On November 13, 1922, Einstein visited Shanghai, a hundred years ago. Many details about this history are varied, even confusing. In order to let more people know more real details, The Paper interviewed Fang Zaiqing, a researcher at the Institute of History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Shi Yu, professor of physics at Fudan University, to commemorate Einstein and the scientific spirit he represented.
The Paper reporter and Professor Shi Yu visited Einstein's footprints in Shanghai, some of the pavilions of those years have been dilapidated or annihilated, but Einstein's expectations for Chinese youth are still in his ears, "Push Chinese youth, dare to believe that there will be great contributions to the scientific community in the future." ”
Shi Yu, professor of physics at Fudan University, poses with a statue of Einstein at the former site of Huishan Wharf in Shanghai. Photo by surging news reporter Chen Zhuqin
On November 13, 1922, Einstein boarded the Japanese cruise ship Kitano Maru and landed at Huishan Wharf on the North Bund of Shanghai, preparing to give a lecture in Japan after staying in Shanghai for two days. After disembarking, he learned that he had won the 1921 Nobel Prize. However, under the influence of the "wave of anti-relativity" at that time, the reason given by the Nobel Prize Committee was the "law of photoelectric effect".
In 1916, Einstein predicted gravitational waves based on general relativity. Exactly a hundred years later, scientists announced the first detection of gravitational waves and won the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics. On the day the award was announced, Shi Yu, professor of physics at Fudan University, published a related introduction article "Einstein's Strange Nobel Prize", and on November 12 of this year, he happened to be invited to give a popular science lecture on gravitational waves at the Construction and Investment Book Bureau located at the former site of Huishan Wharf. A hundred years of time and space seemed to converge here, Shi Yu pointed out the window, "Einstein was standing there and coming to us." ”
A day later, on November 13, Shi Yu wrote "What Did Einstein Do on the Beach in 1922?" Published in the scientific media Intellectuals, the article examines Einstein's two trips to Shanghai (November 13-14 and December 31-January 2) on the return. A series of articles before and after, as well as "98 years ago today, who became famous overnight" and "Why Einstein's plan to visit China was aborted" also revolved around this history.
Shi Yu's interest in the historical study of Einstein's visit to Shanghai began this summer, when the Chinese edition of Josef Eisinger's "Einstein on the Road" was premiered. He noted that the original English version of the book was published in 2011, before the 13 volumes of Einstein's Collected Works (Einstein's 1922-1923 articles and correspondence), and that Eisinger relied mainly on copies of Einstein's travel diaries from 1922 to 1933 in the Princeton University collection.
Consulting the English version of the anthology at hand, Shi Yu found that some details in Eisinger's book deviated from the meaning of Einstein's diary. Comparing different data, there are many inaccuracies or mistakes about the situation of "Einstein in Shanghai". For example, the story of Shanghai students holding up Einstein on the streets of Nanjing Road to celebrate his winning the Nobel Prize is widely rumored, "This fiction should be used as a negative teaching material, and in the biographies of real historical figures, everything should be marked with the source." Shi Yu said. This is also his consistent academic attitude.
Although he knows the allusions and details of Einstein's visit to Shanghai well, Shi Yu has not been able to make efforts to systematically revisit Einstein's footprints in Shanghai for five years. This wish was finally fulfilled on the eve of the "centennial day". The surging news reporter accompanied Shi Yu to visit several landmarks alive——
At the current site of Shanghai's Huishan wharf, there are still cargo and passenger ships to ushere, and Einstein disembarked from here twice. The open-air "Old Shanghai Wharf Culture Museum" along the riverside has a bronze statue of Einstein, and he is carrying a travel bag, looking lovingly at the young children on the bench who do not know the world. The title of the work is "Relative", the carved mural behind it, and a brief introduction to Einstein's visit to Shanghai.
The Licha Hotel, where Einstein stayed briefly during his second visit to Shanghai, is now known as the Pujiang Hotel, and the interior has been converted into the China Securities Museum. The photographs and descriptions of Einstein hanging on the walls a few years ago have disappeared and have been replaced by other exhibitions. Ask the staff about Room 304, where Einstein allegedly stayed, and get an ambiguous answer. The rooms on the 4th floor are closed to the outside world, and people can't find out.
