Stephen Hawking: China’s Love for the Late Physicist

By Tessa Wong

As the world mourns Prof Stephen Hawking, there has been a particular outpouring of emotion in China,where the visionary physicist was revered by scientists, students, the state and even boy band stars.

[2] “He will roam across the universe and its galaxies, and in the end will again become its brightest star,” said one commenter on the Chinese microblogging network Weibo.

[3] Many people in China grew up reading Prof Hawking’s seminal book A Brief History of Time—the circulation of the Chinese-language edition is reportedly second only to that of the English.

[4] His 2006 visit to China was covered with breathless excitement, with state media comparing his appeal to that of Tom Cruise.

[5] And when he joined Weibo in 2016—saying hello to “my friends in China”—he was met with a rapturous response, amassing millions of followers within hours.

全世界都在悼念斯蒂芬·霍金教授，尤其在中国，人们对他的去世纷纷表达缅怀之情，无论科学家、学生，还是政府，甚至还有男孩演唱组合的明星，都对这位具有远见卓识的物理学家无比崇敬。

[2]一位中国网友在微博上留言说：“他将遨游宇宙和星系，最终将再次成为那颗最亮的星。”

[3]很多中国人是读着他的开创性著作《时间简史》长大的——据报道，该书中文版的发行量仅次于英文原版。

[4] 2006年，他来中国访问，人们极度兴奋，官方媒体称其受欢迎程度可与汤姆·克鲁斯媲美。

[5] 2016年，他注册成为微博用户，并发送向“我的中国朋友”问好的帖子，反响热烈，粉丝瞬涨百万。

[6] Prof Hawking was, of course,beloved around the world, but the adulation and respect he has always commanded in China is perhaps in another universe altogether.

[7] Scholars and academics have traditionally been held in high regard in Chinese culture, which also prizes a hardstriving and disciplined work ethic. Having overcome great odds in his life, he was seen as having these qualities in spades.

[8] “I like Chinese culture, Chinese food and above all Chinese women. They are beautiful,” he told his audience at an appearance during his last trip, while also praising the Chinese for being “very clever”, “hardworking” and having “achieved a lot in science and technology”.

[9] More recently, he delighted younger Chinese when he interacted online with another Weibo star. Wang Junkai, the lead singer of popular boy band TFBoys, had in November asked Hawking a question about interstellar migration, and Prof Hawking praised him for asking an “excellent question”.

After news of his death emerged Wang posted on social media: “You will forever belong to the universe and the stars. I will etch your teachings on my heart.”

[10] He also genuinely believed in China, particularly its younger generations,and their power to change the world.

[6]诚然，霍金教授深受全球人民喜爱，但中国人对他一直以来的爱戴和尊崇或许格外不同。

[7]中国文化历来敬重学者和科研人员，也赞扬奋斗进取、严谨自律的职业精神。霍金克服了人生的各种重大挫折，无疑具有以上特质。

[8]最后一次访华的见面会上，他告诉大家：“我喜爱中国文化，爱吃中国菜，尤其欣赏中国女性，她们很美。” 他还称赞中国人“非常聪明”“很勤奋”，在“科技领域取得了很多成就”。

[9]不久前，他与一位明星微博互动，受到了中国年轻一代的喜爱。那是在11月份，人气偶像组合“加油男孩”（TFBoys）的队长王俊凯在微博上向霍金询问了关于星际移民的问题，霍金教授称赞他问了一个“极好的问题”。

得知霍金去世的消息后，王俊凯在社交媒体上说：“（缅怀霍金先生，）您永远属于宇宙星辰，您的教诲我也会铭记在心。”

[10]他也真心相信中国，特别是中国年轻一代，以及他们改变世界的力量。

In his Weibo response to Wang, he praised China’s millennials for being curious and thinking about the future.“My hope is that as you pursue science and other ideas, this curiosity and confidence will continue,” he wrote.

[11] And in one of his last posts on Weibo, he thanked his millions of followers. “It has been an illuminating experience being able to communicate with all of you here.

“I look forward to seeing what the talent and inquisitiveness of the Chinese people achieves in the realms of science and space.”

[12] His obvious affection for China has perhaps intensified the sense of loss among young Chinese.

Among the moving tributes written by a netizen and highlighted by state media was this: “Born in the ordinary dust, returned to the stars above.

“I encountered this person when I was in secondary school. He told me of mankind’s indestructible and legendary perseverance. He also unveiled to me the mysterious secrets of the universe’s black holes. I listened to his prophecies,I accepted science’s revelations.

“This person has disappeared from our blue Earth, he has gone to explore the universe he so yearned to see. Have a smooth journey, Stephen Hawking.”

在给王俊凯的回复中，他赞扬了中国千禧一代对未来的思考和好奇心。他还写道：“我希望，当你们探索科学及其他领域时，延续这样的好奇心和自信心。”

[11]在微博的最后几个帖子中，他对百万粉丝表达了谢意。其中一个写道：“能够在这里和大家交流让我很受启发。”

“我期待中国人运用智慧和求知欲在科学和宇宙领域取得成就。”

[12]他对中国的钟爱或许更让中国年轻人对他的去世心怀怅惘。

在众多感人的悼词中，官方媒体特别提到了一位网友的一段话：“生于茫茫凡尘，归于浩瀚星空。

“我在初中的时候知道了他。是他告诉了我人类的坚不可摧和不屈不挠；是他向我揭开了宇宙黑洞的神秘面纱。我听从他的预言，接受科学的真相。

“他的躯体从我们的蓝色地球消失了，去往他一直渴望了解的宇宙。斯蒂芬·霍金先生，祝您旅途愉快。”