Foreign media said that the famous British scientist Stephen Hawking visited China many times during his lifetime and communicated with Chinese scientists and students many times, making this visionary physicist very popular in China.

According to the BBC website on March 15, Hawking has many supporters around the world, but his popularity in China is quite different. Many Chinese readers have read Hawking's book "A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to the Black Hole" since childhood, the Chinese version of the book is the best-selling version of many translations. In 2016, he opened an account on the social networking website Weibo and quickly attracted millions of fans. His current number of Weibo fans exceeds 4.7 million, far exceeding the British Prime Minister. Therefore, after the news of his death reached China, many scholars and netizens expressed their condolences.

Tsinghua University professor Shing-Tong Yau believes that Hawking was unable to move, but this did not hinder his creativity and enthusiasm for research, which made him very respected. He described Hawking as "very friendly and willing to explain the theory of physics to ordinary people." Hawking's smile "attracted everyone's attention." "He visited China generously, and the Chinese are very grateful for this."

The report said that when he first arrived in China, Hawking was very happy to joke with the audience attending his lectures, which helped build his popularity in China. He once said: "I like Chinese culture and Chinese food." He also praised the Chinese for their intelligence, diligence, and great achievements in the development of science and technology.

Earlier, he also communicated with Wang Junkai, a member of the Chinese boy group TF Boys, which made young people overjoyed. Wang Junkai asked Hawking about human immigration to other planets. Hawking praised Wang Junkai for asking an "excellent question" and also sent a message to young Chinese people who can maintain their curiosity and confidence when pursuing scientific knowledge. After the news of Hawking's death came out, Wang Junkai posted on Weibo to commemorate Hawking, saying that he would "remember Hawking's teachings in his heart."

According to reports, Hawking had warned China to be careful of the development of artificial intelligence, but he still has confidence in China, especially his young Chinese have the ability to change the world. Sometimes he would directly talk to young Chinese people on Weibo. On the eve of the 2016 China college entrance examination, he encouraged candidates on Weibo, hoping that they would "go forward bravely" to pursue their dreams.

According to reports, Hawking's Chinese fate may explain why young Chinese people were particularly sad after his death. Some netizens wrote that they hope that Hawking can explore the universe he loves after leaving Earth.

According to the Hong Kong Oriental Daily website on March 15, Hawking, who is famous overseas, visited China three times and said, "I am not a hero if I am not a good man if I am not a great wall. I would rather die in China than climb this Great Wall." .

According to reports, Hawking first set foot in China in 1985 and took a train to visit. In order to realize his desire to visit the Great Wall, many mainland students carried him to the Badaling Great Wall. During his second visit to China in 2002, he went to the Badaling Great Wall again and took a cable car to successfully climb the eighth floor of Badaling North. During his third visit to China in 2006, Hawking told the public about "The Origin of the Universe" at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Regarding Hawking's death, mainland netizens expressed their grief: "You are a great man in the world, a giant in a wheelchair, a great physicist!" Someone also said, "Humans have lost a great physicist, the person closest to the universe." He went to the place he should go, and he belonged to the universe."

In addition, according to the Hong Kong Sing Tao Daily website on March 15, although Hawking was paralyzed due to illness during his lifetime, he sent sincere messages through Weibo, which were widely admired by mainlanders. On the 14th, mainland netizens clicked to browse the news of Hawking's death at least 500 million times. His "fans" also mourned the death of the superstar in their hearts and posted messages to pay tribute to him.

Reports said that this "king of the universe" went to China three times during his lifetime to "talk about stars and moons" with his mainland friends. Hawking's British humor not only made obscure physics interesting, but also made mainland netizens feel rare. closeness.

Wu Zhongchao, a professor at Zhejiang University of Technology, recalled that during meals, Hawking had to work hard to raise his head. Before he lost his voice, he could only talk in very weakly deformed language, which could only be understood after working and living with him for a few months. Wu Zhongchao said: "People have to have deep respect from the heart for the souls among human beings who pursue the ultimate truth with such a strong will."

In addition, regarding the news of Hawking's death, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang commented on Hawking at a regular press conference on March 14, 2018 that Mr. Hawking is an outstanding scientist and a long-term tenacious struggle against diseases. The fighter of the country has made great contributions to science and mankind. Mr. Hawking came to China three times during his lifetime. The Chinese leaders met him, and Chinese scientists and science enthusiasts also had pleasant exchanges with him. Mr. Hawking is concerned about China's development and construction, and also gave high praise to China's scientific and technological progress. Mr. Hawking also loved Chinese culture very much. It was with his strong persistence and the help of his assistant that he finally climbed the Great Wall of China. China expressed condolences and regrets for Mr. Hawking's unfortunate death and expressed condolences to his family. Mr. Hawking and his contributions will be remembered forever.

Photos of Hawking during his lifetime.