Chen Ning Yang, the legendary Chinese physicist whose groundbreaking work reshaped modern physics, died in Beijing on October 18, 2025, at the age of 103. His passing, attributed to illness as reported by Chinese state media including Xinhua and CCTV, marks the end of an era for both Chinese science and the global scientific community.
Born in Hefei, Anhui province, China in 1922, Yang’s early years unfolded on the campus of Tsinghua University, where his father was a mathematics professor. From a young age, Yang was surrounded by academic excellence, a setting that would profoundly influence his ambitions. According to the BBC, as a teenager he once told his parents, "One day, I want to win the Nobel Prize"—a dream he would realize decades later.
Yang’s educational journey began at National Southwest Associated University, where he earned his science degree in 1942. He then completed a master’s degree at Tsinghua University before moving to the United States in the 1940s, seeking higher education and new opportunities. There, he studied for his doctorate at the University of Chicago under the tutelage of renowned physicist Enrico Fermi. The Economic Times highlights that Yang and his future Nobel co-laureate, Tsung-Dao Lee, attended a famed 1948 astronomy course led by S. Chandrasekhar—a course also attended by scientific luminaries like Richard Garwin. This experience would prove pivotal for both men, sparking a collaboration that would change the course of physics.
In 1957, at just 35 years old, Yang and Lee were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on the law of parity. Their research demonstrated that the principle of conservation of parity—a fundamental law of nuclear physics—was not universally valid, overturning a long-held assumption in the field. The Nobel committee praised their "penetrating investigation… which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles." According to state broadcaster CCTV and AsiaOne, this achievement made Yang a household name and a source of immense pride for China.
Yang’s scientific contributions extended beyond parity non-conservation. In the early 1950s, he developed the Yang-Mills theory alongside American physicist Robert Mills. This mathematical framework fundamentally changed the way physicists understand force-carrying particles and remains a cornerstone of modern particle physics. As reported by Channel News Asia, the Yang-Mills theory is regarded as one of the most influential theories in the field.
Throughout his career, Yang held a number of prestigious academic positions. In the United States, he served in various teaching roles and obtained US citizenship in 1964. However, his heart remained tethered to his homeland. In a 2017 interview with China Daily, Yang reflected on his complex relationship with his identity: "My late father’s blood runs in my veins. Chinese culture runs in my veins." He admitted, "I became a naturalized American citizen on March 23, 1964. I considered this decision for a long time, and it was a very painful one. In a 1983 book, I wrote that my father never forgave me for giving up my Chinese citizenship until his death."
After decades in the United States, Yang made a momentous decision in 2015 to renounce his American citizenship and return to China, the country where he grew up. "On April 1, 2015, I renounced my US citizenship. This was not an easy decision. The United States is a beautiful country that has given me wonderful opportunities for scientific research. I am grateful to the United States. Furthermore, I know that many of my American friends would not approve of my relinquishing my citizenship," Yang stated, as quoted by The Economic Times. The Chinese Academy of Sciences even created special rules to transfer his membership from foreign to domestic, a first in its history, underscoring the significance of his return.
Yang’s homecoming was not merely symbolic. Since 1999, he had been a professor at Tsinghua University, where he also served as honorary dean at the Institute for Advanced Study. He spent eight years of his childhood at Tsinghua, and the university honored his memory by greying out the colors on its website on October 18, 2025. AsiaOne reported that Yang once described his life as "a circle, where I started out from a point, travelled a long way, and finally returned to where I came from." His contributions at Tsinghua included nurturing young talent and fostering international academic exchanges, as noted by Xinhua.
Yang’s personal life was marked by both joy and sorrow. He married his first wife, Chih Li Tu, in 1950, and together they had three children. After her passing in 2003, Yang found companionship again, marrying Weng Fan in December 2004. Their marriage drew public attention due to the significant age difference—Weng Fan was over 50 years his junior and a graduate student at the time. Yet Yang referred to her as his "final blessing from God," according to The Economic Times.
Yang’s achievements were recognized with numerous honors beyond the Nobel Prize. He received the Albert Einstein Commemorative Award in 1957 and an honorary doctorate from Princeton University in 1958. He was also a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the first Chinese scientist to visit China after US-China diplomatic relations began to open in the 1970s.
His death has prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the scientific world. Congress leader and author Jairam Ramesh, as cited by The Economic Times, emphasized Yang’s monumental scientific achievements and his formative academic years. The upcoming biography of S. Chandrasekhar by Srinath Raghavan promises to shed further light on the extraordinary chapter of scientific history that Yang helped write.
Chen Ning Yang’s legacy is not just in the theories he developed or the prizes he won, but in the generations of physicists he inspired, both in China and around the world. As the scientific community mourns his passing, his life serves as a testament to the enduring power of curiosity, perseverance, and the pursuit of knowledge.