From here, Einstein went to the mansion of the wealthy Jewish merchant Garden for dinner and attended Chinese New Year's Eve party. As early as the late 30s, this garden residence (9 Donghu Road) was converted into a theater and is now an office building. Only the small western-style building where the youth newspaper office is located on the side can also get a glimpse of the Western architectural style of the 20s of the last century.
The auditorium of the Ministry of Industry Bureau on Fuzhou Road is where the "main play" lies. On the afternoon of New Year's Day 1923, Einstein attended a symposium on the theory of relativity here. We followed the old street number to find the wrong place, and when we left, we suddenly realized that the construction passage we crossed along the road was the perimeter of the Ministry of Industry Bureau building under renovation, and it was expected that protective repairs and updates would be completed by the end of next year. According to the plan, a new building will replace the function of the original auditorium for events and performances.
The changes in Azusa Garden are embarrassing. This old mansion, located at 113 Qiaojia Road, hosted dinner on Einstein's first day in Shanghai. The owner of the house, Wang Yiting, is a famous calligrapher, painter and industrialist (the exhibition at the China Securities Museum happens to display some of his deeds and photos), and the banquet was attended by celebrities such as Yu Youren and Zhang Jiluan. Since 2019, the Qiaojia Road plot has been renovated, and now residents have moved out. The gate of Ziyuan is locked, and a nameplate that used to be "Ziyuan Ruins" has been removed. An old man passing by pointed us to a lane to the north, and on the wall of the residents' bungalow, cartoon portraits of Einstein and Xu Guangqi were impressively painted, as if it were another relic of folk memory.
"Today, I am very happy to see most famous Chinese paintings, and I admire Wang Yitingjun's personal works. Pushing the Chinese youth, dare to believe that they will make great contributions to the scientific community in the future, this hurried eastward journey, returning another day, very much willing to be seen by Chinese youth. This is Einstein's thank-you speech at the Azusa Garden dinner a hundred years ago.
"If you travel back in time to 1922, which part of your journey would you like to accompany Einstein?" If you could ask him a question, what would you choose? Without thinking about it, Shi Yu threw out an academic question, "Considering the progress of physics after 1955, do you still think that quantum mechanics is incomplete?" What are the new insights into unified field theory? ”
However, it is easier to talk to Einstein in 1922. Shi Yu finally "decided" to take Einstein to the nearby Xu Guangqi Former Residence ("Nine Buildings", No. 234~244 Qiaojia Road) before going to the dinner in Ziyuan, "Talk about Xu Guangqi and Matteo Ricci's translation of the "Geometric Primitive" and ancient Chinese civilization, and ask him: 'How do you see the emergence of modern science in the West, not China?'" ’”
In the gluten lane in the north of Ziyuan, the community painted the heads of Xu Guangqi and Einstein. Photo by surging news reporter Chen Zhuqin
The early spread of the theory of relativity in China was more revolutionary and philosophical
The Paper: How did Einstein and the theory of relativity enter China, and what are the social backgrounds?
Shi Yu: Einstein was the greatest scientist of modern times. In 1917, Xu Chongqing, a student studying in Japan, and Li Fangbai, who returned from studying in Japan, initially introduced the theory of relativity, but the impact was limited. It was not until 1919, when the May Fourth Movement broke out, calling on Mr. Sai and Mr. De, that is, science and democracy, and various newspapers, books and societies sprang up, providing soil for the spread of the theory of relativity.
At this time, another major scientific event happened to occur internationally. On November 7, the Royal Society announced that astronomers had observed light from stars bending near the sun during a total solar eclipse, confirming the predictions of Einstein's general theory of relativity. The Times reports: Scientific revolution, Newton's ideas overthrown. This made Einstein "out of the loop" and became a celebrity all over the world overnight, which can be called an extreme case of science news communication.
At that time, shortly after the end of the First World War, the vibration of the world was fully felt. The scientific revolution brought about by Einstein reinforced people's unease. The turbulent social atmosphere, people's awe and curiosity about the universe, the abstract and mysterious but confirmed Einstein's theory, the rise of the media, radio and cameras, and even the cooperation of Einstein himself to some extent, were all factors that contributed to Einstein's fame. From then on, everywhere Einstein went in the world, he would cause a huge sensation, and the excited crowd would be enthusiastically welcomed.
