Stephen Hawking passed away yesterday. He was 76. He visited the Black Hole Initiative in 2016 (pictured above). In 2006, Prof. Shing-Tung Yau helped arrange Prof. Hawking’s visit to China, where he has remained a popular cultural figure.
In the words of Prof. Yau, “He was very friendly and was willing to explain physics to laymen. His smile attracted the attention of everybody… the Chinese are grateful for his generosity in spending time in China.”