【双语阅读】从小选拔“数学家”（上）

CaixinGlobal财新国际 · 公众号 · · 2025-03-20 18:05

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The Yau Mathematical Sciences Leaders Program at Tsinghua University aims to be a “Shangri-La” for nurturing the mathematicians and scientists who can help China overcome the critical technological challenges of the future.

Founded by the first ethnic Chinese recipient of one of the world’s most prestigious prizes in mathematics, the program accepts no more than 100 students a year.

2021年以来逐渐搭建成形的丘成桐数学科学领军人才培养计划是丘成桐为数学人才建造的“桃花源”。清华大学在2021年推出该计划，据官网介绍，“数学领军计划”每年招生规模不超过100人，这些中学生将免考录取至清华大学数学与应用数学专业，直接升级本科教育，在八年时间内一路读至博士，其间不得转入其他专业。清华大学为这些学生专门设置有新的培养单位，命名为“求真书院”，由丘成桐担任院长。

Acceptance grants more than prestige. It offers students an inside track in China’s notoriously competitive education system. Students in the program can end up receiving direct admission into Tsinghua University, China’s top technical school, as an Applied Mathematics major as part of an eight-year higher education track that ends with a doctorate.

The program was founded by mathematician Shing-Tung Yau. At 33, he won the Fields Medal, sometimes called the Nobel Prize of mathematics — except that it’s only awarded once every four years. In an article published in early 2021 about the purpose of the Tsinghua program, Yau emphasized how important it is to get promising students off to an early start in mathematics. He wrote that driven and curious young students can develop rapidly if taught by master mathematicians in a nurturing environment.

这份人才培养计划实践着丘成桐一直以来的理念——数学要从娃娃抓起。他本人在15岁时就受数学家陈省身文章思想的启发，立志成为大数学家。年仅27岁的他就证明出“卡拉比猜想”难题，一举成名。33岁便成为首位获得菲尔兹奖的华人。

The program primarily targets “middle school students who respect science, are healthy, outstanding in performance, exhibit notable mathematical talent, and aspire to spend their lives doing scientific research,” according to its 2025 admissions brochure.

The program accepts students into its pipeline as early as the ninth grade, allowing the youngest among them to potentially skip the country’s grueling admission exams for high school and college. Instead, they complete their secondary education in one of the Yau Youth Classes that have been set up at key high schools across the country, before they move on to Tsinghua. The classes follow an integrated middle-to-high school curriculum that provides a systematic training plan for top students.

该计划备受关注的原因，不但与丘成桐直接领衔发起有关，更因其强调将打造“不设任何框框的拔尖人才培养特区”。2025年该计划的《招生简章》称，招生对象为“崇尚科学、身心健康、成绩优秀、表现出突出数学潜质和特长并有志于终身从事科学研究的全球中学生”。实际选拔年龄相对宽泛，2021年起面向内地招收高中一、二年级学生，特别优秀的初中三年级及高中三年级学生；面向海外招收十、十一年级学生，特别优秀的九年级及十二年级学生；当年度已被录取的清华本科新生也可申请。

The program is part of a long-running experiment in China to identify outstanding talent outside the conventional selection process of the National College Entrance Examinations. This initiative, which dates back to 1977, is considered crucial to supporting technological innovation and making China more competitive globally. The goal is to address a weakness in China’s education system, which tends to prioritize universal accessibility over helping exceptional students meet their potential.

【双语阅读】从小选拔“数学家”（上）

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