Three months later, this "spread fever" also reached China and gradually heated up. This was an international context in which the theory of relativity also aroused strong interest in China, and I think there was also a psychosocial factor of turmoil in China at that time. Moreover, out of the pursuit of Mr. Sai and Mr. De and the search for the way to save the country and the people, Chinese was interested in various theories in the world at that time.
The Paper: The introduction of Einstein and the theory of relativity in the Republic of China newspapers seems to have a wider influence in the humanities and intellectual circles, what is the reason?
Shi Yu: From October 1920 to July 1921, the British philosopher and mathematician Russell visited China, mainly lecturing at Peking University. One of the main themes of Russell's lecture was the theory of relativity, especially its philosophical implications. Earlier, in May-June 1920, he visited the Soviet Union, met with Lenin, and then returned to England. After leaving China, he visited Japan for two weeks, where he listed Lenin and Einstein as great men of the ideological revolution. As a result, Russell's speech sharply raised the "spread fever" of Einstein and the theory of relativity in China. Therefore, in the spread of the theory of relativity in China, revolutionary factors and philosophical significance are more prominent, so it has a wide influence in the humanistic intellectual circles.
At that time, physics teaching and research in China were still in their infancy. The theory of relativity was regarded as a revolutionary idea and had a wide audience. Scholars who promote the theory of relativity include scientists Xia Yuanyu, Zhou Changshou, Wei Siluan, Zheng Zhengwen, Gao Lu, Wang Chongzhi, Ren Hongjun, Wen Yuanmo, Zhang Yihui, etc., as well as other scholars, such as Zhang Songnian (Shenfu), Wang Guangqi, Yang Xingfo, Xu Zhimo, Tao Menghe and so on. The great Marxist and proletarian revolutionary Zhou Enlai also paid attention to the theory of relativity. In early 1920, Zhang Songnian introduced the theory of relativity with an article entitled "Revolution in Science". In August of that year, Zhou Enlai compared the scientific revolution of the theory of relativity with Marx's social revolution. The philosopher Zhang Junqiao is the metaphysical side of the "science and metaphysical controversy", arguing that science is not omnipotent, but he also quoted the theory of relativity many times and introduced it to Xu Zhimo.
In April 1921, "Transformation" magazine published the "Relativity Theory", which included Einstein's popular work "A Brief Explanation of the Theory of Relativity" translated by Xia Yuanyu, Xu Zhimo's article, and Wang Chongzhi's two translations. In February 1922, the magazine "Young China" also published the "Relativity Theory", which contained three articles, of which Wei Siluan wrote two.
The Paper Technology: The continuous fermentation of the "Science Xuan Controversy" also echoes the "Einstein and Bergson debate" in the Western world. What do you think of the relationship between science and philosophy at that time?
Shi Yu: Einstein's theory is the basic theory of physics. Because it involves such basic concepts as time and space, it also arouses the interest of a wide range of intellectual circles. The philosopher Bergson challenged the theory of relativity and also attracted the attention of the Nobel Prize committee. In April 1922, the French Philosophical Society convened a symposium on the theory of relativity in Paris, at which Bergson first expressed his admiration for Einstein's work, saying that "this is not only the new physics, but also a new way of thinking." But he had an argument with Einstein. That year Bergson also wrote a pamphlet on the theory of relativity. After his death, a Bergson anthology compiled by someone else was not included in this book. Bergson is generally thought to be wrong, although he himself does not admit it.
But Einstein always had respect for Bergson. While time in relativity is at its most basic level, Bergson's reference to other aspects of time, such as macroscopic irreversibility and arrows of time, may be instructive. Science is becoming more complex, and it is becoming harder and harder for philosophers to keep up. The Bergson-Einstein dispute is a prime example. Modern science has inspired many philosophical developments, although many philosophers do not really understand and grasp the scientific concepts discussed.
The Paper: From 1922 to the present, what stages has Einstein's China spread gone through? Why is exploring and restoring the history of Einstein's visit to Shanghai a hundred years ago still important to us today?
