32 moments

1. Birth in Hefei

   1922-10-01 · Hefei, Anhui, China

   

   Yang Chen-Ning was born in Hefei, Anhui, beginning a life that would span Chinese, American, and international scientific institutions.

2. Family move to Xiamen

   1928-01-01 · Xiamen, Fujian, China

   Yang traveled with his parents to Xiamen after his father returned from graduate study in the United States. The source supplies the year but not a more precise date.

3. Move to Tsinghua Yuan

   1929-01-01 · Tsinghua Yuan, Beijing, China

   Yang's family relocated to Beijing and lived in Tsinghua Yuan, linking his childhood to the Tsinghua campus decades before his later academic return. Coordinates represent the Tsinghua University campus; the historical Xi-yuan residence is not separately geocoded here.

4. Return to Hefei during war

   1937-01-01 · Hefei, Anhui, China

   After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, Yang and his family returned to Hefei amid the expanding war in China. The source supplies the year; it specifies that Hefei was bombed in December but does not date the family's return more precisely.

5. Arrival and university study in Kunming

   1938-01-01 · Kunming, Yunnan, China

   Yang's family reached Kunming, where he entered National Southwest Associated University and shifted his studies from chemistry to physics. Coordinates represent Kunming rather than a reconstructed wartime campus site.

6. Flight through Guangzhou

   1938-01-01 · Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

   Yang's family fled southward from wartime China, passing through Guangzhou on the route to Kunming. The source establishes the route during 1938 but does not provide dates for individual stops.

7. Flight through Hanoi

   1938-01-01 · Hanoi, Vietnam

   Yang's wartime flight with his family included passage through Hanoi before their arrival in Kunming. The source establishes the route during 1938 but does not provide dates for individual stops.

8. Flight through Hong Kong

   1938-01-01 · Hong Kong, China

   Yang passed through Hong Kong with his family while fleeing toward Kunming during the Sino-Japanese War. The source establishes the route during 1938 but does not provide dates for individual stops.

9. Graduate enrollment at the University of Chicago

   1945-01-01 · University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States

   After reaching the United States, Yang enrolled in the University of Chicago graduate school, beginning the doctoral training that led to his 1948 Ph.D. The source specifies late December 1945 but does not give a day.

10. Transit through Calcutta for U.S. study

    1945-01-01 · Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Yang flew to Calcutta and waited there before boarding a U.S. troopship for graduate study in the United States. The source gives the year but no exact arrival or departure date.

11. Institute for Advanced Study appointment

    1949-01-01 · Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, New Jersey, United States

    Recommended by Enrico Fermi and Edward Teller, Yang became a member of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, where he developed a long collaboration with Tsung-Dao Lee. The source supplies the year only.

12. Marriage in Princeton

    1950-08-26 · Princeton, New Jersey, United States

    Yang married Tu Chih-li in Princeton, where he was then affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Study.

13. Visiting Brookhaven National Laboratory

    1953-01-01 · Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, New York, United States

    Yang was a visitor at Brookhaven during the 1953-54 academic year, when discussions with Robert Mills contributed to the development of Yang-Mills theory. The evidence covers the 1953-54 academic year; the card is indexed to its 1953 beginning.

14. Summer reunion in Geneva

    1957-01-01 · Geneva, Switzerland

    Yang spent six weeks in Geneva with his wife and son in an emotional reunion with his father. The source identifies the summer of 1957 but gives no exact dates.

15. Nobel Banquet speech

    1957-12-10 · Stockholm City Hall, Stockholm, Sweden

    

    Yang delivered a speech at the Nobel Banquet in Stockholm after receiving the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics jointly with Tsung-Dao Lee. The Nobel Prize award ceremony itself was held at Stockholm Concert Hall; this card locates Yang's explicitly documented banquet speech at Stockholm City Hall.

16. Family reunion in Geneva

    1960-01-01 · Geneva, Switzerland

    Yang returned to Geneva with his wife, son Gilbert, and brother Chen-ping for another reunion with his parents. The source supplies the year only.

