Tang Aoqing (Au-Chin Tang) (1915.11-2008.07) was a Yixing County, Jiangsu Province. He was a theoretical chemist, educator and leader of scientific organizations. He graduated from the Department of Chemistry, National Southwest Associated University in 1940, and received his doctorate of Natural Sciences at Colombia University, the USA in 1949. In February 1986, he founded the National Natural Science Foundation of China and was appointed the first President of the Foundation. He created and developed Chemistry Department of Jilin University and was President of Jilin University from 1978 to 1986. He was elected academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1955.

Tang Aoqing's most outstanding contribution was his brilliant achievements in scientific research, training and bringing up qualified scientists and technicians, and creating research team and organizations. Tang mainly engaged in research and teaching on quantum chemistry and high polymer physics and chemistry, and had co-written 8 monographs on his field. He was a pioneer in theoretic chemical research and made a series of outstanding achievements in ligand field theory, theory of graph of molecular orbital, statistical theory of polymeric reactions, and so on. He laid a foundation for and developed China’s theoretic chemistry discipline. He was the only Scientist given awards successively for 4times of the National Natural Sciences Prize, twice of which he were given first class award: his ligand theory and graph theory of molecular orbital; among the academicians of CAS elected in 1991 and 1993, 5 are Tang's students. He founded the branch of learning for theoretical chemistry in China which has constructed the school of thought with his own characteristic and great prestige both at home and abroad. The National Natural Science Foundation of China founded and directed by Tang Aoqing has made historical contribution and opened up a new broad road for developing scientific and technological undertaking, promoting science and technology to a high level, training and bringing up scientists and technicians for this country.