Shi Yu: Although Einstein cancelled his official visit to China for some reason, he took two cruises through Shanghai in mid-November and at the end of the year, for two or three days each. The speeches and newspaper articles prepared to welcome Einstein still pushed the "communication fever" of Einstein and the theory of relativity in China to a climax.
For example, from November to December 13, 1922, Peking University held seven lectures on the theory of relativity. On December 25, 1922, the "Oriental Magazine" published the "Einstein", published 10 articles as well as Einstein's biography and catalogue of works, as well as a group photo of Einstein and his wife, including Lang Zhiwan's speech compiled by Li Runzhang, Ishihara Jun's speech compiled by Zheng Zhengwen, Zhou Changshou's article, and Zheng Zhengwen's science skit. The "Declaration" published transcripts of speeches on the theory of relativity in the weekly supplement at the end of the year and at the beginning of the year. Science and Continental newspapers present astronomical observations that test the bending of light again. On New Year's Day 1923, the "Declaration" published an advertisement for books on the theory of relativity.
"Oriental Magazine" "Einstein".
Hu Danian's Einstein in China chronicles the 1950s and 1970s. In the early 1950s, the Soviet philosophical critique of relativity influenced China. After Einstein's death in 1955, Zhou Peiyuan published a commemorative article in the People's Daily and a commemorative article in the Journal of Physics. From then until the first half of the 1960s, the People's Daily gave positive publicity to Einstein, including popular science articles by Junin and Zhou Peiyuan. In the late 1960s, there was a brief "critical relativity study class" in Beijing, but it soon ended, and most of the members switched from critical to studying relativity, and some members became experts in related fields. The "Shanghai Science Critique Group", established a little later than Beijing, continued for several years. Some teachers of Fudan University resisted this criticism, but some teachers became the backbone and wanted to publish the translations of Xu Liangying and Li Baoheng under the name of the "Fudan University Compilation Group", which was boycotted by the original translators. This translation was later expanded and published as the Green Cover of Einstein's Collected Works in the 3-volume edition of the Commercial Press. In 1979, China held a grand conference to celebrate the centenary of Einstein's birth.
Einstein and the Chinese "spread fever" of relativity are typical examples of Chinese embracing science and seeking truth, so it is also meaningful and interesting to explore and restore this period of history a hundred years ago.
"Emphasizing the common wealth of mankind, first and foremost science"
The Paper: China's regret that missing Einstein's official visit has become a public case, how to evaluate Mr. Cai Yuanpei's original intention and actions? If this visit is made possible, how much impact do you think it will have?
Shi Yu: Mr. Cai Yuanpei, who is worried about the country and the people, shows his boxing heart. While Einstein was in Japan, he was still collecting signatures to welcome Einstein's visit. ("We send letters of welcome to various academic societies as a solemn sign; On the one hand, wait for the groups to reply and send it a little later; On the one hand, after arriving in Japan, due to the uncertainty of his whereabouts, he sent it a little later; Where do we think that he is waiting for news that he is waiting for us in Beijing before we decide to stop? ...... We already have organizations such as lectures and research societies on relative doctrines, but I hope that within a year or two, mainland scholars will have made many contributions to such important theories that they can attract the attention of world-renowned scholars. Some of us know that the presence of such a scholar is a hundred times more important than a famous politician or military scientist, and are willing to welcome him at a cost of more than two thousand pounds a month; I don't think Dr. Anstan didn't fail to come to our country once. We don't have to be frustrated, let's encourage each other! —Cai Yuanpei, "Letters from Einstein," Peking University Journal, January 4, 1923)
On November 14, 1922, the Peking University Journal published Cai Yuanpei's "Preparations for Dr. Anstein's Visit to China".
Einstein broke the appointment. I think the main reason is that he suddenly wants to go to Palestine, coupled with the lack of communication with Peking University. When Einstein first visited Shanghai, he was approached by a German Frasted and his American friend Robson, who also tried to invite Einstein. Einstein mistakenly thought they were related to Cai Yuanpei. But in fact, Cai Yuanpei did not make any contact with Einstein.
If Mr. Cai had kept in touch with Einstein, the situation might have been different. Recently, I noticed that the invitees to Einstein's visit to Japan were the same as those who invited Russell to visit Japan after he left China a year ago, and it was President Shihiko Yamamoto. If Mr. Cai had coordinated well with the Japanese invitees, the effect might have been better.
