However, many things are not as simple as they seem. Now Zhang is 65 years old. Just looking at his appearance, you will think that he is very similar to a math teacher around you. He is very familiar and kind. He won the MacArthur Genius Award six years ago and the Lifetime Achievement Award of the American Association of Asian Engineers two years ago, which was completely unexpected.
In addition, Zhang's achievements in mathematical research won the international praise of "China people's greatest contribution to the world in the field of mathematics". What is the difference between the life of the great god of mathematics and that of ordinary people? Let's have a brief look.
Zhang was born in 1955. When I was a child, my family was good and my parents were intellectuals. He knew how to prove Pythagorean theorem in elementary school, and he was keen on learning mathematics in college. He is very talented, and the teacher has high hopes for him. When he grew up, Jackie Zhang was admitted to the Department of Mathematics in Peking University, and his major and interest matched, which made him deeply fall in love with the mathematics in generate.
Genius is hard to be buried wherever it goes. At that time, in the Department of Mathematics of Peking University, the name Zhang was equal to "God". A classmate is conceited all his life, but he also admits that Zhang is more talented than him in mathematics. Teachers and classmates all think that Zhang should go abroad for further study. When Zhang was 30 years old, he naturally went to the United States to study.
His tutor is an algebra expert Mo Zongjian, who has a good relationship between teachers and students and has a certain tacit understanding in mathematical research. Unfortunately, Zhang's doctoral thesis quoted the research results of his tutor, but found that the results were wrong. There was a conflict between teachers and students. Mo Zongjian didn't write him a recommendation letter, and the publication of Zhang's paper also came to a standstill.
This is a fatal blow to Zhang, who studies academics. The research institute will not hire him. He wants to find an academic job in America, which is as difficult as climbing the Shu Road. At this time, Zhang was faced with two choices: one was to work in the United States, and the other was to accept the invitation of his alma mater, Peking University, and return to China as a professor.
Friends all thought that Zhang would return to China. Unexpectedly, he firmly chose the former and started his work for decades. He continued his math research with a pen and paper in his hand, and went to China restaurant to wash dishes, serve food, work as a coolie, cashier and deliver food. Live on the income earned by working. Some former friends saw him so depressed and alienated him.
But some friends supported Zhang and helped him find a job as a temporary math lecturer at the University of New Hampshire. After a few years, he became Zhang's official lecturer. He usually doesn't talk much, but coming to class is humorous and very popular with students. Although Zhang's salary is not high and he is not famous, he is still keen on studying mathematics.
20 13 Zhang sent his number theory paper "Twin Prime Conjecture" to the mathematical yearbook, which broke the record of examination time in the past hundred years and passed the exam in only three weeks. His achievements made him famous in the international mathematics field, and later he became a tenured professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
After Zhang became famous, he said that he didn't care about money and honor, but just wanted to be quiet and accompanied by mathematics. Everyone is curious, why is a math genius willing to work for many years instead of returning to China for fame and fortune? Zhang explained that if he returned to China, he would not be able to concentrate on his research and achievements. He doesn't care whether the professor publishes the paper, but his relatives and friends will care.
And if he stays in the United States, even if he works as a coolie everywhere, he will not be looked down upon, and no one will think that he wastes his talent, so he can be himself in the United States. Objectively speaking, the difficulties described by Zhang do exist in China. Many people in China think that success depends on having a title, but Zhang is not interested in them and just wants to study them silently.
Zhang's research results belong to all mankind, and he himself claims that he is more suitable to immerse himself in the academic world and interpret his own world with his brain and pen, instead of going to the podium to preach and answer questions. We often say that "science knows no borders", in fact, mathematics is the same, and Zhang's story is the best example.