As TV viewers across China tuned into the various entertainment programs during the Chinese New Year, many in Fujian Province were engrossed in a series about Chen Jingrun, a celebrated mathematician and native of the southeastern province.
Produced by the Fujian Provincial Television, the 13-episode series tells the life of the late mathematician who was a national idol for his major breakthrough in proving "Goldbach's Conjecture".
In 1966, Chen wrote a thesis, stating "each large even number can be expressed as the sum of a prime and an integer that is the product of at most two primes," or the proof for "Goldbach's Conjecture 1 + 2".
He published a much simplified version of the proof in 1973, which was recognized as Chen Jingrun's Theorem by mathematicians all over the world.
Since his death in 1996 at the age of 63, Chen has continued to inspire the Chinese people, particularly those in his hometown.
"He's adored by us all," said Chen Yuanyuan, a graduate student at Fuzhou University.
"Chen is someone special -- he's closer to us than any genius in history or modern times," said Yan Chunjun, a professor with the Fujian Normal University.
Lin Rongsheng, Chen's classmate at high school, was excited to see the TV series. "It reminds me of the old days we spent together, his excitement when Goldbach's Conjecture was introduced to us in our maths class, his delight at becoming a mathematics major at the noted Xiamen University, and all the twists and turns in his life."
But to his family, Chen was more than a scientist.
"He was a good husband and father, too," said Chen's wife You Kun. "I hope people will learn from the TV series what Chen was really like in life."
(Xinhua News Agency February 17, 2003)