If this visit is completed, it will greatly promote the spread of relativity and physics in China.
The Paper: Compared with the invitation process between China and Japan, what are the characteristics of the scientific intellectual circles of the two countries?
Shi Yu: China's invitation was first issued in 1920 by Yuan Guanlan, former vice minister of education who was visiting Germany, on behalf of Cai Yuanpei, president of Peking University, but Einstein did not accept. However, during Cai Yuanpei's visit to Germany in March 1921, he was accompanied by Xia Yuanyu, a physics professor at Peking University, who visited Einstein. Einstein said that he was going to the United States at present, but he was happy to visit China in the future. Zhu Jiahua, a teacher at Peking University in Berlin at the time, continued to discuss with Einstein and hoped that Einstein would visit Peking University for a year.
Looking at the invitations of China and Japan, it can be seen that the invitation of friends with peers seems to be easier to impress Einstein. Xia first studied in the United States, and in 1908 he studied at the University of Berlin, where he listened to several courses by Planck and Rubens. In 1919, he returned to the University of Berlin for two years to study and had a lot of exchanges with Einstein. He also introduced Liang Qichao to dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Einstein. Einstein's 1919 letter referred to "being with several elegant Chinese", presumably referring to Xia and Liang.
Russell's visit to Japan in 1921, mentioned earlier, was invited by Shihiko Yamamoto, president of the Reform Society. He asked Russell which three figures in the world were the most important in order to invite. Russell named Lenin and Einstein, just as he listed them as great men of thought in his speech. Yamamoto made initial contact with Einstein through theoretical physicist Jun Ishihara.
Jun Ishihara received his doctorate in Japan, but studied abroad in Europe, where he studied with Sommerfe, Planck and Einstein, becoming Japan's foremost expert on the theory of relativity. As mentioned earlier, his popular science articles are also translated as Chinese. He was an interpreter and escort to Einstein's visit to Japan. Before leaving Japan, Einstein wrote him a thank-you note.
The Paper: What factors did Einstein consider when making overall arrangements for his visit to Japan and China?
Shi Yu: In January 1922, Yamamoto clearly prescribed favorable conditions to Einstein and also put forward specific requirements. In March, Einstein told the Chinese side through the Chinese consulate that he could visit China for half a month and inquire about the conditions. At this time, Zhu Jiahua still insisted that Einstein go to China for a year and then to Japan. Einstein replied that the funding that China was prepared to provide was not enough, but now Japan has provided suitable funding, so he visited China for two weeks, and he himself considered that China's winters were warmer than Japan's, so he hoped to visit Japan first. And Japan gave the right conditions first, so it has priority, even if China's invitation comes first. Cai Yuanpei replied, offering room and board and a monthly remuneration of 1,000 Chinese yuan. Einstein again said that he could only visit for two weeks, paid $1,000, to cover the travel expenses from Tokyo to Beijing and then to Hong Kong, as well as hotel expenses. Because of Peking University's financial difficulties, Cai Yuanpei accepted the conditions after Liang Qichao promised support. Einstein said he would arrive in Beijing around the new year.
It seems that the process of reaching an agreement did not go very smoothly, and Einstein cared about remuneration at the time, but his opinion was fair and to the point. At that time, Japan was already relatively developed and had abundant financial resources, while China was still very poor and universities were in financial difficulties. Cai Yuanpei and Zhu Jiahua had hoped that Einstein would come for a year, preferably before Japan, but it was not easy to provide Einstein with satisfactory funding. It is not easy for China to reach an agreement in the end.
Einstein's expected reward was indeed sky-high. I checked, and at the same time, Cai Yuanpei originally planned to pay Einstein nearly double that of Russell (and Russell's salary is already very high), but it is only 1/4 of what Einstein asked, which is 1/16 of Japan's salary. But Einstein's public lectures in Japan, the Japanese hosts sold tickets. Einstein also gave a professional lecture at the University of Tokyo.
During a stay at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo in 1922, Einstein wrote a handwritten note to a local postman and fetched a whopping $1.56 million in 2017. It reads, "A quiet and measured life brings more joy than the constant pursuit of success under the constant obsession of uncertainty."
