On November 5, 2015, Chen Ning Yang, a distinguished physicist and a Nobel Prize winner in physics, visited South University of Science and Technology of China (SUSTC). Chariman of Universtiy Council Li Ming, President Chen Shiyi, Vice President Wu Chuanyue, Vice President Tang Tao and other executives of SUSTC warmly received Yang, showed him around the campus and held talks with him.

Accompanied by Li and Chen, Yang viewed the sand table for campus construction and planning, and inquired about campus construction on the site. He appreciated and praised SUSTC’s fine philosophy of schooling and beautiful campus environment.

At the subsequent professor meeting, Yang exchanged ideas with SUSTC’s professor representatives and heads of schools and departments.

At the meeting, Li briefed Yang on SUSTC’s innovative schooling system, schooling philosophy, talent introduction, disciplinary construction, schooling objective, etc. SUSTC has always advocated academic freedom and academic governance by professors, he said, expecting Yang to give guidance and advice on SUSTC’s teaching and talent training models.

Yang noted that SUSTC is a new university, the youngest university he has ever visited as well as one of the fastest-growing universities in China. As SUSTC aspires to become a research-oriented, small but fine university and is in such a fast-growing city as Shenzhen, it is foreseeable that the university will succeed in the coming two or three decades, he added.

SUSTC’s professors consulted Yang about “how to build a world-class university”, “what is the key factor for the growth of a young university”, “how do professors schedule teaching and research reasonably” and the “Nobel Prize”. Yang gave impressive replies citing the development history of world-renowned universities as well as his personal study and research experiences. He stressed that a university’s development is closely related to the economic development of the area where the university is located, and it is also very important to foresee hot majors one decade or two later and get involved in relevant fields earlier.

Following the meeting, Yang readily wrote an inscription “Adapting the law of heaven and making use of it” for SUSTC.

That afternoon Yang also shared his study and research experiences with SUSTC’s teachers and students in “SUSTC Lecture”.