Chinese Mathematicians Deng Yu and Wang Hong Win Fields Medal; Psychiatrist: In Taiwan, They'd Be 'Using Only Elementary Addition Daily'

The International Congress of Mathematicians, organized by the International Mathematical Union, awards the Fields Medal every four years—the highest honor in mathematics, often considered the 'Nobel Prize of Mathematics.' On the 23rd, Chinese mathematicians Deng Yu and Wang Hong received this prestigious award. Psychiatrist Shen Cheng-nan posted on Facebook, stating that this achievement is a tremendous boost to Chinese confidence. He emphasized that the scientific talent emerging from China's 1.4 billion population—though selected from one in ten thousand—are exceptional in both number and capability, making them truly formidable.

Shen noted that China's modernization and scientific history have entered a new chapter, as Deng and Wang are the first Chinese nationals to win the Fields Medal. This not only proves that Chinese individuals possess mathematical aptitude on par with anyone else but also signifies that China's mathematics education has reached world-class standards. Although both completed their advanced mathematical training abroad, their foundational education was established in China.

Wang Hong's win had been anticipated for months, particularly for her proof of the Kakeya conjecture. The Kakeya conjecture posits that an infinitely thin needle rotating within a circle can sweep an area approaching zero. Wang proved the three-dimensional version of this conjecture.

Shen highlighted that only two women have previously won the Fields Medal: Maryam Mirzakhani from Iran, who tragically passed away from cancer, and a mathematician from Ukraine. Wang Hong is the third female recipient—an extraordinary achievement. Deng Yu specializes in mathematical physics and was also a gold medalist at the 2006 International Mathematical Olympiad. Taiwan produced two gold medalists in 2005, including Tsai Cheng-chiang, who scored a perfect score and now works at Academia Sinica. However, due to the Fields Medal's age limit of 40, Tsai has missed his chance.

Can Taiwanese mathematicians win the Fields Medal? Shen believes they can, provided they have ambition. He cites Vietnamese mathematician Ngô Bảo Châu as proof—winning the Fields Medal shows that genius and effort, not just infrastructure, can lead to success. Asian recipients are nearly all familiar to Shen: Japan's trio—Kunihiko Kodaira, Heisuke Hironaka, and Shigefumi Mori—and June Huh, inspired by Hironaka's lectures in South Korea, who won in the previous cycle but had already acquired U.S. citizenship.

Wang Hong initially studied Earth sciences at Peking University before switching to mathematics after one year, proving that mathematical awakening at the university level is not too late. Shen then asks: What if Wang Hong had grown up in Taiwan? She might have followed his junior classmates into medical school. He laments that Taiwan's brightest mathematical minds often enter medicine, where they only use elementary arithmetic—calculating patient meal calories and drug dosages—on a daily basis. In contrast, China does not face this issue. Shen recommends that Taiwan convert its medical and law schools into post-baccalaureate programs, allowing gifted youth to pursue fundamental sciences and liberal arts.

Mathematical geniuses, Shen says, are the closest humans to gods—their brilliance is captivating. The most legendary Fields Medal story is that of Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman, one of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century. At age 60, he solved the Poincaré conjecture but declined the award, retreating to his hometown in Saint Petersburg to live in seclusion with his mother, with no public updates since. The proof sparked controversy involving Shing-Tung Yau, which was extensively covered by The New Yorker.

Shen concludes that Deng and Wang's achievements are another major boost to Chinese confidence. Chinese mathematical talent is not inferior, and when all gifted individuals are nurtured, the sheer number and strength of scientists emerging from a 1.4 billion population—even if only one in ten thousand—are truly terrifying.