The Paper: How did Einstein feel about the invitation to visit Japan?
Shi Yu: The reception of the Japanese began in Shanghai, and the guide Dao Huan Shouke and his wife came to Shanghai to pick them up, and accompanied the Einsteins on their journey and activities in Japan. The Japanese side took care of Einstein's arrangements very carefully, and Einstein was very satisfied and liked the host Shihiko Yamamoto. On December 30, after boarding the ship leaving Japan, Einstein wrote a letter of praise to each of the Yamamoto couples, saying that Mr. Yamamoto was motivated by his own energy to devote his energy to improving society, that he was committed to building an international organization to prevent war, and that "to this end, it is first necessary to understand each other among the people of all countries and emphasize the common wealth of mankind, first and foremost science." This is how I understand your invitation to me. ”
Shihiko Yamamoto was a Japanese celebrity, a friend of Lu Xun, who had imported the works of Chinese writers and was the first to publish the complete works of Lu Xun. As Einstein remembered, Yamamoto had political pursuits and was considered a leftist at the time. However, Yamamoto later turned right, meaning opportunism. His political influence in Japan after the war increased.
"Solitude" is a necessary element of scientific creation
The Paper: During Einstein's visit to Shanghai, scholar Zhang Junmou appeared twice. At the discussion on the theory of relativity in the auditorium of the Ministry of Industry on the afternoon of January 1, 1923, why did he ask Einstein what he thought about Rocky's psychics, and what was the background and influence of this trend of thought? At that time, many scientists were interested in psychics, what was Einstein's attitude?
Shi Yu: From the 1840s to the 1920s, psychics were popular in the West. Lodge was a knighthooded British physicist whose achievements were mainly in electromagnetic waves and electromagnetism, and was Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. He began to believe in psychics at a young age. After his son died in World War I, he wrote a book about his communication with his dead son. Rocky believed that the ether existed, so he believed that the soul was in the ether after death. It seems that there are relatively many scientists in Britain who are interested in psychics, partly because of the personal experiences of these scientists, but also because they cannot adhere to the scientific method, and also because many phenomena cannot be explained scientifically at the time. They were criticized by other scientists. Einstein was never interested in these.
Einstein took a group photo in Ziyuan, and Zhang Junmou was also among the guests.
Junmou is Zhang Naiyan's word. He was the nephew of Kuomintang elder Zhang Jingjiang, who went to Europe in 1913 to study chemistry at the Universities of Birmingham, Imperial College and Geneva, and returned to China in 1919 after receiving his doctorate at the University of Geneva. He first worked as a professor at Peking University and many other schools, and from 1923 to 1926 he frequently changed positions in Shanghai, Zhejiang, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. It is not clear what position he held when he attended Einstein's dinner and attended the Symposium on the Theory of Relativity. In 1927, Zhang Junmou appointed the president of the Fourth Sun Yat-sen University (which was immediately renamed Jiangsu University and Central University), which was formed by the merger of Southeast University with other schools, and resigned three years later. His name is engraved on the cornerstone of the Chuo University Auditorium. I checked and found that when Zhang was studying at the University of Birmingham, the headmaster was Lodge (who served from 1900 to 1920), presumably one of the reasons why Zhang paid attention to Rocky.
Einstein said on the spot that Rocky's psychics were inadequate, and Zhang was later criticized by news reports. In this seminar, except for Zhang's question, I think the questions mentioned above are not bad. For example, someone asked whether the Michelson-Morey experiment was accurate enough to assume that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant; Herbert Chatley, a civil engineer and president of the Discovery Society, asked about observations during the recent solar eclipse in Australia; Anthony of the Electrical Division of the Ministry of Industry asked if he could prove the theory of relativity with the phenomenon of Ganymede's occultation. For all kinds of questions, Einstein immediately grasped the main points, smiled and walked to the blackboard to explain or verbally explained, and the answers were brief and straightforward.
As for why he called the discussion "the burlesque of stupid questions" in his diary, perhaps it was because some of the issues were not reported in the newspapers, and Einstein was a man of temperament, and the diary was written with humor and irony. From the material I read, I got the impression that he was friendly to the media or visitors.
