Prof. Yang Chen-ning was the first Chinese scientist to win the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957, for his discovery of parity nonconservation, which was instrumental to the development of elementary particle physics in the following decades.

Professor Yang has long been associated with the Chinese University. Since his public lecture at the invitation of CUHK in 1964, he has visited and lectured at the University frequently. He was appointed by CUHK as Honorary Professor in Physics, Distinguished Professor-at-Large, co-director of the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, as well as director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics. Professor Yang has given valuable advice to the University on its academic development, especially that of the Department of Physics, and was conferred the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa, by CUHK in 1997. In 1999, Professor Yang donated his medals, including the Nobel Prize medal, together with his papers, correspondence, manuscripts, publications to CUHK. Later CUHK set up 'The CN Yang Archive' to preserve, collate and organize the material, and to promote scholarship and publications based on the collection.

Professor Yang's Nobel Prize medal and diploma are now on display at the University Gallery.