Advanced Study in 1997. In 2003, he settled in China, sharing his time between Beijing and Hong Kong.
Professor Yang’s connection with CUHK began in the 1960s. After giving a public lecture in 1964, he visited and lectured at the University frequently. He was appointed as Honorary Professor, Distinguished Professor-at-Large, Co-Director of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences and Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics. Professor Yang offered valuable advice on the University’s academic development, especially in the Department of Physics, and was conferred the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, by CUHK in 1997. In 1999, Professor Yang donated to CUHK his medals, including the Nobel Prize medal, together with his papers, correspondence, manuscripts and publications. This valuable collection is housed in the CN Yang Archive, established in 2002. Since digitised by the University, it can be accessed by the public, academics and researchers.
In addition to the Nobel Prize, Professor Yang’s work won him a richly merited array of honours and awards: the Rumford Premium (1980), the Oppenheimer Memorial Plaque (1981), the US National Medal of Science (1986), the Benjamin Franklin Medal (1993), the Bower Award (1994), the Albert Einstein Medal (1995), the N Bogoliubov Prize (1996), the Lars Onsager Prize (1999), the Academicum Pontificium (2000), the King Faisal International Prize (2001), the You Bring Charm to the World Award – Prize of Success for Life, China (2006) and the Qiu Shi Lifetime Achievement Award (2019).
