Chapter 470

"I even said when chatting with Wang Lao that within twenty years, this kid would definitely have a place in the current mathematical world. Who could have imagined that in just four short years, you would already be renowned throughout the mathematical world."

The Xia Nation's mathematical community still had many mathematical geniuses, such as Wang Yahong, who was focusing on proving the Kakeya conjecture proposed in 1917 in three-dimensional space, or Deng Ziyu, who wanted to rigorously derive macroscopic fluid mechanics equations from microscopic Newtonian mechanics, solving the 125-year-old unsolved Narrow Hilbert's Sixth Problem.

But it was a pity that, by the time there were results, it would likely take at least another two sessions.

"Is Wang Lao's health alright?"

Xu Qingzhou didn't continue to be humble, otherwise it would seem fake, so he asked about the condition of the elder Wang Yiyuan. Back then, it was thanks to the elder Wang's insistence against all opposition that he was able to receive the Chern Mathematics Award.

"He's doing great. He still reads materials for several hours every day, especially since he knows our Xia Nation is about to have a Fields Medalist; he's all smiles."

Tan Yizhen nodded.

The Xia Nation not having a homegrown Fields Medalist had always been a pain for the older generation of mathematicians. Now, being able to see with their own eyes the rising star of the Xia Nation's mathematical community, they had no regrets.

Xu Qingzhou met with other scholars from the delegation and then went over to the MIT side to greet acquaintances.

Professor Roberts, Horn, and some old professors from the mathematics department.

Some scholars liked to arrive early to meet with old friends or attend private seminars, so they arrived ahead of time. The timing wasn't uniform, and Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao had both bought their tickets separately.

Meanwhile, in Rongcheng, Wutong Residential District.

Xu Shouyun and Wang Xiaping were already sitting expectantly in front of the television.

"Why hasn't it started yet?"

Wang Xiaping complained in a low voice.

There were two images on the screen; one was the plaza in front of the convention center.

The right side showed the scene inside the conference venue.

Xu Shouyun held his teacup, took a sip, and said nonchalantly, "What's the rush? It's only 8:40 over there; there are still 20 minutes until it starts."

Hmph, just like a woman. Their son already said there was a 99% chance of winning, so what was there to be so anxious about?

Old Xu grumbled to himself, but he wasn't foolish enough to say it out loud, lest he end up sleeping on the sofa tonight.

"Where are Qingzhou and Xiao Yao?"

Wang Xiaping stared intently at the screen, hoping to find the figures of Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao, but there were too many people, and it was a panoramic view, so she could only see a few dots walking back and forth.

On the other side.

Song Shisong and Zhang Junli were also sitting upright in front of their television.

The prospective son-in-law had become a son-in-law, so they had to pay even more attention now.

Brazil.

Everyone chatted for a few minutes before entering the hall.

In the back row of the venue were rows of cameras.

Xu Qingzhou clearly noticed that as soon as he and Song Yao entered, lenses adjusted toward their direction.

He was very calm; having been through countless such scenes, he could simply treat the cameras as if they didn't exist.

As for Song Yao, she cared even less.

Guided by the staff, Xu Qingzhou and Song Yao took their seats in the central area of the first row of the main venue. This area was the best position, generally reserved for Fields Medalists, the President of the International Mathematical Union, or high-ranking officials of the organizers.

The two sat down.

Outside, Song Yao always maintained a cold and aloof image, just like now, with a straight face and an aura of being untouchable.

But precisely because of this, it always made people want to tease her.

Xu Qingzhou looked left and right, didn't see any cameras, reached under the table, and grabbed her soft hand, "I'm afraid you're nervous."

Song Yao pursed her lips and didn't speak, even though it was clearly she who wanted to hold hands.

At this moment, a white-haired old man walked over and greeted them with a smile: "Mr. Xu, we meet again."

It was Gerrit Boyer, a Fields Medalist currently teaching at Princeton.

The two had met once at a number theory conference in the Xia Nation, where Xu Qingzhou had given a lecture on the Twin Prime Conjecture.

Xu Qingzhou stood up to shake his hand: "Good morning, Mr. Boyer. It's been three years; you look even more energetic than before."

"Thanks to you."

Professor Boyer laughed and sighed, "I once believed that I would go to my grave with the regret of the Riemann Hypothesis. Thank you for uncovering the true face of the Riemann Hypothesis."

"As a token of my gratitude, I can tell you a secret."

"Please, go ahead," Xu Qingzhou said curiously.

Professor Boyer said mysteriously: "I came over yesterday, and while drinking tea with an old friend, he revealed some information to me. You might want to look forward to the Fields Medal today."

"If I may be so bold, that seems to be common knowledge," Xu Qingzhou shrugged.

"Perhaps."

Professor Boyer smiled without another word and sat down in the seat next to Xu Qingzhou.

Xu Qingzhou clicked his tongue, thinking to himself that these little old men all loved to speak in riddles.

At 9:00 AM local time, the 28th International Congress of Mathematicians kicked off.

The host took the stage, spent five minutes introducing the guests, and then moved on to the speech segment.

Brazilian mathematician Professor Marcelo Viana (Director of IMPA) delivered the welcome address, emphasizing that this was the first time the conference was being held in the Southern Hemisphere, and introduced the preparations.

The Chairman of the Organizing Committee, Brazilian mathematician Professor Marcelo Viana, delivered the welcome address.

"Distinguished guests, colleagues, ladies, and gentlemen."

"Since Cantor and Klein proposed the vision of the internationalization of mathematics at the end of the 19th century, we have never stopped our pursuit of a community of knowledge. Today, the morning breeze of Rio de Janeiro not only brushes against the waves of Copacabana but also gathers the wisdom of mathematicians from around the world here..."

A few minutes later, IMU President Shigefumi Mori delivered a speech, outlining the theme of the conference and the significance of global mathematical cooperation.

Compared to large-scale events like the Olympics, the IMU focused more on academic ritual; the opening ceremony usually lasted between 2.5 and 3 hours to avoid being overly long.

After the two gave brief speeches, they officially entered the next segment: the awards ceremony that the mathematicians in attendance were eagerly awaiting. This year's awards were a bit different, as the Chern Medal had been added, meaning the IMU now had four major awards.

As the host read the names, the winners of the first three awards took the stage one by one.

The Gauss Prize emphasized the application value of mathematics, and the winner was Stanford University Professor David Donoho.

The winner of the newly established Chern Medal was Japanese mathematician Masaki Kashiwara, whose main achievements were in algebraic analysis and the perfection of D-module theory.

There was a special segment here, playing a clip of an interview with Chern before his death, emphasizing the legacy that "mathematics has no borders."

The third award, the Rita Levi-Montalcini Prize, mainly focused on young scholars from developing countries. The winner was from the host country, Brazil itself: young mathematician Carolina Araujo from the Brazilian IMPA institute.

Xu Qingzhou could understand the choice for this award winner.

The host country itself was a developing country, and it was perfectly fine to lean slightly toward someone from their own country to enhance the cultural identity of the conference.

After the first three awards were presented, it was time for the highly anticipated Fields Medal.

Inside the venue, the mathematicians sat up a bit straighter, their expressions varied. Most of them showed expressions of anticipation; there were at most four Fields Medals, and 99.9% of mathematicians in the world were just there to accompany the winners.

Of course, a few others were holding their breath slightly, staring intently at the screen on stage.

For example, one of the hot candidates, Caucher Birkar, Jonathan Birmingham, Akshay Venkatesh...

The only one who was relatively calm was probably Xu Qingzhou.

(End of chapter)