Zhu Diwen - Nobel Prize winner for capturing atoms

Author: Li Jianjun, Cao Hui / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Anyone who has met Zeng Liwen will say that he is a very approachable person. He is not the kind of aloof, high-profile scientist some might imagine. He has no airs at all; he is very down-to-earth, gentle, easygoing, humorous, and cheerful. Being with him makes one feel very close, relaxed, and happy—it’s as if he’s just like anyone else. The author had the honor of meeting Zeng Liwen and his wife on several occasions. On the afternoon of June 16, 2002, at the Tsinghua University Zihuang International Exchange Center, the author finally met the great scientist he had long admired. Zeng Liwen was in Tsinghua University to attend the "International Conference on Frontier Sciences," a symposium organized by Tsinghua University to promote academic exchange and the development of basic sciences. Over 100 renowned scientists and friends from overseas, as well as more than 40 academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, attended the conference, including 14 Nobel laureates and 1 Fields Medalist. The conference covered topics such as theoretical physics, neutrinos, genetics, lasers, geometry, and AIDS. The gathering of so many world-class scientists in Beijing was a significant event in the exchange between Chinese and world science, and it played a vital role in advancing the level of basic scientific research in China.
On the afternoon of June 17, Vice Premier Li Lanqing met with the world-renowned scientists attending the "International Conference on Frontier Sciences." Vice Premier Li said, "The Chinese nation is facing unprecedented opportunities for development. The competition in scientific advancement is ultimately a competition for talent. Only a nation that possesses new scientific knowledge and possesses scientific thinking and innovative abilities can keep up with the trends of global development."
This meeting was personally arranged by Zeng Liwen. Through his secretary, Ms. Feng Ping, he informed the author that on June 16, he would be attending the "International Conference on Frontier Sciences" at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and his schedule already included a meeting with us. He also notified us to bring a translator. Upon hearing this news, the author was very excited but always doubted whether it would actually come true, as Zeng Liwen was not only world-renowned but also extremely busy—even while traveling, he was always writing and drawing, constantly pondering problems in physics. The author remained half-hopeful and half-doubtful about meeting him until that day.
On the afternoon of June 16, the author arrived at the Tsinghua University Zihuang International Exchange Center as scheduled and called Zeng Liwen at the front desk. Zeng Liwen told us he had just arrived at the hotel and would be ready in 15 minutes. While the author, along with the translator Yan Zhou and Li Ying, sat waiting in the spacious, bright, and modern-looking lobby of the Tsinghua Zihuang International Exchange Center, they noticed that scientists attending the "International Conference on Frontier Sciences" were arriving one by one. After about 15 minutes, the author saw Zeng Liwen and his wife, Jean Zeng, enter the lobby. The author immediately greeted them in English: "Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you." Zeng Liwen also greeted in English: "Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet you too."
Although Zeng Liwen had some hearing ability in Chinese, his spoken Chinese was not very good, so he had repeatedly reminded the author to bring an English translator. The author sat with Zeng Liwen and his wife on a beautiful sofa in the corner of the lobby. Zeng Liwen looked younger than his actual age. He was wearing a white shirt, beige casual pants, and travel shoes, with a warm smile on his face. He seemed humble, gentle, and down-to-earth, without the slightest arrogance of a scientific master—just like an ordinary university professor. His wife, Jean Zeng, was a beautiful Western woman who loved to talk and laugh. She was dressed simply in a white silk long-sleeved shirt tucked into black casual pants, and her white casual shoes accentuated her elegant demeanor. She smiled and greeted each of us warmly.
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