At the Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition awards ceremony held recently, a special winner was welcomed.
The way he appeared was a bit special, and even looked a bit cool - others walked on the stage, but he sat down, like Hawking.
"Wow -" As soon as he came on stage, he was greeted with cheers from the audience.
He is Lou Yingen, a Chinese-American student from MIT, and everyone calls him "Gengen".
Lou Yingen at the award ceremony. Unless otherwise noted, the pictures in this article are all provided by Alibaba Damo Academy
"He looks a lot like Hawking"
Gengen has been acting abnormally since he was a baby. His body was as soft as noodles and he couldn't even sit independently on the crib.
When he was less than 1 year old, he was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which is similar to what is commonly known as ALS. This disease causes Gengen to suffer from severe weakness all over his body, requiring help from others for even the simplest daily tasks: whether it is eating, turning over or going to the toilet, every movement requires outside support.
Doctors were helpless with this disease and thought he might "not live more than 3 years."
On the advice of doctors, Lou Yingen underwent four major surgeries, including spinal fusion, in which two titanium rods were inserted into his back. In order to prevent muscle and joint degeneration, his body has to change positions every hour, and he spends a lot of time doing physical exercises and massage therapy every day.
Fortunately, fate has more than its cruel side. Lou Yingen's movement was limited, but his brain was extremely flexible. He showed his mathematical talent early: in the fourth grade of elementary school, he was exposed to calculus; at the age of 11, he participated in the World Mathematical Team Championship and won the gold medal; at the age of 18, he was admitted to Harvard University at the same time. Admitted to three prestigious schools, California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Now, at the age of 20, he is majoring in physics and mathematics at MIT, "hoping to discover the secrets of the universe."
"Life kisses me with pain, but I respond with songs." Gengen loves to laugh, and he always has an angelic smile on his face, as if there is nothing worth worrying about. Someone asked him curiously, and he joked that his disease was an incurable "happy disease": "If you have this disease, you will always be happy and laugh."
Alan Guth, a famous physicist and professor at MIT, is the founder of the inflationary model in cosmology.
He noticed Lou Yingen in a review class and found that the young man had profound and advanced thinking and raised unexpected questions, so he decided to invite Lou Yingen to do research together. In the summer vacation of 2023, Lou Yingen studied black holes under the guidance of Alan Guth.
Alan Guth once worked with Stephen Hawking and thought Lou Yingen was very similar to Hawking.
"Of course it's not just the wheelchairs that are the same." Alan Guth said with a smile: "I think both of them have a very optimistic attitude and sense of humor about life despite their physical disabilities."
Alan Guth said in an interview that Lou Yingen "has a lot in common with Stephen Hawking."
Mathematics is “good medicine”
In a way, mathematics is more healing than modern medicine.
At the awards ceremony, host Yang Lan invited Lou Yingen to deliver an acceptance speech. Lou Yingen asked generously: "I want to share a little more. Is it possible?"
Over the years, he said, even as his muscles grew weaker, his passion for understanding the world grew stronger.
Tired of sitting, Lou Yingen lay down to study.
"Why are we able to prove anything meaningful in the field of mathematics? How is it that by manipulating abstract mathematics, we are able to predict the world, and these predictions are verified to be so accurate? Mathematics can be extremely complex and difficult to understand, but miraculously We can prove profound truths." He said he couldn't answer this profound question, "but as a mathematician and a physics person, what I can answer is that mathematics is not just about numbers or equations. It is The language of the universe itself, a symphony of logic and pattern, is the basis of all reality.”
Lou Yingen said that it was this "language" that allowed him to transcend the limitations of the body: "Although I have never taken a step on this planet, I am flying in the rich and magnificent world of mathematics. If I can understand the universe language, why do I need to worry about my physical limitations?”
Indeed, nothing can limit his unruly soul - it takes 30 hours of flight from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Massachusetts to attend the award ceremony at Peking University. He could have used the time difference as an excuse to attend online or simply sit out, but he didn't. "When we pursue mathematics, we express the belief that no matter how intractable a problem may seem, there is a solution," he said.
At the scene, he expressed that he would donate part of the prize money to the China Meier SMA Care Center, which helped him make this trip. He hoped that these donations would help the Meier Care Center eliminate obstacles for people with disabilities, "allowing us to chase and realize unlimited dreams." ". He hopes to be able to help others, no matter how small it may seem.
Lou Yingen’s life is not all math, physics and the pursuit of mysteries. He also likes to challenge things that seem impossible. For example, he recently learned to skateboard and surf. In a surfing photo he shared, he was fixed on a surfboard in a sitting position, with a bright smile on his face wearing sunglasses, riding the wind and waves in the turquoise sea.
The root of riding the wind and waves.
He said that life is short, so you must find something to do that makes you excited and happy.
"Society may think that because of your disability, you cannot achieve the same things as able-bodied people, but please don't let that influence you. The most profound things in life can only be understood spiritually," he shared in his acceptance speech His outlook on life, “If you focus your energy on these things, you will shine.”
Parents light the way forward
Lou Yingen can be so sunny and cheerful, and his mother is the light that illuminates his optimistic future.
Father Lou Xiangdong and mother Huang Huihua both graduated from Nanjing University. After falling in love, they went to the United States to study together. In April 2003, Xiao Gengen was born in California, USA. One-year-old Gengen was diagnosed with SMA, which was like a bolt from the blue for this little family. After a brief period of pain, the two decided to cheer up: "Although Gengen is suffering from such a disease, we will never give up!"
Huang Huihua quit her job to take care of Gengen "full-time" and accompany him for physical exercise every day. When Gengen showed his talent in mathematics, his mother "specially trained" him in mathematics skills and accompanied him to participate in mathematics competitions to stimulate his interest and fighting spirit.
"My mother has always been my strong support. She put down everything and focused on eliminating any obstacles I faced." In an interview with reporters, Lou Yingen revealed those memories of his childhood: "I like to do interesting things, and I am interested in The thing is to learn mathematics. I didn’t go to a formal school, I just learned it based on my interest. My mother taught me mathematics since I was a child and gave me extra lessons.”
Lou Yingen and his mother Huang Huihua.
Huang Huihua also shared that she told Gengen from the beginning what kind of physical problems he was facing, and taught him to deal with it sincerely and rationally, guiding and encouraging him to break through his own limitations and remain awe and curious about the unknown world.
She said frankly: "Since Gengen was born, the family has gone through many painful stages. With the belief that we can do better, we have solved the problems at hand one by one."
Lou Xiangdong, his father who works in the computer industry, is usually busy at work, but whenever he has free time, he stays with Gengen, "trying not to let him feel lonely."
Lou Yingen is actually not alone. He smiles at life and has a passion for things, such as mathematics and physics. As he said: "I hope to discover the secrets of the universe, and the combination of mathematics and physics is the best way to discover such secrets."
He also liked philosophy and took a minor in philosophy. One of his favorite topics recently is "free consciousness" - when people do something, do they want to do it themselves, or have they been determined to do it like a machine?
There was a time when Lou Yingen was addicted to e-sports games. Later, he found that it took up too much of his time.
"If I only have one day left in my life, I hope to spend it on more meaningful things." Perhaps due to his physical disability, Lou Yingen particularly lamented life, "You can choose to see the beauty of the things around you, or you can choose Ignore it all and become depressed. It's an easy choice, but sometimes it's hard to see that the choice is yours. Let go of the petty arguments, jealousies, and regrets and focus on what we have. Efforts can help others experience the splendor of life.”
(Original title ""He is very similar to Hawking": 20-year-old Chinese boy wins global mathematics award")