The Paper: How to comprehensively view Einstein's attitude towards China and his impression of Chinese? Mr. Zhou Peiyuan went to the United States in 1936 and worked with Einstein for a year, and it is said that Einstein specially recalled to him what he saw in Shanghai in 1922.
Shi Yu: In 2018, Princeton University Press published Einstein's travel diary from 1922-1923, which caused some comments that Einstein was discriminatory Chinese. In fact, these travel diaries were previously included in volume 13 of the Einstein Collected Works. I have translated the text about China and Chinese in my 3 articles. Now a lot of text about Einstein's stay in Shanghai and his diary comes from my articles. I don't think it's discriminatory. Einstein was a man of temperament, straightforward in his diary, humorous and sarcastic, and in addition to his impressions of Chinese, there was no lack of irony about Europeans and Japanese.
Einstein respected Chinese civilization, and his impression of the Chinese oppressed by the West at that time can be summarized as: sympathy, favorability, and curiosity. As mentioned earlier, Einstein wrote in a letter in 1919: "My friend Beso will return to the patent office. The poor guy is too far from the animal—only concept, no desire, the embodiment of the Buddha's ideal. He would be more suitable in the East. It reminded me of the night before yesterday with a few elegant Chinese; They have no purpose or pragmatism in the slightest. It's too bad for them and the Great Wall! In 1921, he wrote to a former colleague who taught in China: "I imagine that life in Chinese is actually very good and attractive. A few examples I've come across are particularly appealing. From an anthropological point of view, these well-proportioned people actually seem to be much superior to us. ”
Einstein was so impressed by the tragic situation of Chinese at that time that he was deeply moved in 1936 when he talked to Zhou Peiyuan, who had visited his Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton for a year. In 1938, Zhou Peiyuan also wrote a letter to Einstein at the Southwest United Nations Congress to introduce the anti-Japanese situation. Einstein once jointly demanded the release of Chen Duxiu with Russell and Dewey, and also jointly called for the release of the Seven Gentlemen by Dewey and others.
Azusa Garden present. Photo by surging news reporter Chen Zhuqin
The Paper: After 1949, the young Yang Zhenning and Mr. Li Zhengdao also had a brief direct interaction with Einstein, did these personal exchanges affect his views on China?
Shi Yu: When Einstein visited Shanghai, Yang Zhenning had just been born in Hefei for 44 days, and four years later, Li Zhengdao was born in Shanghai in November. In 1949, Yang Zhenning became Einstein's colleague and worked at the institute until 1966, when Lee Zhengdao also came here. With the exception of Pais, the young people at the institute had little contact with Einstein. But in 1952, two papers by Yang Zhenning and Li Zhengdao aroused Einstein's interest and were discussed with them. Mr. Yang also took a photo of his eldest son with Einstein.
In 1966, when the United States released the Einstein commemorative stamp, Mr. Yang gave a speech at the launch ceremony. In 1979, to commemorate the centenary of Einstein's birth, Mr. Yang gave speeches at four conferences around the world. In 2005, Mr. Li gave a speech "Commemorating Einstein in the Motherland" at the Einstein Memorial Conference in Beijing, and Mr. Yang gave a speech "Einstein: Opportunities and Visions" at the World Congress on the History of Science held in Beijing.
Recently, I specifically asked Mr. Yang whether Einstein had mentioned to him his impression of Chinese during his travels, and Mr. Yang replied: never.
The Paper: You used the term "apartness" to describe an important component of Einstein's personality and attributed it to his preference for frequent international sailing. What factors do you think made him this personality? What insights did you take?
Shi Yu: Apartness was originally a description of Einstein by Einstein expert Pais, and later Mr. Yang Zhenning once quoted and translated it as "solitary holding". Mr. Young mentioned that Pais also quoted the Oxford Dictionary's explanation of solitary holding: keep your distance from others; Alone, in isolation, alone. "Indeed, isolation, distance, and free vision are interconnected features, a necessary element of all scientific, artistic and literary creative activity," Yang wrote. ”
I think that's first of all Einstein's character, because he was like that as a child. This became his style later, and his scientific research was extremely independent, as did he approach other things. At this time, in order to be independent, he needs to remain alone. Independent thinking was the first inspiration I received from one of the greatest scientists of modern times.