Award-winning scientists Yang Zhenning and Yao Qixhi plans to come back to China. (Photo : Twitter)
Nobel laureate Yang Zhenning, his wife and computer scientist Yao Qizhi are coming home to China, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Yang and Yao will be Chinese academicians in the CAS, which is the highest title in the academy. They have renounced their American citizenships and will be part of the academe in China.
However, China seems to dislike the return. Many criticisms online surfaced and observers saw that Yang’s return was done out of convenience and not patriotism.
Netizens blamed Yang for "returning home for the pension” and was contrary to Yeng’s statements.
Another online user posted, "The inheritance tax in the U.S. is high but there is none in China. Renouncing their U.S. nationality can save their beneficiaries lots of money.”
He said that he had considered renouncing his American citizenship for a long time and that “making the decision was painful.”
He added, "I carry my father's blood, and it's the blood of Chinese civilization.”
The Nobel laureate Yang Zhenning said that the U.S was good to him. He said, "The U.S. is a beautiful country, it gave me a good opportunity to do scientific research. I'm grateful to the U.S. And I know many American friends will oppose my renouncing my nationality.”
Yang said that he was thankful for his stay in the U.S. which lasted for five decades.
However, the controversial scientist has received much criticism especially when he married a young woman named Weng Fan. She was 28 years old when they married and was a master’s student at the Guangdong University of Foreign Affairs.
They met when Yang and his wife attended Shantou University in Guangdong in 1995 to participate in an international physics seminar. Weng was the couple’s translator.
In less than a year after his wife’s death, Weng and Yang married. This raised a lot of eyebrows, but the couple was undeterred.
The Nobel prize was awarded to Yang in 1957 for his investigation of parity laws of elementary particles.
When he received the award, he said, "I should like to say that I am as proud of my Chinese heritage and background as I am devoted to modern science, a part of human civilization of Western origin, to which I have dedicated and I shall continue to dedicate my work.”
