Chinese mathematician Wang Hong’s Fields Medal award has sparked an unexpected rush for a special report by Guangxi Daily, with physical copies selling out and being resold online for more than 60 yuan.
The feature, titled “Wang’s Conjecture,” was published after Wang became the first Chinese mathematician and the third woman in history to receive the prestigious Fields Medal on July 23.
The headline uses clever wordplay, with “Wang” referring to the mathematician’s surname while also meaning “monarch” in Chinese. The title was praised by readers online for its creativity, with many seeing it as a symbol of Wang’s rise as a leading figure in mathematics.
Demand for the issue quickly surged, with readers searching for copies on social media and second-hand platforms. Some sellers listed the newspaper for more than 60 yuan, drawing comparisons to the Chinese idiom “paper in Luoyang becomes expensive,” which describes something becoming highly sought after.
Guangxi Daily said it was arranging additional printing to meet demand, telling readers online that it was working urgently to provide more copies.
The wave of interest also reflected growing public appreciation for stories of achievement and perseverance. Many readers said Wang’s journey, alongside the newspaper’s coverage of her milestone, showed the value of dedication and quality journalism.
Born in Guilin, Guangxi, in 1991, Wang entered Peking University at 16 before switching to mathematics. She received her doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2019 and is currently a professor at the Institut des Hautes Études Scientifiques in France and New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences.
In 2025, Wang solved the three-dimensional Kakeya conjecture, a decades-old mathematical problem, and went on to receive the Fields Medal at the age of 35.
