"Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern's Handwriting Exhibition" opens in Nankai

This year marks the 110th anniversary of the birth of the international mathematical master, Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern. On June 8, more than 70 rare copies of Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern's handwriting were on display at Nankai University.

Yang Qingshan, the Party Committee secretary of Nankai University, Hou Zixin, the former president of Nankai University, Zhang Weiping, the academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as the professor of the Chern Institute of Mathematics at Nankai University, attended the opening ceremony of the exhibition.

Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern's Handwriting Exhibition , organised by the Chern Institute of Mathematics, is in the form of exhibition panels and presents Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern's inscriptions and essays. The inscriptions are for universities and scientific research institutes as well as his family and friends. Many of the pictures are on display for the first time.

Through these inscriptions and essays, we can find Mr. Shiing-shen Chern’s hope for his motherland. He hopes that she will become more powerful, prosperous and a mathematical power in the 21st century. We can feel his encourage for young people and his concern for his family and friends. We can touch his love from his child-like heart for his motherland, science and traditional Chinese culture.

Shiing-Shen Chern was admitted to Nankai University in 1926 and taught students at the Southwest Associated University in 1937, a joint university of Peking, Tsinghua and Nankai. Commissioned by the Ministry of Education in 1985, he established the Chern Institute of Mathematics and settled down in Nankai university in 2000.

During his century-long journey of life, Shiing-Shen Chern has contributed three quarters to Nankai. He once said that，“My best years were spent in Nankai.  

Mr. Chern took charge of the Chern Institute of Mathematics at Nankai University in 1985 and served as the first director. This is a landmark event in Chinese scientific and educational field in the early years of the reform and opening-up. Hou Zixin recalled.

Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern is an internationally renowned mathematician and educator, an internationally recognized master ofmathematics. His study has exerted profound and groundbreaking significance in the field of differential geometry and topology, especially in the field of integral differential geometry. He is known as the father of global differential geometry  and recognized as one of the greatest mathematicians in the twentieth century. At the same time, as a highly respected math educator, Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern has cultivated a large number of distinguished mathematicians at home and abroad, making indelible contribution to the development of the education of mathematics in China and around the world.

At the unveiling ceremony, Zhang shared some of Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern's life and research related stories. This year, we commemorate the 110th anniversary of Mr. Shiing-shen Chern's birth. We should learn from Mr. Chen's behaviors and research spirit. We should also strive to write high-quality articles and do things of benevolence and justice.  Zhang said.

Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern is a fine example of the patriotic and devoted representative of Nankai. Under his hold and directand guided by the principle of  Start from Nankai, face the whole country and take a broad view of the world , the Chern Institute of Mathematics has invited world-class mathematicians to give lectures, held a series of international academic conferences and cultivated a group of the world-class mathematical talents. The Chern Institute of Mathematics has won a high reputation for Nankai across the country as well as the world.

Today we commemorate Mr. Shiing-shen Chern.  Guided and spurred by his patriotic and scientific spirit, teacher's ethics and noble character, we should firm our faith and confidence while strengthening the sense of responsibility and urgency. We should shoulder the mission entrusted to us by the new era and never forget our original intention while forging ahead. We should do a solid job, polishing and elevating the gold-lettered signboard of Nankai Mathematics and the Chern Institute of Mathematics. Yang Qingshan said.

Bai Chengming, the current director of the Chern Institute of Mathematics, said he hoped the exhibition would enable more and more people to understand Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern from different perspectives. More and more people would be affected by his personality. More and more people would pay attention to mathematics, devote themselves to the research of mathematics, and strive constantly to build our country into a mathematical power.

The Chern Institute of Mathematics defines this year as the year of Shiing-Shen Chern , and has planned a series of events to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Mr. Shiing-shen Chern's birth. The exhibition of Mr. Shiing-Shen Chern's handwriting is one of the main events and will run until August 31.