Students and alumni from Peking University (PKU) scored big wins in the 2022 
Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition, clinching 35 of the 77 total awards, 
according to the list of winners released on September 26.

They stood out from over 50,000 contestants from dozens of countries and took 
home 3 (of four) gold, 2 (of six) silver and 5 (of ten) bronze awards plus 25 
(of 57) honorable mentions, making Peking University the most decorated 
university in this year's competition.

Amongst the 4 winners of the Gold Award were Chen Zekun, a PhD candidate from 
Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research (BICMR), PKU, Lu Weixiao 
and Rao Zhenghao—both are PKU alumni. Upon the announcement of the awards, the 
three shared the strong and special bonds they have formed with mathematics.

For Chen Zekun, whose academic interest is number theory, doing research is 
like groping in a gigantic maze with just one exit, and the "maze runners" are, 
for most of the time in a day, "heading towards a dead-end, or wandering 
between one dead-end to another." Yet still, Chen is doing every research with 
an undamped ardor. "Because during the process, you can come across many 'Aha!' 
moments, which are a lot of fun," he added.

Lu Weixiao, a PKU alumnus who is pursuing his PhD degree at MIT, expressed his 
indelible and unabated admiration for his alma mater and for mathematics. "It 
is no exaggeration to say that Peking University is a paradise for math 
students," he said, recalling the conducive environment at PKU.

Drawing from his research experience, Rao Zhenghao illustrated how he enjoyed 
the process of solving math problems—despite that the problem-solving can lead 
to no solution sometimes. "I've found solving geometry problems quite 
interesting and relatively concrete," he said, "I also revel in the experience 
of drawing, and sometimes a piece of a clear and intuitive graph can enlighten 
my thinking. This is one of the reasons why I've chosen geometric topology as 
my research direction."

In the turn of the century, a cadre of talents appeared at Peking University 
who made breakthroughs in the field of mathematics that commanded global 
attention, and they were famed as the "Golden Generation." Twenty years later, 
the "Golden Generation" has added new lusters as a batch of rising young stars 
have emerged.

In his congratulations to the awardees of the competition, the Director of 
BICMR and Professor Tian Gang put it that each generation of mathematicians 
have their missions and the young blood at PKU have borne on their shoulders 
fresh expectations from the society. "They are at the golden age of their 
lifetime."

Alibaba Global Mathematics Competition is open to math enthusiasts all over the 
world. The competition has been held annually since 2018, attracting a total of 
some 200 thousand contestants from over 70 countries and regions.

Source: Peking University

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