对丘成桐最无耻的攻击 The most shameful attack on Dr. ST Yau
2007.1.15
In the summer of 2000，then Chinese President Zemin Jiang invited several Nobel Laureates to the BeiDaiHe resort and discussed the issues on basic science in China. Also in the year of 2000, president Jiang also published an official policy article in the Science magazine titled "Science in China". These were the well documented public events, and we know that leaders of other countries in that year also had their policy article carried in the Science magazine.
Under such circumstances, professor ST Yau, as one of the mos prominent scientist, was also invited to BeiDaiHe resort by President Jiang to discuss basic science in China.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences was incharge of the arrangement of the Nobel laureates' visit to the resrt. This letter to president Jiang by Dr. Yau is just a polite, or somewhat excited perhaps, response to such an highly publicied an important event in China. Professor Yau must have felt excited to see the recognition of the importance of basic science in China by the top Chinese leaders, who are generally with Engineering background like most of the leaders in countries like China. His letter is polite and apprpriate, just like what the other Nobel Laureates had responded and felt.
Some vicious people wanted take this letter out of the text to indicate Dr. ST Yau's unusual political connections to the top Chinese leaders in the party, in order to denigerate his reputation and integrety as a scholar. This kind of behavior is totally disgraceful and disgusting. If one read the English translation of Dr. Yau's letter below, one can easily recognize the intentional misleading translation on Dr. yaus words, just in order to make them sounds coqueting. This is really shameful for the Yau bashers.
If one reads Dr. Ahmed Zewail's autobiography published in 2002 after the 9.11 but before the War in Iraq, one can find Dr. Zewail's very nice comment on Saddam Hussein. (The autobiography also has a Chinese translation published by the Science Press of the chinese Academy of Sciences.) We certainly remember the fact that even Rumsfeild was in good termswith Saddam in the earl 1980's. When Dr. Zewail visited Iraq as a member of the scientific delegation around 1980, Saddam gave him a very nice impression by talking abot the development of scince in the Arabic world, and Saddam invited Dr. Zewail to setup a laser lab in Iraq and to become the director there. of course, Dr. Zewal did not accept the job, and stayed in the US and don wonderful science for getting his Nobel prize.
In short, some vicious people have tried to denigrate Dr. ST Yau in the English world by associating him with the Chinese top leaders. There is nothing wrong by such association, and he should be proud of being able to be the advisor to the Chinese top leader on the development of basic science in China, just like other foreign Nobel laureates who were invited to Beidaihe resort. this has nothing to do with Dr. ST Yau's political beliefs and academic independence.
On the other hand, Dr. Tian Gang, the former student of Dr. Yau and a professor at Princeton University, who has been viciously attacking Dr. Yau home and abroad, does hold direct political appointments in China, as one of the member of the National Congress of Political Consultation of China. Such post is the official political appointments from the party in China. Dr. Tian's political dealings in China have been far more "political" and interwinded deely with the internal politics in China. People should know these facts before rush to judgment on the integrity of Dr. Yau, who had never taken any political post in China whatsoever.
In American, we all know what is really called political. Dr. Griffith, who was suspected to be ne of the persons behind Dr. Tian and Ms. Nasar, should be considered real political, jut as indicated in the supporting letter for Dr. Yau's case against Ms. Nasar by one of Dr. griffith's former Ph.D. student.
Since now the disputes in the mathematics world around the proof of the Poincare Conjecture have become highly publicized open events, it is our obligation to tell the truth and the whole truth to the world.
The end.
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ST Yau letter to a top political Chinese leader:
---This letter was published by many Chinese newspapers as evidence how close S-T Yau was to the great leadership.---
Your highness Chairman Zemin,
It was a great and unspeakable honor for me to be given a meeting by you, who, from a higher level, asked about science of today's world, and to be conferred a dinner at Beidaihe.
In May, I read while kneeling the Chairman's thesis in the US journal Science, which pointed out the importance of basic science in national plans and people's lives. It was really a needle that gets the blood on one punch.. I deeply felt the knowledge and the vision of the national leader. In the twentyfirst century, China will not only be on the par with the West in economy, but also plays a leadership position in the pursuit of truth, honor and beauty. Such a hundred year plan can not be achieved in one day. Chinese sons and daughters, would not lag behind others, even humble servants living outside China would be afraid if they do not serve the country.
Chairman has such great taste in liking poems, making other people feel that they are surrounded by the Spring wind. Shing-Tung, while a child, was educated at home by (his) father, and wondered a little into ancient literature, and after midlife and wondering far in a foreign country, whenever thinking about the family and the country, could not help myself, but used my crow-like hands to scribble some poems. I am humbly xxxxting a few of my horrible poems and I would take up the courage to beg the Chairman to use your axe-like pen (and great mind) to correct them.
Humbly submitting the above
with salutation for your peace in the autumn,
Shing-Tung Yau
October 1, 2000.
The letter by S-T. Yau to Chairman Jiang Zemin in 2000 was written in Chinese (while Jiang was still in power).
The wording was semi-ancient, mimicking the tone of an obedient servant. It is difficult to translate the letter. So the original is included: any American who could not understand the translation should consult their Chinese colleagues/friends/students to get the explanation.
notes for translation:
October 1st is the celebration day for the new administration founded by the Chinese communist party.
垂询 is talking from a higher point to a lower point: ST Yau obediently said that Jiang Zemin was talking to him about science from a higher point.
赐宴 is not a simple dinner, it is a emperor conferring a meal to an servant (or lower ranking official)
Beidaihe is a summer resort by the sea frequented by the political leadership.
不胜荣幸之至 is not just an honor, it is more like honor upon honor
拜读 is not just "reading",it is reading while kneeling
Yau called Jiang's policy article in Science a thesis 论文,a word only used for real scientific articles, while he clearly knows that it was a policy article (which was most likely written by an official, using Jiang's name)
子民is not in use now, was only used in ancient times for servants to described oneself to an emperor. 远方子民is an indirect reference to Yau himself who is not living in China.
如沐春风is not just saying that Jiang was great but that it changes the natural environment so that it brings the spring season to any person at any time.
奉上拙文数篇is not just showing you a few, but humbly showing you a few of my bad poems
敢请主席斧正is not just asking the chairman to appreciate or comment on the poemsk, but "I took up the courage to beg you to use your axe-like pen to fix them".
The original:
泽民主席阁下：
今夏蒙主席接见，垂询当世科学，又赐宴北戴河，不胜荣幸之至。
五月时拜读主席在美国科学杂志发表的论文，指出基本科学在国计民生的重要性，可谓一针见血，深感国家领导人的真知卓见，廿一世 纪的中国不单会在经济上与西方并驾齐驱，在人类追求真善美的崇高立
场上，也将处于领导的地位。百年大计，总非一朝可成，中华儿女，岂甘人后，远方子民，敢不为国效劳！
主席雅好诗文，使人如沐春风。成桐少年时，承父亲庭训，略涉古文，中岁后远托异邦，每有家国之思，不能自给，竟有涂鸦之作，谨奉上拙文数篇，敢请主席斧正。
敬颂秋安
晚
丘成桐敬上
二零零零年十月一日
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