Ye Qisun

In 1924, he became part of the faculty at National Southeast University as an assistant professor and joined the Chinese Science Association. He was then recruited by Tsinghua University in 1925 and became a full professor in 1926. He brought his students Chung-Yao Chao and Ruwei Shi to the university.

In 1926, he founded the department of physics at Tsinghua and became its first chair. In 1929, the university created the school of science, and Ye became the dean as well as one of the seven core senior executive administrators of the university. From 1926 to 1937, he hired Xiong Qinglai, Wu Youxun, Sa Bendong, Zhang Zigao, Huang Ziqing, Zhou Peiyuan, Chung-Yao Chao and Ren Zhigong to be professors at Tsinghua,[2] agreeing to pay Wu Youxun a higher salary than his own. Additionally, Ye supported Xiong Qinglai's approval of Hua Luogeng to teach at Tsinghua, despite the latter only having a middle school diploma. Later Ye recommended Hua to the University of Cambridge.[3]

During the Sino-Japanese War, Ye and his student Xiong Dazhen transferred assets from Tsinghua University to the National Southwestern Associated University. Ye was supposed to send Xiong to graduate schools in Germany, but Xiong insisted on joining the military in the effort against Japanese invasion. Consequently, Xiong joined the Jizhong Communist Anti-Japanese Areas, led by General Lü Zhengcao. Xiong taught bomb technology and bought wireless utilities through Ye's network, significantly resolving the shortage of weapons suffered by the Eighth Route Army. Xiong later died in the Chinese Civil War.

Ye went to National Southwestern Associated University to continue teaching physics as the chair of the university's department of physics. In 1946, he recommended Tsung-Dao Lee to study abroad in the United States, although Lee had not yet graduated. Lee subsequently won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957.[4]

In 1949, Ye came back to Beijing after the Chinese Civil War. After three years he moved to teach at Peking University. Ye was elected as a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955. He was also a founder of the Chinese Physical Society.

Ye asked the government to clarify the death of Xiong Dazhen, foreshadowing the Cultural Revolution. During the Cultural Revolution, Lü Zhengcao was persecuted. Ye was implicated in a case involving Xiong and was persecuted as well. Ye suffered from continued abuse and developed mental health issues. In 1969, he was released back to Peking University, but was still isolated as "a suspect of a Central Bureau of Investigation and Statistics agent".[5]

When his student Qian Sanqiang met him and attempted to greet him, Ye asked his student to leave him to avoid potentially implicating Qian.[5] Other than Qian, Zhao Yuanren, Ren Zhigong, Lin Jiaqiao, Dai Zhenduo, Chen Ning Yang requested visits with him, but received refusals from the government.

In 1975, his isolation was ended and his students Chen Daisun, Wu Youxun, Wang Zhuxi and Qian Weichang were finally able to visit him. Ye died on January 13, 1977.[5]

In 2000, the Chinese Physical Society established five prizes, namely the Hu Gangfu prize, Rao Yutai prize, Ye Qisun prize, Wu Youxun prize and Wang Ganchang prize in recognition of five pioneers of modern physics in China. The Ye Qisun Prize is awarded to physicists involved in Condensed matter physics.