Hawking and the Brexit Big Bang Theory

The death of renowned scientist and mathematician Professor Stephen Hawking on March 14 sparked an outpouring of tributes from around the world.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in China, where regard for his contribution to the fields of theoretical physics and cosmology are held in particular esteem.

In fact, as Newsweek put it last week, Hawking loved China and China loved him right back. Such was his superstar status in the country that Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang paid tribute to Hawking, describing him as a "fighter for science who arduously battled illness" and praised him for "strongly insisting" on going to the Great Wall during a trip in 2006, despite using a wheelchair.