17. Third Geneva reunion

    1962-01-01 · Geneva, Switzerland

    Yang met his parents in Geneva again during the summer, accompanied by his brother Chen-ping and son Gilbert. The source identifies summer 1962 but gives no exact dates.

18. Lecture and family visit in Hong Kong

    1964-01-01 · Hong Kong, China

    Yang gave a lecture associated with the Chinese University and spent time in Hong Kong with his parents and siblings. The source supplies the year only.

19. Move to Stony Brook

    1966-01-01 · Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States

    Yang left Princeton to become Albert Einstein Professor of Physics at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and director of its new Institute for Theoretical Physics. The source supplies the year only.

20. Lecture and family meeting in Hong Kong

    1970-01-01 · Hong Kong, China

    Yang returned to Hong Kong for a lecture associated with the Chinese University of Hong Kong and met his mother and brother there. The source supplies the year only.

21. Meeting with Zhou Enlai in Beijing

    1971-01-01 · Great Hall of the People, Beijing, China

    During his first return visit, Yang met Premier Zhou Enlai at the Great Hall of the People and met his friend Deng Jiaxian in Beijing. The event followed Yang's July 20, 1971 arrival, but the source does not provide an exact meeting date.

22. Visit to hometown

    1971-01-01 · Hefei, Anhui, China

    Yang visited Hefei, his hometown, during the landmark 1971 return to China. The source places the visit within Yang's 1971 return journey but gives no exact date.

23. First return to mainland China via Shanghai

    1971-07-20 · Shanghai, China

    Yang arrived in Shanghai on his first return to mainland China in 26 years, following the thaw in China-U.S. relations. Coordinates represent central Shanghai; the source does not identify the arrival airport.

24. Meeting with Mao Zedong

    1973-07-01 · Zhongnanhai, Beijing, China

    On a later visit to China, Yang was received by Chairman Mao Zedong at Zhongnanhai.

25. Banquet for Deng Xiaoping

    1979-01-30 · Washington, District of Columbia, United States

    Yang hosted a welcoming banquet for Deng Xiaoping in Washington and spoke about building friendship between China and the United States. The source identifies Washington but not the banquet venue; coordinates represent the city center.

26. Particle-physics conference in Conghua

    1980-01-01 · Conghua, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    Yang attended a particle-physics conference convened by the Chinese Academy of Science in Conghua, Guangdong. The source supplies the year only.

27. Visit to Shantou University

    1995-01-01 · Shantou University, Shantou, Guangdong, China

    Yang visited Shantou University with Tu Chih-li; Weng Fan, then a first-year student, served as their guide. The source supplies the year only.

28. Hong Kong handover ceremony

    1997-01-01 · Hong Kong, China

    Yang attended Hong Kong's handover ceremony and the formal establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government. The source supplies the year only; coordinates represent the central Hong Kong ceremonial district rather than an asserted exact venue.

29. Return to Tsinghua Yuan

    2003-01-01 · Tsinghua Yuan, Beijing, China

    

    Following the death of Tu Chih-li, Yang moved back to Tsinghua Yuan, beginning his later-life return to Beijing and Tsinghua University. The source supplies the year but not a date for the move.

30. Yang Hall dedication

    2010-04-21 · C.N. Yang Hall, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, United States

    

    Yang returned to Stony Brook for the dedication of C.N. Yang Hall, named for the university's former Albert Einstein Professor and institute founder. The source states that the dedication ceremony took place on April 21, 2010.

31. 88th-birthday visit at Tsinghua

    2010-10-01 · Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

    Chinese State Councilor Liu Yandong visited Yang at Tsinghua University on his 88th birthday, recognizing his educational and scientific-exchange work. The source is dated October 1, 2010.

32. Death in Beijing

    2025-10-18 · Beijing, China

    Yang died in Beijing at age 103, ending a scientific career that had returned him to Tsinghua and China in later life. The official Tsinghua notice identifies Beijing but not the exact place of death; coordinates represent central Beijing.