Bulletin No. 1, 2024

Chung Chi College: his late father, Professor Chiu Chin-yin, had been teaching at Chung Chi in the 1950s before its amalgamation into the University. He had been close to then College head Dr Lin Daoyang, who was searching for a suitable campus site for the future Chinese University; Ma Liu Shui in Sha Tin having finally been chosen, the younger Yau remembers his father going out to farms, explaining to villagers that they wanted the land for a university. University denied the young mathematician his request for early graduation. While an undergraduate in April 1969, Yau Shing-tung was accepted by the University of California, Berkeley for further studies and awarded a handsome scholarship. “I couldn’t graduate along with my cohort, and I couldn’t join the congregation either,” he recalls. But at that point, then head of Chung Chi College Dr Yung Chi-tung stepped in. “He decided to grant me a diploma at the College’s graduation ceremony; this meant that I had a certificate from Chung Chi, but not CUHK. When they called my name during that ceremony, I was so shocked! I thought they’d never give me a diploma, but I’m honoured that they did in the end. Everyone applauded and cheered me on as I graduated.” He says he never minded the lack of a formal graduation certificate from CUHK, as it had already given him a taste of encouragement and friendship in academic life. Yau’s interest in maths had begun years earlier in secondary school. “What really piqued my interest was learning plane geometry: from a few simple axioms you can draw diagrams that prove so many other theories, which in turn lead to the most beautiful diagrams,” he remembers. “That’s what kickstarted my passion for maths.” As such, mathematics became the obvious choice for Yau when he enrolled for university. So was 1 Professor Yau at a graduation ceremony, 1969 (courtesy of interviewee) 2 Professor Yau as a young child with his father, Professor Chiu Chin-yin (courtesy of interviewee) 3 Professor Yau at a public lecture held at CUHK, April 2023 1 2 32   Chinese University Bulletin | Yau Shing-tung