Zhang Mingyong's insight into the history of ancient mathematics in China. He thinks that the characteristic of ancient mathematics in China is computational mathematics, and the key is decimal system. So, nine numbers is enough. "Nine poles". On this basis, it is enough for each person to try 10 at most to find the approximate solution of the higher algebraic equation. China has developed algebra in ancient times, which is in sharp contrast with ancient Greece. For China's ancient geometry, he thinks that the main contribution is not some Greek geometric definitions in Mozi's book, but "moment". He thinks the moment is a rectangular coordinate system. Cartesian coordinate method and quotient height theorem form China's unique analytic geometry. This is the meaning of this sentence in "Zhou Kuai Shu Jing" that "the husband's moment is more than the number, and he punishes everything and only listens to his words". This is in sharp contrast with the geometry of ancient Greece. These views were published in a paper celebrating the 50th anniversary of Professor Fang Dezhi's teaching.

Zhang Mingyong attaches great importance to the history of Chinese mathematics. In a conversation with 1962, he said: "From the main part of modern mathematics since the development of calculus, geometry and number theory in ancient Greece have not left an indispensable legacy. Comparatively speaking, algebraic knowledge developed in ancient China, or more broadly, in ancient East, is a much more important source of modern mathematical analysis. There was no algebra as developed as China in ancient Greece. Decimal notation is missing. They don't divide numbers into four, ten, hundred, thousand and ten thousand, and then calculate them. Instead, they try to digitize big numbers into the product of small numbers and then calculate them. This made them attach importance to prime numbers and developed number theory. " (See the explanation materials in the Cultural Revolution) After the Cultural Revolution, he spent a lot of energy to train young people. First, he held a refresher course for teaching assistants. In the early 1960s and 1978, he presided over this advanced class twice. 65438-0979 The Ministry of Education entrusted Xiamen University to hold three training courses for college teachers, among which the training course on mathematics was presided over by Zhang Mingyong. Since then, he has vigorously trained graduate students. He often said that for a mathematician, two things should be adhered to: one is to lay a good foundation; The other is to learn to write papers. He often tells his students to think positively and explore boldly in their studies, and never be superstitious about famous artists, who will inevitably have wrong results. If we can find a counterexample to overturn the previous conclusion, it is also a great achievement, so as to avoid future generations making mistakes. He made it himself, such as his paper.

After several years of hard work, some students began to grow. 198 1 year, and they published more than 20 papers in the following years. For example, a master's thesis, Elliptic Martin Boundary on Zero Capacitance Dense (published in Volume 4 of Mathematical Yearbook 1983), is not inferior to American doctoral thesis at all. Japanese professor Nakai Zhen also wrote that this paper is very good and paid tribute to his tutor Professor Zhang Mingyong. Part of the work about Zhang Mingyong and his students can be found in the chapter Riemannian Surfaces published by the American Mathematical Society, Volume 48 (1985), written by Zhang Mingyong.