Su Buqing was born in September 1902 in a mountain village in Pingyang County, Zhejiang Province. Although his family was poor, his parents lived frugally and worked hard to support his education. When he was in junior high school, he was not interested in mathematics. He felt that mathematics was too simple and he could understand it as soon as he learned it. It can be estimated that a later mathematics class affected the path of his life.
That was when Su Buqing was in the third grade of junior high school. He was studying at the No. 60 Middle School of Zhejiang Province. A teacher named Yang, who had just returned from studying in Tokyo, came to teach mathematics. In the first class, Teacher Yang did not teach mathematics, but told stories. He said: "In today's world, the weak eat the strong, and the world's great powers rely on their ships and cannons to carve up China. The danger of China's national subjugation and annihilation is imminent, so revitalize science, develop industry, and save the nation. This is the only way to survive. 'Every man is responsible for the rise and fall of the world.' , every student here has a responsibility." He quoted from many sources and talked about the huge role of mathematics in the development of modern science and technology. The last sentence of this class is: "In order to save the nation and survive, we must revitalize science. Mathematics is the pioneer of science. In order to develop science, we must learn mathematics well." Su Buqing heard many classes in his life, but this class made him unforgettable. .
Teacher Yang’s class deeply moved him and injected new stimulants into his mind. Reading is not only to get rid of personal difficulties, but to save the vast number of suffering people in China; reading is not only to find a way out for individuals, but to seek new life for the Chinese nation. That night, Su Buqing tossed and turned and couldn't sleep all night. Under the influence of Teacher Yang, Su Buqing's interest shifted from literature to mathematics, and from then on he established the motto of "Reading without forgetting to save the country, and saving the country without forgetting reading". Once he fell in love with mathematics, Su Buqing only knew how to read, think, solve problems, and calculate, whether it was scorching summer or winter, frosty morning or snowy night. In 4 years, he calculated tens of thousands of mathematical problems. Now Wenzhou No. 1 Middle School (i.e. the Provincial No. 10 Middle School at that time) still treasures Su Buqing's geometry exercise book, written with a brush, and his workmanship is neat. When he graduated from middle school, Su Buqing scored above 90 points in all subjects.
At the age of 17, Su Buqing went to Japan to study and was admitted to the Tokyo Advanced Technical School with first place, where he studied eagerly. The belief of winning glory for the country drove Su Buqing to enter the field of mathematics research early. While completing his studies, he wrote more than 30 papers, achieved remarkable results in differential geometry, and received a doctorate in science in 1931. Before receiving his Ph.D., Su Buqing had been a lecturer in the Department of Mathematics at the Imperial University of Japan. Just when a Japanese university was preparing to hire him as an associate professor with a well-paid salary, Su Buqing decided to return to his country and teach in his ancestors who raised him. Su Buqing, who returned to Zhejiang University as a professor, lived a very difficult life.
Faced with the dilemma, Su Buqing's answer was, "It doesn't matter if I endure hardship. I am willing to do so because I have chosen the right path. This is a patriotic and bright path!"
This is the mathematics of the older generation. That patriotic heart!