Noted Chinese physicists gathered Friday at Tsinghua University,one
of China's leading universities, to mark the World Year of Physics.
Recalling the history of Chinese physics development, Chen Jia'er,
formerpresident of China Physics Society and academician of China
Academy of Sciences, said that physics has played an important role in
the scientific development ofChina before the 16th century.
"Although the development of China's contemporary physics lagged
more than 200 years behind the world, it has achieved world- renowned
progresses since the People's Republic of China was founded in 1949,
including the successful tests of atomic bombs and neutron bombs," he
said.
Physics in the 20th century brought the world four technical
theories of nuclear reactions, semiconductors, lasers and superconductors.
It will still be the foundation of natural sciences in the future, said Lu
Yongxiang, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Innovation is necessary to the development of sciences in modern
society.The nation should provide a better environment for physics in
terms of attention,support, admiration and education, said Feng Changgen,
an official with the China Association for Science and Technology.
"We must try to get more understanding and support to China's physics
from the public by marking the World Year of Physics," he said.
In 1905, the 26-year-old Albert Einstein published five ground-breaking
papers on relativity and quantum mechanics, which greatly advanced physics
research around the world. The year of 1905 was thus called the miracle year
of Einstein.
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a proposal to name 2005 as
the WorldYear of Physics.
(from Xinhua News Agency June 4, 2005)
