Wang Yuan (Chinese: 王元; pinyin: Wáng Yuán; 29 April 1930 – 14 May 2021) was a Chinese mathematician and writer known for his contributions to the Goldbach conjecture. He was a president of the Chinese Mathematical Society and head of the Institute of Mathematics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
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Life
Wang was born in Lanxi, Zhejiang, China. His father was a magistrate in the local government. Because of the Japanese invasion (the Second Sino-Japanese War), Wang's family had to move away from Zhejiang Province, and finally arrived at the southeast city Kunming in Yunnan in 1938. 1942, Wang's father rose to the position of Chief Secretary of the Academia Sinica. 1946 after the Japanese surrender, his family moved to the capital city, Nanjing. 1946–1949, Wang's father was the Acting Director of the institute. In 1949, Wang separated with his father, who went to Taiwan.
Wang entered Yingshi University (later merged into National Chekiang University, now Zhejiang University) in Hangzhou, and graduated from the Department of Mathematics in 1952. He then earned a position in the Institute of Mathematics, Academia Sinica. Hua Luogeng was his academic adviser and one of his closest collaborators.