Yang Zhenning said: I became an American citizen on March 23rd, 1964. At that time, I thought about this decision for a long time. It was a very painful decision. 1983 in a book, I once said that my father would never forgive me for giving up China nationality until his death. This matter mentioned by Yang Zhenning is actually well known. Many people blame this on Yang Zhenning, and compare him with patriotic scientists such as Qian Xuesen and Deng Jiaxian, and belittle Yang Zhenning.
He went on to say that I gave up my American citizenship on April 20 15 1 5, which was not a simple decision. The United States is a beautiful country, which gives me a very good opportunity to do scientific research. I thank America. Moreover, I know that many American friends will not approve of my giving up American citizenship. From this perspective, Yang Zhenning still loves the United States very much, which is the fundamental reason why he has never given up his American citizenship. Finally, Yang Zhenning said, how does it feel for me to return? Xiong Bingming, a close friend, once said that although your father is gone, his blood still circulates in your body. I said, yes, my father's blood circulates in my body, which is the blood of China culture.
It seems that Yang Zhenning finally chose to return to China to realize his father's wish. Yang Zhenning's father is Yang Wuzhi, a mathematician in China, who has made great contributions to modern mathematics in China. Yang Zhenning also recalled that my father was a professor of mathematics in Beijing and Shanghai before he died in 1973. He received a doctorate from the University of Chicago. He has been to many places. But I know that until my death, he never forgave me for giving up my hometown in the corner of my heart.
In other words, Yang Wuzhi is well-informed and talented, but he still chooses to make contributions in China, which is plain. This spirit is really touching. This is probably the fundamental reason why he blamed Yang Zhenning on death. From the Yang Zhenning incident, we can draw the conclusion that patriotism is still the core value of China people and will not be destroyed by time and history.