Creating A Center of Theoretical Physics at Christian Yenching University in Peking: British physicist William Band's endeavor in the 1930s*

William Band (1906-1993) was a practical physicist from Liverpool, who came to Yenching University in 1929. Having taught several years in Peking (Beijing) and worked mostly on experimental projects, Band had realized by the mid-1930s that “many Chinese students have a considerable natural aptitude for theoretical work,” and that there was no place in China where students could receive adequate training in theoretical physics. Thus he was determined to concentrate on theoretical study and aspired to build a center at Yenching to explore modern theoretical physics and its philosophical basis. For this purpose, he spent his sabbatical leave at Cambridge University, studying with Ralph Fowler, Arthur Eddington, Paul Dirac, and Rudolf Peierls. Based on extensive archival research, I examine in this paper Band’s endeavors in both China and England, demonstrating significant contributions of both Band and the American funded Yenching University to Chinese physics development and revealing a missed opportunity for Band to propose independently the effect of gravitational lensing.