Maths central
Zhizhen School of CUHK brings Yau Shing-tung a step closer to realising talent vision
Mathematics is the fountain of all applied sciences, a discipline that shapes modern society. This belief is at the heart of Professor Yau Shing-tung’s latest endeavour after years of teaching abroad and in mainland China. He is building a new school at his alma mater, CUHK, to tap top talent from a young age and groom them into leading scholars who would advance the scientific development of Hong Kong and the country.
Helmed by Professor Yau, CUHK’s new Zhizhen School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences will start enrolling students from September, modelled on Tsinghua University’s Qiuzhen College in Beijing, which he founded in 2021 with the backing of the central government. At Qiuzhen, about 20 students from the first cohort were poised to graduate with PhD degrees in two years, he said, including one who had joined on completing just the third year of junior high school.
“The rapid growth of these young people amazes me. The success of Qiuzhen College has inspired me to implement the same idea at my alma mater,” he said at the launch of Zhizhen on 6 February, speaking as the school’s founding director.
“Hong Kong has an even closer relationship with overseas countries. An open port for almost 200 years, it’s been a bridge between the country and the world… I believe that with first-class students come first-class scholars, because scholars also hope for their knowledge to resonate with others. This has been my experience during my many years teaching at Harvard University.”
The ambition for Zhizhen is to cultivate top talent in mathematical sciences for Hong Kong and the country and to drive innovative research in the discipline and its applications. It will offer an eight-year Bachelor-to-PhD programme and sign up 40 students in its first cohort, including at least 10 Hong Kong students.
Students will undergo three years of maths foundation training, followed by two years of scientific research training and three years of doctoral training. They must also fulfil the University’s general and whole-person educational graduation requirements.
Zhizhen will have its own admission mechanism. Candidates must pass an examination administered by the school. Talented students can also be admitted if they have completed preparatory study requirements but have not taken the respective university admission examinations, such as the regional Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education and the national gaokao.
Plans are also in the offing to invite distinguished scholars from overseas to take part in high-level scientific research and lead academic pursuits in basic and applied maths, physics, computer science, artificial intelligence, big data processing and machine learning.
As for tuition fees, Zhizhen undergraduates in the first few years pay the same as in other CUHK undergraduate programmes. Once the students begin doctoral studies, postgraduate course fees will kick in. Outstanding performers may receive studentships.
On the ratio of local to non-local students, Professor Yau observed how Hong Kong students were less competitive in maths than their mainland counterparts. He hoped at least 10 locals would make the cut in the admission screening, so they could learn alongside mainland classmates and be inspired, motivated and challenged.
Professor Yau himself benefited immensely from a diverse learning environment. A 1969 graduate of Chung Chi College of CUHK, he pursued further studies in the United States, then stayed behind to build a teaching and research career that stretched into decades. That vocation culminated in invitation into the faculty of Harvard University in 1987, where he remained until retirement in 2022, a year after founding Qiuzhen.
As one of the world’s most distinguished mathematicians, Professor Yau has influenced wide-ranging disciplines, such as astronomy and theoretical physics, with his research in differential geometry. Prestigious awards garnered over the course of his career included the Fields Medal, the MacArthur Fellowship, the Crafoord Prize, the US National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize in Mathematics, the Marcel Grossmann Award and the Shaw Prize.
In all this time, he never stopped contributing to CUHK; the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, for example, was founded by Professor Yau, and he still returns to it regularly to mentor postgraduate students.
Setting up Zhizhen at his alma mater was “a big part” of his life, Professor Yau told the audience, noting that his father and two brothers had all either taught or studied at Chung Chi College.
“After spending nearly 60 years in the US, the development of my homeland is still on my mind,” Professor Yau said as he reflected on his efforts in Tsinghua. He hoped to contribute to Hong Kong by nurturing top-tier scholars. “During the 1950s, 60s and 70s, Hong Kong produced a generation of world-class scholars, such as Charles Kao,” he said, referring to the former CUHK Vice-Chancellor and winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics.
“Under the wise leadership of the central government, China’s economy and scientific advancements are thriving, and it is on its way to be a global leader. At this point in time, we hope to seize the opportunity to further elevate China’s science, and particularly Hong Kong’s science, to new heights. I am very confident of accomplishing this mission.” He thanked the Hong Kong government and the University Council for supporting the Zhizhen project.
Turning to the talk of the town, Professor Yau expressed optimism about DeepSeek, a Chinese artificial intelligence startup that had put the spotlight on China’s AI sector. He told CUHK In Focus that DeepSeek had demonstrated the country’s ability to catch up with the US in AI, and had also highlighted the importance of maths. “DeepSeek has done well because foundational mathematics is good. However, it is still developing on the foundation laid by the US, which remains the best at present,” he noted. “China absolutely has the capability to forge a new path and excel in fundamental science. The key is to avoid focusing too much on short-term gains.”
The same goes for Hong Kong in its goal of playing a lead role in economic development. Professor Yau believes society should not just go after short-term investment returns but prioritise the pursuit of fundamental science and develop its own technologies. As with his vision for mathematical talent, the professor has long-term success in his sights.
By Joyce Ng
Cover photo by Desmond Chan
