In the autumn of 1946, Li Zhengdao went to the University of Chicago for postgraduate study and finished his thesis under the guidance of Fermi. In his research, Li Zhengdao always seeks guidance from his ancestor Yang Zhenning, who is several years older than him. Yang Zhenning thinks that Li Zhengdao is both talented and diligent. In Chicago, he actually became Li Zhengdao's physics teacher. Yang Zhenning later recalled: "Our communication started at 1946. This kind of communication used to be very close, based on mutual respect, mutual trust and mutual concern. Then 1957, we succeeded. " Li Zhengdao and Yang Zhenning jointly published a famous research paper on parity non-conservation in 1956, and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957.
"Unfortunately, the growing popularity has gradually broken into some new wedges in our relationship that we did not have before. Although, our fruitful cooperation has lasted for five years. However, the relationship is slowly getting tense. " 1962 April 18, Li and Yang talked for a long time, but failed to maintain reconciliation. A few months later, the two broke up forever.
Public opinion generally believes that the crux of the difference between Li and Yang stems from the following argument: Who first put forward the breakthrough point of "parity is not conserved under weak action" in the Nobel Prize-winning papers? It was said that he thought of it first, which exposed Yang's greed and beauty of robbing people. Although both Li and Yang won the Nobel Prize in Physics and gained great fame, their personal fame and position in the history of science are still difficult to reconcile. Forty years after the breakup, Biography written by Jiang was published, which had a great response. Li Zhengdao accused that "Yang Zhenning wanted to rewrite history through this book, and to seize the honor that did not belong to him at all by slandering and belittling me", thinking that this was planned by Yang Zhenning and the author. Li Zhengdao was very shocked and angry about this.
Li and Yang have cooperated for 16 years, and their achievements have attracted worldwide attention. Li and Yang have turned against each other for 40 years, but they have always been tit for tat, lacking due tolerance. Both Li and Yang were born in The National SouthWest Associated University in their early years. Many of their teachers and friends, as well as people in the Chinese physics field, have tried to be the coordinator of the two people for many years in the past, prompting them to shake hands for the second time, and the result is in vain. The antagonism between Li and Yang shows the cooperation limits and personality destiny of China literati.